Motherwort

Western Bulk Herbs – Motherwort

Motherwort is used to strengthen the heart but is also used as a sleep aid and to stimulate the muscles of the uterus to help with menstruation.

Latin Name:
Leonurus cardiaca

Common Names:
Lion’s ear and Lion’s tale.

Parts Used:
The above the ground parts of the plant

Properties:
Anti-spasmodic, cardiac remedy, menstrual stimulant

Traditional Uses:
Used as a tea but can be taken in capsule or extract.

Topical Uses / Applications:

Culinary Uses:
Not used in cooking.

Chemical Properties:
Motherwort includes four groups of medicinally active chemicals:

• Caffeic acid 4-rutinoside.
• Diterpenes of the labdane type, such as leocardin, a mixture of two epimers of 8b-acetoyx-9a, l3a, l5, l6-bisepoxy-l5-hydroyx-7-oxo- labdan-6b, l9-olide.
• Flavonoids; rutin, quinqueloside, genkwanin, quercitin, quercetrin, isoquercetrin, hyperoside, and apigenin and kaempferol glucosides.
• Iridoids: leonuride and others not yet identified.

Cautions:
Motherwort should not be used during the early stages of pregnancy. Excessively high doses may cause diarrhea, uterine bleeding, or stomach irritation.

Folk Lore:
Nicholas Culpepper wrote that motherwort would make “the mind cheerful, blithe, and merry”. Maude Grieve wrote that there is “no better herb for strengthening and gladdening the heart”.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.