Motherwort

Leonurus cardiaca – Motherwort, throw-wort, lion's ear, lion's tail
Lamiaceae, formerly Labiatae – Mint family

The raw material is the motherwort herb (upper shoot parts) – Leonuri herba, harvested during blooming in July and dried in natural conditions (shaded and ventilated) or in drying rooms in max. 35° C.

Motherwort – appearance and origin:

A perennial found in temperate zones of Asia, Europe, Asia Minor and North America; in Poland common throughout the lowlands and foothills, mainly in dry and sunny spots; sometimes grown. Motherwort requires fertile, warm, medium cohesive, permeable and humus-rich soil. It is propagated by seed. The plant has an unpleasant smell, is covered with soft hairs, which gives it a silver-grey color. The stem grows to 30-150 cm, erect, branched, furrowed, 4-lobed, thick. The leaves are serrated, dark green on the top, lighter on the bottom. The flowers grow in the angles of the upper leaves, serrated calyx, the crown is gamopetalous, two-lipped with the lower one hanging. It blooms from June to September. Melliferous.

Motherwort – effects and use:

Motherwort contains iridoids (ajugoside, also called leonuride, ajugol, reptoside, galiridoside), caffolides (i.a. 4-0-rutoside of caffeic acid), phenylpropanoids (verbascoside, lavanduli folioside, leonoside A and B), quercetin-, kaempferol- and apigenin-derived flavonoids, diterpenic compounds (i.a. leocardin), triterpenic compounds (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid), bufadienolide glycosides (cardiac) whose content is questionable, nitrogen compounds (choline) and protoalkaloids, traces of oil, small content of tannins, sitosterols, organic acids and mineral salts (up to 11% of potassium salts).

The motherwort herb has a mild sedative effect, an antispasmodic effect on the gastrointestinal tract and uterus, lowers blood pressure, regulated and modifies the heart conduction system. It also relieves heart palpitation and arrhythmia and supports the myocardium.

The motherwort herb is most often used for diseases of the nervous system (e.g. nervous hyperactivity), cardiovascular neurosis, early stages of coronary disease, as an aid in the first stage of hypertenstion and for insomnia. It is often used as a relaxant for gastrointestinal disorders (stomachaches, flatulence, indigestion, diarrhea) and for menstrual pains.

Motherwort is also antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, astringent and antidiarrheal.
Due to its anti-inflammatory effect, it is recommended as a solution for poultices and washes in case of stubborn wounds and burns.
Folk medicine uses freshly squeezed juice from young, blooming shoot tips, as it is supposed to be more effective than infusions and tinctures.

Medications made from mothewort are bitter in taste and maybe that is why they are less popular than valerian products.