Süstemaatiline kuuluvus (APG IV)
Riik: Taimed (Plantae)
Klaad: Soontaimed (Tracheophyta)
Klaad: Katteseemnetaimed (Angiospermae)
Klaad: Päriskaheidulehelised (Eudicotyledonae)
Selts: Iminõgeselaadsed / Lamiales
Sugukond: Huulõielised / Lamiaceae
Perekond: Nõianõges / Stachys
Liik: Villane nõianõges / Stachys byzantina  K.Koch

Botaaniline kirjeldus
Villane nõianõges on mitmeaastane huulõieliste sugukonda kuuluv rohttaim. Taim on tihedalt kaetud hallide või hõbevalgete, siidjalt pehmete karvadega. Õitsevad varred kasvavad 40–80 cm kõrguseks, on püstised, harunenud ja kipuvad olema neljakandilised. Lehed on paksud ja veidi kortsus, tihedalt ja mõlemalt poolt  hallikashõbedaste, siidjate karvadega kaetud; alumine pool on värvi poolest rohkem hõbevalge kui pealispind. Lehed on varrel vastakuti paigutatud ja 5–10 cm pikad. Leherootsud  ümbritsevad alusel poolenisti vart (kõrvakesed) ja aluslehed on kujult piklik-elliptilised, mõõtmetega 10 cm pikkust ja 2,5 cm laiust. Leheservad on veidi hambulised ja tihedalt karvadega kaetud, lehelaba kitseneb järk-järgult tömbi lehetipu suunas. [2]

Õisikud on 10–22 cm pikad, moodustades vertitsillaate. Neist igaühes on palju õisi ja need on tihedalt koondunud suurema osa pikkuse ulatuses õisiku teljele. (Vertitsillaat on õisik, mis koosneb mitmest lühikesest, peaaegu rootsutust õiest, mis paiknevad varrel tihedalt üksteise kõrval või ümber, sageli ühes või mitmes vahelduvas rõngas. Need õierõngad võivad jätta mulje, justkui õied kasvaksid otse varrest.) Õitsevatel vartel olevad lehed on väikesed ja peaaegu rootsutud. [2]

Kroonlehed on lillad, seest laigulised, soonelised, kahehuulised. Kroonlehted alusel 7-8 mm ulatuses torujalt kokku kasvanud, väljastpoolt karvane. Ülemine huul on üksik, kergelt kolmehõlmine, 5 mm pikk ja 4-5 mm lai. Alumine huul on samuti kolmehõlmine. Kaks külgmist hõlma on madalad ja palju väiksemad kui keskmine hõlm. Keskmine hõlm on 6-8 mm pikk ja 5 mm lai. Tolmukad on neli, kaks pikemad, kaks lühemad. tolmukad ulatuvad veidi üle ülemise huule alt välja. Tolmukaniidid on kinnitunud õieputke tipmisele osale, on tihedalt karvased, lillad. Tolmukapead on lillad, 1,1 mm laiad. Emakas on 8 mm pikk, paljas, toonilt valgest lillakani, pisut kroonist välja ulatuv. Emakasuue on kaheosaline. sigimik on kaheviljalehine ja emakas neljakambriline. Viljaks on neljaks isepäiseks pähklikeseks jagunenud kuivvili. [2]

Levila
Villane nõianõges kasvab looduslikult peamiselt Kaukaasias ja Türgis. Eestis kasvatatakse peamiselt ilutaimena. Kasvab hästi päikesepaistelises paigas kuival mullal kui ka parasniiskel. Õitseb juunist septembrini. [2]

Toime ja kasutamine
Rahvameditsiinis kasutatakse villase iminõgese ürti, mis on südame- ja emakatoonusti ning vererõhu alandaja. Villase iminõgese teed kasutatakse ka haavade raviks ning nahahaiguste puhul. [2] Lisaks on taime kasutatud köha, põrna skleroosi, põletike ja suguelundite kasvajate raviks. [3] 

Taimes on tuvastatud 14 fenoolset ühendit. [3] Taime eeterlik õli peamised koostisosad olid piperitenoon, 6,10,14-trimetüül pentadekaan-2-oon  ja n-trikosaan (6,4%). [4] Villase iminõgese ekstraktid või komponendid on põletikuvastaste, antitoksiliste, antibakteriaalsete, antioksüdantsete ja tsütotoksiliste omadusega. [5,6]

Kasutatud allikad
1. Missouriplants.com. (2007). [Arhiveeritud originaalist 2010-06-04]. Vaadatud 22.11.2023, aadressilhttps://web.archive.org/web/20100604062646/http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Stachys_byzantina_page.html
2. Värva, M. (2004). Meie ravimtaimed. Tartu: ELMATAR kirjastus 
3. Bahadori, M. B., Zengin, G., Dinparast, L., & Eskandani, M. (2020). The health benefits of three Hedgenettle herbal teas (Stachys byzantina, Stachys inflata, and Stachys lavandulifolia) - profiling phenolic and antioxidant activities. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 101134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2020.101134
4.Morteza-Semnani, K., & Akbarzadeh, M. (2006). Essential oils composition of Stachys byzantina, S-inflata, S-lavandulifolia and S. Iaxa from Iran. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 21(2), 300-303. https://doi.org/10.1002/ffj.1594
5. Demirtas, I., Gecibesler I., Sahin Yaglioglu, A. (2013). Antiproliferative activities of isolated flavone glycosides and fatty acids from Stachys byzantina. Phytochemistry Letters 209-214, 6(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytol.2013.02.001
6. Jassbi, A. R., Miri, R., Asadollahi, M., Javanmardi, N., & Firuzi, O. (2014). Cytotoxic, antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of nine species of woundwort (Stachys) plants. Pharmaceutical biology, 52(1), 62–67. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2013.810650

Classification (APG IV)
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Stachys
Species: Lamb´s-ear - Physostegia virginiana (L.) Benth.

Botanical Description
Lamb´s-ear (Stachys byzantina) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Lamiaceae. The plant is densely covered with gray or silvery-white, silky-soft hairs. Flowering stems grow 40–80 cm tall, are erect, branched, and tend to be square-shaped. The leaves are thick and slightly wrinkled, densely covered on both sides with grayish-silvery silky hairs; the underside is more silvery-white than the upper surface. Leaves are arranged oppositely on the stem and are 5–10 cm long. Leaf stalks partially wrap around the stem at the base (auricles), and basal leaves are oblong-elliptical in shape, measuring up to 10 cm in length and 2.5 cm in width. The leaf edges are slightly toothed and densely hairy, with the blade gradually tapering toward a blunt tip. [2]

The inflorescences are 10–22 cm long, forming verticillasters. Each contains numerous flowers tightly clustered along most of the length of the inflorescence axis. (A verticillaster is an inflorescence consisting of several short, nearly sessile flowers closely spaced around or along the stem, often appearing in one or more alternating rings. These rings can give the impression that the flowers grow directly from the stem.) Leaves on flowering stems are small and nearly sessile. [2]

The petals are purple, spotted inside, veined, and bilabiate. The petals are fused into a tube 7–8 mm long at the base, with the exterior covered in hairs. The upper lip is single, slightly three-lobed, 5 mm long, and 4–5 mm wide. The lower lip is also three-lobed, with two small lateral lobes much smaller than the central lobe. The central lobe is 6–8 mm long and 5 mm wide. There are four stamens, two longer and two shorter, which protrude slightly below the upper lip. The filaments are attached to the top part of the flower tube, densely hairy, and purple. The anthers are purple and 1.1 mm wide. The pistil is 8 mm long, glabrous, white to lilac in color, and slightly protrudes from the corolla. The stigma is bifid. The ovary is bicarpellary, and the pistil is four-chambered. The fruit is a dry schizocarp that divides into four nutlets. [2]

Distribution
Woolly hedgenettle grows naturally in the Caucasus and Turkey. In Estonia, it is mainly cultivated as an ornamental plant. It thrives in sunny locations with dry to moderately moist soil. Flowering occurs from June to September. [2]

Effects and Uses
In folk medicine, woolly hedgenettle herb is used for its cardiotonic, uterotonic, and blood pressure-lowering properties. Infusions are also used for treating wounds and skin conditions. [2] Additionally, the plant has been used for treating coughs, splenic sclerosis, inflammations, and genital tumors. [3]

The plant has been found to contain 14 phenolic compounds. [3] The essential oil of the plant primarily consists of piperitenone, 6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one, and n-tricosane (6.4%). [4] Extracts or components of woolly hedgenettle exhibit anti-inflammatory, antitoxic, antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic properties. [5,6]

References
1. Missouriplants.com. (2007). [Archived from the original on 2010-06-04]. Accessed on 22.11.2023, at https://web.archive.org/web/20100604062646/http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Stachys_byzantina_page.html
2. Värva, M. (2004). Meie ravimtaimed. Tartu: ELMATAR Kirjastus.
3. Bahadori, M. B., Zengin, G., Dinparast, L., & Eskandani, M. (2020). The health benefits of three Hedgenettle herbal teas (Stachys byzantina, Stachys inflata, and Stachys lavandulifolia) - profiling phenolic and antioxidant activities. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 101134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2020.101134
4. Morteza-Semnani, K., & Akbarzadeh, M. (2006). Essential oils composition of Stachys byzantina, S. inflata, S. lavandulifolia, and S. laxa from Iran. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 21(2), 300–303. https://doi.org/10.1002/ffj.1594
5. Demirtas, I., Gecibesler, I., & Sahin Yaglioglu, A. (2013). Antiproliferative activities of isolated flavone glycosides and fatty acids from Stachys byzantina. Phytochemistry Letters, 6(2), 209–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytol.2013.02.001
6.Jassbi, A. R., Miri, R., Asadollahi, M., Javanmardi, N., & Firuzi, O. (2014). Cytotoxic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects of nine species of woundwort (Stachys) plants. Pharmaceutical Biology, 52(1), 62–67. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2013.810650