Motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
“Motherwort’s several species are native to temperate regions of Europe and Asia and grow wild in Canada and the United States. For therapeutic purposes, the species are generally interchangeable. As its name implies, motherwort was used by the people in these geographical regions as a folk remedy for female reproductive disorders. It was also used for certain types of heart conditions, as the Latin word cardiaca indicates. Today it is recommended by herbalists and Commission E for heart palpitations occurring with anxiety attacks or other nervous disorders. Although current clinical research is lacking, earlier studies demonstrated hypotensive and negatively chronotropic effects on laboratory animals. Sedative actions and protective effects during cerebral ischemia were reported, and alcohol extracts of motherwort were noted to have direct myocardial actions, inhibiting the effects of calcium chloride and stimulating alpha and beta adrenoceptors. Alkaloids in the plant depress the central nervous system and lower blood pressure in preliminary testing, and are considered responsible for these effects. However, these studies are exploratory. Further research may determine the usefulness of motherwort, or its possible detrimental effects. Of concern are its uterine-stimulant and myocardial effects, and how it will interact with concurrent cardiac medications. Motherwort’s uterine stimulant effects were recognized by native Americans. The Delaware, Micmac, Modheman, and Shinnecock tribes used motherwort to treat gynecological disorders, as did the nineteenth century Eclectic physicians. Indications included difficult, painful, or absent menstruation, and especially for anxiety occurring along with it. One alkaloid in particular, leonurine, is uterotonic in vitro, and another, stacydrine, may stimulate the release of oxytocin; both actions support the use of motherwort for menstrual disorders. The herb was also a noted antispasmodic and laxative. Native Americans, herbalists, and the Eclectic physicians used motherwort for delirium tremens, typhoid fever, disturbed sleep, minor gastrointestinal distress, heart palpitations, rheumatism, goiter, epilepsy, and high blood pressure. In the Middle Ages, motherwort was a remedy for fainting and other symptoms of nervousness or weakness due to emotional excitement. In the late sixteenth century, the English herbalist John Gerard noted its effectiveness in treating cardiac weakness, and while his successor, Nicholas Culpepper, recommended it for chest colds, intestinal worms, and aches and pains, he emphasized motherwort’s ability to make the mind cheerful.”
- Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E