Motherwort Uses and Plant Monograph
Despite its strong bitter taste, motherwort is a long-beloved herb that is commonly used for aiding the physical and emotional heart. As you’ll see through this article, it has many additional benefits including for postpartum support, improving digestion, and even addressing infections.
Energetics
Motherwort is a strongly bitter plant that is cooling in nature. As a relaxing nervine it can relieve tension, soothe the nervous system, and relieve the negative effects of stress.
Supporting the Heart and Relieving Anxiety
When we talk about the heart in modern times, we most often think of the muscle in our chest that is responsible for pumping blood throughout our bodies. However, in times past and for many herbalists today, the heart is more commonly associated with emotional and spiritual domains. Our common language is filled with sayings that illustrate this connection. For example, to be “heart broken,” to “lose heart,” to put your “heart and soul” into something, or to be “sick at heart” are common phrases that exemplify our perception of the relationship of the heart to emotions.
Motherwort’s actions beautifully highlight the connection between the physical and spiritual heart. It is often used when there is a rapid, fluttering, or pounding heartbeat (palpitations) associated with anxiety, nervousness, or hormonal shifts (as in menopause). We can see and feel that motherwort acts on the physical heart by decreasing palpitations and mild hypertension while also acting on the emotional/spiritual heart to soothe and calm anxiety. An additional benefit of motherwort is that it is calming without being overly sedating.
Motherwort Uses & Plant Profile Summary:
- Botanical Name: Leonurus cardiaca
- Family: Lamiaceae
- Parts Used: flowering tops
- Energetics: cooling, stimulating
- Taste: bitter
- Plant Properties: relaxing nervine, antispasmodic, hypotensive, immunomodulatory, emmenagogue, cardiovascular tonic, digestive bitter, diaphoretic, diuretic, uterine tonic
- Plant Uses: heart palpitations, blood stasis, menstrual cramping, stress, anxiety, reduced appetite, mild hypertension, menopausal complaints, amenorrhea, intermittent fever, delayed labor, delayed afterbirth, excess postpartum bleeding
- Plant Preparations: tincture, tea, fomentation, oil, vinegar
“There is no better Herb to drive Melancholly Vapors from the Heart, to strengthen it, and make a merry cheerful blith soul.”
- Nicholas Culpeper,The English Physician (1652)
Heart palpitations often occur in people who have hyperthyroidism (high thyroid hormone production). A common old formula used by many herbalists includes motherwort, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and bugleweed (Lycopus spp., also known as water-horehound) for heart palpitations associated with hyperthyroidism.
Motherwort may also be helpful for the palpitations and anxiety of hypothyroidism, where thyroid hormone production is low and the heart is having trouble getting enough energy.
Motherwort is a mild hypotensive herb that can be used to decrease hypertension, especially when it is associated with nervous system imbalances like anxiety. In one clinical study, an extract of motherwort was given to 50 patients with hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disorders. After 28 days of use, 80 percent of the patients reported significant to moderate benefits in their anxiety and depression levels.1
While herbalists have long turned to motherwort to support long-term heart health to prevent chronic conditions, researchers today are looking at motherwort’s ability to address acute infections within the heart (infective endocarditis).
Looking broadly at the pathogenic processes regarding cardiovascular disease, researchers concluded motherwort “could be a useful remedy to protect cardiac muscles.”2
One surprising thing that researchers are looking at is motherwort’s immunomodulatory abilities, especially in relation to infections of the heart. One study concluded that motherwort’s immunomodulatory potential “may be beneficial in preventing the development of difficult-to-treat inflammatory lesions within chronically infected tissues.”3
A 2019 study showed that motherwort extract could prevent Staphylococcus aureus adhesion and platelet activation, which are concerns in infective endocarditis.4 Due to the seriousness of endocarditis infection, this obviously isn’t something for the home herbalist to treat, however. I include this information because it’s an interesting and exciting way to see how herbs can have multiple effects in a “traditional” target organ (in this case, the heart) and how herbs are being folded into the western medicine paradigm.
Women’s Tonic
As the common name suggests, motherwort has a strong history of use in both Europe and Asia for aiding mothers and women. Chinese physicians have reportedly used their own species of motherwort (Leonurus sibiricus) for menstrual problems since at least 100 A.D.5
“[Motherwort] calms and soothes the nerves for overworked mothers who could use some mothering themselves.”
- Deborah Frances, 2014 Medicines from the Earth
Painful and Delayed Menstruation
Motherwort is an emmenagogue, which is an herb that is used to promote delayed menstruation. Emmenagogues are indicated when there is scanty menstruation or cramps associated with delayed menstruation.
Many herbalists also recommend using motherwort regularly to tone the uterus, which reduces menstrual cramping in the future. While many herbalists recommend it as a tincture, King’s American Dispensary recommends it as a fomentation (wet compress of strong tea) over the abdomen to relieve painful or suppressed menstruation.6
Delayed Labor and Delayed Afterbirth
Motherwort has long been praised for its ability to help women with delayed labor or to help dispel the afterbirth postpartum. John King and Finley Ellingwood (Eclectic herbalists) reported excellent results with motherwort for helping to expel the suppressed lochia (uterine secretions after childbirth).7
Postpartum Bleeding
Numerous recent studies have shown that motherwort can reduce excess postpartum bleeding, including for vaginal deliveries, induced abortions, and cesarean sections.8910 One meta-analysis concluded that adding motherwort to Carboprost (tromethamine, a medication used for postpartum bleeding) could reduce postpartum blood loss.11
Menopausal Symptoms
Many herbalists reach for motherwort to support women going through menopause, especially with symptoms related to insomnia, anxiety, and heart palpitations. There is some evidence that motherwort may help with building strong flexible bones, but more research needs to be done.
Fevers and Other Respiratory Ailments
Motherwort was historically used for intermittent fever diseases, such as typhoid.12 Herbalist Peter Holmes recommends motherwort to open the chest and promote sweating in symptoms of bronchitis, coughing with white sputum, and wheezing.13
Edema and Kidney Insufficiency
Motherwort strengthens the kidneys and acts as a mild diuretic. It can be used for edema that is associated with kidney insufficiency.14
Supporting Digestion
Motherwort is extremely bitter – like most bitter herbs, it can help stimulate digestion. Consider combining motherwort with another pleasantly aromatic mint in a tincture and using a few drops before meals. It is especially indicated for loss of appetite due to anxiety or nervousness.
Motherwort can also help to relax the bowels to relieve constipation caused by tension. Robin Rose Bennett recommends it for people who get easily constipated when traveling.15
Formulas with Motherwort
Motherwort is commonly used in formulas targeted for the intended goals. Here are some common combinations:
- For anxiety, combine motherwort with passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) or pasqueflower (Pulsatilla spp.).
- For general heart health, combine motherwort with hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) and rose (Rosa spp.).
- For hot flashes and anxiety associated with menopause, combine motherwort with black cohosh (Actaea racemosa).
- For dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), combine motherwort with dang gui (Angelica sinensis).
- For loss of appetite due to nerves, combine motherwort with chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and/or lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).
- Robin Rose Bennett recommends motherwort and skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) for shock and trauma (both acute and chronic).16
“I use a mixture of Hawthorn berry, flower, and leaf with Cactus and Motherwort for anxiety induced heart problems.”
- David Winston,Differential Treatment of Depression
Botanically Speaking
There are several species of motherwort that are used around the world as medicine. Leonurus sibiricus and L. japonicus are two examples that are used in China and Japan, respectively.
Leonurus cardiaca is the species most commonly used by western herbalists. Leonurus means lion and cardiaca refers to the heart.
L. cardiaca is native to southeastern Europe and parts of Asia but now grows around the world. It is perennial in USDA zones 4-8. L. japonicus may be easier to cultivate in hotter climates.
Plant Preparations
When harvesting motherwort, consider wearing gloves, as the flower calyxes can be quite spiky!
Motherwort can be made into a simple tea; however, because motherwort is so bitter, most herbalists prefer to use it as a tincture. Motherwort is best when harvested in full flower and tinctured fresh.
It can also be infused into an oil and used topically over the heart and womb.
Dosage suggestions:
- Fresh plant tincture: 2-4 ml three times a day
- Tea: 9-30 grams dried herb per day
Special Considerations
- Many herbalists caution against using motherwort if there is menstrual flooding.
- Motherwort should not be used during pregnancy, except under the guidance of an experienced practitioner and only just before and after labor. It is always contraindicated during the first trimester, second trimester, and most of the third trimester.
- Motherwort has not been conclusively verified as safe during breastfeeding.
- Many herbalists prefer a fresh plant tincture over a dried plant tincture.
Footnotes
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