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Leonurus cardiaca
| Common name: |
Motherwort |
Family: |
Labiatae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
Skin contact with this plant can cause dermatitis in susceptible people[21].
The fragrant essential oil can cause photosensitization[274].
Grazing animals can have their mouths injured by the sharp teeth of the calyces[274]. |
| Range: |
Europe. Naturalized in Britain. |
| Habitat: |
Hedge banks, waste places etc[9, 17], usually on gravelly or calcareous soils[4]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Agripalma [E], Aslankuyrugu [E], Common Motherwort [P,L], Hartgespan [D], Motherwort [H,L,B,S,E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Europe; Spain; Turkey; Us; Us(Appalachia); Ussr
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Hedgerow.Edible Uses
Condiment; Tea.
The fresh or dried flowers can be used as a flavouring in soups,
particularly lentil or split pea[183]. They are also used as a flavouring in
beer[183].
Fresh or dried flowers can be used to make a tea[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antispasmodic; Astringent; Birthing aid; Cardiac; Diaphoretic; Emmenagogue; Homeopathy; Nervine; Sedative; Stomachic; Tonic; Women's complaints.
Motherwort is especially valuable in the treatment of female weaknesses
and disorders, allaying nervous irritability, inducing quiet and passivity of
the whole nervous system[4]. It is also seen as a remedy for heart
palpitations, it has a strengthening effect, especially on a weak heart[254].
The antispasmodic and sedative effects promote relaxation rather than
drowsiness[254].
The leaves are antispasmodic, astringent, cardiac, diaphoretic, emmenagogue,
nervine, sedative, stomachic, tonic and uterine stimulant[4, 9, 21, 46, 165,
222]. They are taken internally in the treatment of heart complaints (notably
palpitations) and problems associated with menstruation, childbirth and
menopause, especially of nervous origin[238]. Although an infusion can be
used, the taste is so bitter that the plant is usually made into a conserve
or syrup[244]. An alcoholic extract is said to possess superior action to
valerian (Valeriana officinalis)[240]. The plant has been found effective in
the treatment of functional heart complaints due to autonomic imbalance, and
also as an anti-thyroid treatment, though it needs to be taken for several
months for these effects to be noticed[244]. The whole herb is harvested in
August when in flower and can be dried for later use[4]. It should not be
prescribed in the earlier stages of pregnancy or where periods are heavy[238,
254].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[9]. It is used in the treatment
of heart complaints, amenorrhoea, menopausal problems and flatulence[9]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Dye.
A dark olive-green dye is obtained from the leaves[46, 61, 145].
Cultivation details
An easily grown plant that succeeds in most soils[4], preferring one on
the poor side[108].
This plant was at one time cultivated for its medicinal uses[4].
The whole plant is deliciously pungent when handled[245].
The plant often self-sows when well-sited[200].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into
individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in
the summer.
If you have sufficient seed then it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed, or
even in situ.
Division in spring or autumn[238]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct
into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps
and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out
in the spring.
Scent
-
Plant: Crushed
- The whole plant is deliciously pungent when handled.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] SW USA Dist. Maps
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for leonurus cardiaca (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[108] International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981
The title says it all.
[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Leonurus+cardiaca
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