Organic Motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
You might need motherwort if . . .
Do you feel worried and nervous? Do you feel the need to control everyone and everything – like everything is spiraling out of control? This may be your body telling you that you need some support for your nerves. Nervine herbs are a great way to bring this support to your body. Motherwort can help calm and soothe the body and mind in times like this.
If your digestion seems slow or your body seems bloated, but you don’t know why, motherwort may help. If you have difficult periods, motherwort can help. This humble herb is ready to support the body in many ways.
Motherwort is a great choice for those that:
- Struggle with anxious thoughts
- Feel like daily life is overwhelming
- Have low stress resilience
- Suffer from tension headaches
- Have bloating after eating
- Have difficult periods
- Have painful joints
Benefits of Motherwort
Many of the benefits of motherwort can be remembered by thinking about its name, both the common name and the scientific name. Motherwort is believed to have derived its name from its traditional use to support women’s reproductive health and support a mother’s wellbeing post-birth. Its scientific name, leonurus cardiaca, can be translated as lionhearted. This makes perfect sense since motherwort supports cardiovascular health and helps the body handle stress and anxiety.
Promotes relaxation: Motherwort has mild sedative properties, so it can help calm you without making you sleepy. It is particularly helpful in situations where you feel nervous or overwhelmed. Think of those times when you feel like your heart is going to start racing. Those are the times you want to reach for motherwort.
Supports female reproductive health: Motherwort has traditionally been used to help women who have almost any sort of menstruation issue. Many women report that it greatly reduces the negative symptoms of their period. Motherwort was also traditionally given to new mothers to support their recovery from childbirth both mentally and physically. It was and continues to be the herb of choice of many herbalists to help new mothers who are suffering from post-partum anxiety. Not only is motherwort a beneficial herb for menstruation and birth, but it is also a great companion for uterine and hormonal health throughout menopause.
Supports cardiovascular health: This herb was traditionally given to strengthen the heart and calm the nervous system. A variety of sources suggest that motherwort is considered a heart-strengthening herb that benefits cardiovascular health. Research demonstrates that poor blood circulation can cause heart disease. Herbs like motherwort may act as a cardiovascular tonic and support healthy blood circulation, reducing the risk of heart disease. Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar mentions that Leonurus cardiaca is “beneficial as a heart tonic…[and] is a remedy for most heart disease, neuralgia, and an over-rapid heartbeat.” She describes motherwort “as a superb herb for nourishing and strengthening the heart muscle and its blood vessels.” (1)
Helps sluggish digestion: Motherwort is an acrid bitter herb, meaning it stimulates the secretion of saliva, digestive juices, and bile, which helps the digestive system to more effectively break down food and assimilate nutrients.
Common Ways to Use Motherwort
Tea: You can make a simple herbal tea with motherwort by steeping 1 tsp of dried motherwort in 8 ounces of boiling water for at least 15 minutes. You can sweeten it with raw honey to taste.
Tincture: Motherwort is also consumed in tincture form. You can readily find them at health stores or online. They are also quite simple to make, although it takes about a month before the tincture is ready to be used. Find out how to make your own tincture here.
Growing and Foraging Information
You can easily buy dried motherwort online. But did you know in many parts of the United States, you could grow your own? Motherwort has a history in herbal medicine and as an ornamental plant, drawing bees and other pollinators to the garden, so it makes a lovely addition to your space! Its natural habitat is beside roadsides, in vacant fields, waste ground, trash dumps, and other disturbed areas. Motherwort plants prefer well drained soil and a partly shady location. It is hardy in USDA climate zones 3 - 9. Keeping this herb well-watered during its early stages is beneficial; however, once it has grown, it becomes hardy and can withstand drought conditions. Motherwort is a fast-growing plant that requires careful attention to prevent it from spreading beyond the intended area. It spreads through a vast root system, so it's essential to divide the roots each season to avoid it taking over the garden.
Safety Concerns
It is important to consider safety concerns in the context of history. You also must realize that many of the departments that bring up safety concerns, are responsible for managing pharmaceutical drugs that have been manufactured in recent history. In the United States, there is no controlling authority or regulatory board specific to herbs. The most common reason you will see that these organizations bring up to question the safety of various herbs is “insufficient evidence to determine safety.” Since there is no way to patent a naturally growing plant, there is often insufficient funding to conduct massive human studies.
Drug Interaction: If you are taking any prescription medications, it is important to always consult with the prescriber before adding any herbs to your diet.
Breastfeeding and Pregnancy: There are no known contraindications for breastfeeding. Michael Moore’s Herbal Medical Contraindications lists motherwort as an oxytocin synergist. The warnings related to motherwort’s use during pregnancy come from studies on its constituent Leonurine, which has increased tone and contractions in isolated uterus muscle. The European Medicines Agency lists motherwort as an herb to avoid during pregnancy. Motherwort is a medicine that promotes menstrual blood flow. Avoid motherwort if you’re pregnant or have a history of miscarriage.
Other Concerns: Motherwort is considered safe for consumption. It is not associated with toxicity or side effects when consumed in moderate amounts.
Select Studies About Motherwort
A protein-protein interaction network of motherwort for treating menstrual disorders was constructed. Herbal medicines are effective in the prevention and treatment of MDs in clinic practice. This study applied a network pharmacology approach to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of motherwort for treating MDs. It determined that these mechanisms may be closely associated with the endocrine system, cancers, vascular system, and anti-inflammation process.
Phytochemical and Psychotropic Research of Motherwort
Motherwort herb (Leonurus cardiaca L.) is one of the most widely used sedative medicinal plants. The literature provides significant scientific data on the study of the chemical composition of representatives of the Leonurus genus.
How Earthley Uses Motherwort
Anti-Inflammatory Herbal Tincture
We blended motherwort with synergistic herbs to create Anti-Inflammatory Herbal Extract, which helps reduce inflammation in the body that can lead to body discomfort, sleep disorders, pain in joints, and unexplained weight loss or weight gain. Chronic inflammation has been linked with many diseases, and our desire is to help you reduce inflammation naturally!
What our customers say:
“Definitely a good tincture for many issues. I take this for knee pain but noticed it also helps stomach pain. Good starter tincture if you only want to try a few!”
“I have fibromyalgia, and I’ve pretty much tried it all, so it’s a pretty big deal that this product impressed me! It worked FAST. Faster and much more pain control than any over the counter NSAID. Needless to say, I will be stocking up on this one! I put the recommended number of drops into a small glass of water and drank it that way. The cinnamon gives it a great taste!”
Unbalanced hormones can lead to pain, bloating, heavy bleeding, mood swings, cravings, night sweats, trouble sleeping, and more — which can make you miserable! Common remedies cover up the pain, but they don’t help balance hormones or solve the underlying issues. Ease the Ache to the rescue! Our formula contains cramp bark, red raspberry leaf, motherwort, and nettle in a base of cane alcohol or vegetable glycerin as a highly bio-available liquid extract.
What our customers say:
“This stuff has made a wonderful difference for me! Went from being doubled over every month, to fending off the cramps as soon as they start with this.”
“I am truly astonished by this product. In the past I’ve had debilitating cramps where Advil will reduce them from a level 11/10 to about a 6/10 so I can function. This product (I took the day before my period too) and day 1 and 2, brought my cramps to around a 2 or 1. Nothing has ever worked this well, I am shocked. Earthley products are the best.”