Motherwort, botanically known as Leonurus cardiaca, is a member of the mint family. It has a square stem with opposite serrated and lobed leaves. It blooms small purple and pink flowers in the summer months and grows up to 40 inches in height. Medicinally, it is used in folk medicine as a treatment for many symptoms caused by menopause. It is also considered a heart tonic that nourishes and strengthens the blood vessels and heart, says herbalist Rosemary Gladstar in her book "Family Herbal a Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health and Vitality."
Heart Tonic
As a heart tonic, motherwort is traditionally used to treat ailments such as neuralgia. According to herbalist Simon Mills in his book "The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism," motherwort helps treat nervous tension that causes palpitations and tachycardia, due to its high content of the alkaloid leonurine. Leonurine is a vasolidator, which means that it is a relaxing agent for the smooth muscle cells in large veins and arteries, causing them to widen.
Mills recommends 1 tsp. of dry motherwort three times per day, made into an infusion by adding the herb to a cup of boiling water and letting it steep for at least 15 minutes.
Nervine
Mills also lists motherwort as a nervine, acting upon the nervous system as a calming and healing agent. It helps prepare the pregnant uterus for contractions and also helps during labor to stimulate the womb when women are experiencing insufficient or painful contractions.
According to herbalist Richo Cech in his book "Making Plant Medicine," motherwort seeds make a strong tincture when they are ground and soaked for a night in 75 percent alcohol and 25 percent filtered water and then blended and allowed to macerate for at least four weeks in a cool and dark space.
Menstrual Aid
Herbalist David Hoffmann in his book "The New Holistic Herbal," writes that motherwort is an emmenagogue, which means that it promotes bleeding when a woman is experiencing delayed or suppressed menstruation. It also helps with menopausal changes by relieving hot flashes and mood swings, says Gladstar.
A decoction of the herb gives a stronger dosage than an infusion by adding more plant material to the water and letting it steep for a longer period of time, preferably overnight.
References
- "Family Herbal-A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health, and Vitality"; Rosemary Gladstar; 2001
- "The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism"; Simon Y. Mills M.A., M.N.I.M.H.;1988
- "Making Plant Medicine"; Richo Cech; 2000
- "The New Holistic Herbal;" David Hoffmann; 1995
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