Motherwort
Encyclopedia
Motherwort is a herbaceous
perennial plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae
. Other common names include Throw-wort, Lion's Ear, and Lion's Tail. The latter two are also common names for Leonotis leonurus
. Originally from Central Asia
it is now found worldwide, spread largely due to its use as a herbal remedy
.
L. cardiaca has a square stem and opposite leaves. The leaves have serrated margins and are palmately lobed with long petioles
; basal leaves are wedge shaped with three points and while the upper leaves are more latticed. Flowers appear in leaf axils on the upper part of the plant and it blooms between June - August. The flowers are small, pink to lilac in colour often with furry lower lips. The plant grows to about 60–100 cm in height. It can be found along roadsides and in vacant fields and other disturbed areas.
in traditional medicine in Central Europe, Asia and North America. Like many other plants, it has been used for a variety of ills, and consumed. Midwives
use it for a variety of purposes, including uterine
tonic and prevention of uterine infection
in women, hence the name Motherwort.
The herb contains the alkaloid
leonurine
, which is a mild vasodilator and has a relaxing effect on smooth muscle
s. For this reason, it has long been used as a cardiac
tonic, nervine, and an emmenagogue
. Among other biochemical constituents, it also contains bitter iridoid
glycoside
s, diterpinoids, flavonoid
s (including rutin
and quercetin
), tannin
s, volatile oils, and vitamin A
.
Susun Weed
recommends it for combating stress and promoting relaxation during pregnancy
, also claiming that, given during labor, it prevents hemorrhage. Michael Tierra
, on the other hand, contraindicates it for internal use during pregnancy, claiming that it has the tendency to cause bleeding and may induce miscarriage. It was historically used in China
to prevent pregnancy and to regulate menstruation
. Motherwort is also used to ease stomach
gas and cramp
ing, menopausal
problems, and insomnia
, although Susun Weed warns it may be habit forming if used regularly to combat sleeplessness. According to Tierra, the traditional Chinese medicine
energy and flavors are bitter, spicy, and slightly cold, and the systems affected are the pericardium
and liver
. The fresh or dried leaves (which are called yìmǔcǎo, 益母草) are used, and the recommended dosage is the standard infusion of one ounce
herb to one pint boiling water, 2-6 ml of 1 in 5 tincture
or 2-4 ml of 1:1 fluid extract
, either in 25% ethanol, three times daily.
Yìmǔcǎo enters the Bladder, Heart and Liver meridians in TCM
theory. As a blood invigorator, it is currently used to regulate menstruation involving blood stasis, for post partum abdominal pain, for Damp heat skin conditions, and as a diuretic to reduce swelling and oedema.
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
. Other common names include Throw-wort, Lion's Ear, and Lion's Tail. The latter two are also common names for Leonotis leonurus
Leonotis leonurus
Leonotis leonurus, also known as Lion's Tail and Wild Dagga, is a plant species in the Lamiaceae family. The plant is a broadleaf evergreen large shrub native to South Africa and southern Africa, where it is very common. It is known for its medicinal and mild psychoactive...
. Originally from Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
it is now found worldwide, spread largely due to its use as a herbal remedy
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
.
L. cardiaca has a square stem and opposite leaves. The leaves have serrated margins and are palmately lobed with long petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
; basal leaves are wedge shaped with three points and while the upper leaves are more latticed. Flowers appear in leaf axils on the upper part of the plant and it blooms between June - August. The flowers are small, pink to lilac in colour often with furry lower lips. The plant grows to about 60–100 cm in height. It can be found along roadsides and in vacant fields and other disturbed areas.
Medicinal uses
Motherwort has a long history of use as a herbHerb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
in traditional medicine in Central Europe, Asia and North America. Like many other plants, it has been used for a variety of ills, and consumed. Midwives
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
use it for a variety of purposes, including uterine
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
tonic and prevention of uterine infection
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with adhesions to nearby tissues and organs. This may lead to infections. PID is a vague term and can refer to viral, fungal, parasitic, though most...
in women, hence the name Motherwort.
The herb contains the alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
leonurine
Leonurine
Leonurine is one of the chemical constituents of the South African plant Leonotis leonurus. It is a psychoactive alkaloid found in species Leonotis nepetifolia, Leonotis artemisia as well as other plants of family Lamiaceae...
, which is a mild vasodilator and has a relaxing effect on smooth muscle
Smooth muscle
Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle. It is divided into two sub-groups; the single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit smooth muscle tissues, the autonomic nervous system innervates a single cell within a sheet or bundle and the action potential is propagated by...
s. For this reason, it has long been used as a cardiac
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
tonic, nervine, and an emmenagogue
Emmenagogue
Emmenagogues are herbs which stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus; some stimulate menstruation. Women have used plants such as mugwort, parsley and ginger to prevent or terminate early pregnancy...
. Among other biochemical constituents, it also contains bitter iridoid
Iridoid
Iridoids are a class of secondary metabolites found in a wide variety of plants and in some animals. They are monoterpenes biosynthesized from isoprene and they are often intermediates in the biosynthesis of alkaloids. Chemically, the iridoids usually consist of a cyclopentane ring fused to a...
glycoside
Glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...
s, diterpinoids, flavonoid
Flavonoid
Flavonoids , are a class of plant secondary metabolites....
s (including rutin
Rutin
Rutin, also called rutoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside and sophorin, is a citrus flavonoid glycoside found in buckwheat, the leaves and petioles of Rheum species, and asparagus...
and quercetin
Quercetin
Quercetin , a flavonol, is a plant-derived flavonoid found in fruits, vegetables, leaves and grains. It also may be used as an ingredient in supplements, beverages or foods.-Occurrence:...
), tannin
Tannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
s, volatile oils, and vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
.
Susun Weed
Susun Weed
Susun Weed is an American herbalist, author, and director of the Wise Woman Center located near Woodstock in New York State. She is known for her writing and teaching of what she describes as the "Wise Woman Way" of herbalism. Ms. Weed is the author of the Wise Woman Herbal Series. She believes...
recommends it for combating stress and promoting relaxation during pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, also claiming that, given during labor, it prevents hemorrhage. Michael Tierra
Michael Tierra
Michael Tierra is an herbalist and acupuncturist who has been in clinical practice in Santa Cruz, California for nearly thirty years. He integrates Chinese, Western and Ayurvedic herbal medicine and acupuncture...
, on the other hand, contraindicates it for internal use during pregnancy, claiming that it has the tendency to cause bleeding and may induce miscarriage. It was historically used in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to prevent pregnancy and to regulate menstruation
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
. Motherwort is also used to ease stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
gas and cramp
Cramp
Cramps are unpleasant, often painful sensations caused by muscle contraction or over shortening. Common causes of skeletal muscle cramps include muscle fatigue, low sodium, and low potassium...
ing, menopausal
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
problems, and insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
, although Susun Weed warns it may be habit forming if used regularly to combat sleeplessness. According to Tierra, the traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
energy and flavors are bitter, spicy, and slightly cold, and the systems affected are the pericardium
Pericardium
The pericardium is a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels.-Layers:...
and liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
. The fresh or dried leaves (which are called yìmǔcǎo, 益母草) are used, and the recommended dosage is the standard infusion of one ounce
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
herb to one pint boiling water, 2-6 ml of 1 in 5 tincture
Tincture
A tincture is an alcoholic extract or solution of a non-volatile substance . To qualify as a tincture, the alcoholic extract is to have an ethanol percentage of at least 40-60%...
or 2-4 ml of 1:1 fluid extract
Herbal extract
Tincture is a liquid solution of herbs and a fluid menstruum, usually ethanol. The dried or fresh herbs are combined with alcohol, then the solid matter is removed leaving only the oils of the herbs mixed with the alcohol...
, either in 25% ethanol, three times daily.
Yìmǔcǎo enters the Bladder, Heart and Liver meridians in TCM
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
theory. As a blood invigorator, it is currently used to regulate menstruation involving blood stasis, for post partum abdominal pain, for Damp heat skin conditions, and as a diuretic to reduce swelling and oedema.