''Lithospermum arvense'' (syn. ''Buglossoides arvensis''), known as field gromwell, corn gromwell, bastard alkanet, stone seed and Ahiflower®, is a flowering plant of the family

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the or ...

. It is native to Europe and Asia, as far north as Korea, Japan and Russia, and as far south as Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. It is known in other places as an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

, including much of North America and Australia. The European Union has granted the refined oil of the seed of ''Buglossoides arvensis''

novel food A novel food is a type of food that does not have a significant history of consumption or is produced by a method that has not previously been used for food. Designer food Designer food is a type of novel food that has not existed on any regional ...

status and some farmers are growing it nowiki/>commercially in the United Kingdom as a plant-variety patented (PVP) and trademarked cultivar (Ahiflower). The seed oil contains high levels (63-72%) of omega-3 ALA (c18:3), omega-3 SDA (c18:4), and omega-6 GLA (c18:3) and has GRAS (generally regarded as safe) review status from the US Food and Drug Administration, Canadian ingredient master file (IMF) registration and novel food status, and GMP+ Feed Support Product status in the EU for livestock and companion animals (including for defatted expeller press cake meal). Refined ''Buglossoides'' oil has peer-reviewed published human clinical evidence from controlled dietary intervention trials showing up to 400% more efficient omega-3 EPA (c20:5) accrual in circulating cells vs flaxseed oil and has been shown to significantly upregulate the cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated macrophages by +40% vs. control IL-10 is recognized as one of the immune modulatory signaling cytokines that moderates the inflammatory response after intensive exercise or immune challenge. Seeds of ''Buglossoides'' have been reported in Ukrainian archeological sites dating back as far as 4000 BC where they were stored in clay pots, however the purpose and usage of the seeds has not been determined. In modern European arable agriculture, ''Buglossoides'' often appears as a weed species with poor competitive and non-invasive characteristics. ----

References

"Lithospermum arvense Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 132. 1753".
Flora of China.'' �
^ USDA Plants Profile
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^ ''"Buglossoides arvensis".''
''

Australian Plant Name Index The Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) is an online database of all published names of Australian vascular plants. It covers all names, whether current names, synonyms or invalid names. It includes bibliographic and typification details, informati ...

(APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 20 March 2012.'' ^ ''Nosowitz, Dan (19 November 2015)
"What Is This Weird Weed, and Why Are Farmers and Health Nuts So Into It?".
Modern Farmer. Retrieved 30 November 2015.'' Cumberford G & Hebard A (2015) Ahiflower oil: A novel non-GM plant-based omega-3+6 source
''J Lipid Tech'' Sep 28:9; 207-210.
''Retrieved 10 Jun 2022.'' Lefort (2016) Consumption of Buglossoides arvensis seed oil is safe and increases tissue long-chain n-3 fatty acid content more than flax seed oil
''J Nutr Sci'' 5:e2, 1-12.
''Retrieved 10 Jun 2022.'' Lefort (2017) Dietary ''Buglossoides arvensis'' oil increases circulating n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in a dose-dependent manner and enhances lipopolysaccharide-stimulated whole blood interleukin-10—a randomized placebo-controlled trial
''Nutrients'' 9:261; 1-17
''Retrieved 10 Jun 2022.''

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment
arvense Flora of Pakistan Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Malta {{Asterid-stub