Motherwort

Family Name: Mint

Family Name: Lamiaceae
Latin Name: Leonurus cardiaca
Common Names: Lions Tale, Lions Ear, Heartwort, Throwwort, Roman Motherwort
Native American Names:
Related Species: Leonurus heterophyllus, Leonurus artemisi, Stachys palustris,
Ballota nigra, Galeopsis tetrahit

Body System Affiliations:

1. Reproductive
2. Circulatory/ Cardiovascular
3. Nervous

Botanical Description:
Habit: Herb, resembles Mugwort
Size: Perennial root stock, stout stems, 2-3 ft high, erect and branched
Branching: Thick, grooved and hairy with square stems. Erect with many
branches, principally below with prominent angles.
Leaves: Deeply and palmately cut into five lobes, or 3-pointed segments, leaves
closely set radical ones on slender, long petioles, ovate, lobbed and toothed. On stem 2-3
in long, petioled, wedged shaped; lower roundish, palmately five lobed, lobes trifid at the
apex, upper three-fid, coarsely serrate, reticulately veined, veinlets prominent beneath,
with slender, curved hairs
Flowers: On axils, numerous whorls of pinkish, nearly white sessile flowers, 6-15
in whorl. Blooms from mid-summer to mid- autumn. Calyxes have prickly teeth. Corollas
are whitish and tend to be stained purple on the inside. Shaped into short tubes with
nearly flat upper lips. Upper portion has very long and wooly hairs. Anthers are sprinkled
with hard shiny dots.
Fruit: They have a border of prickly teeth. Oblong to linear- obviate. Blunt.
Bark:
Twigs:

Ecology:

Habitat: Found in well drained, light and limy soil. Prefers full sun exposure.
Banks, under hedges, in gravelly or calcareous soil
Range: Abundant in Oregon, Washington, and further east along the Cordillera.
Seeds will self-sow; this plant has been dubbed a garden escape.
Native Where: Many parts of Europe, and Pacific Northwest
Places/Dates Observed/Description: The only contact Ive had with Motherwort
is in the demonstration garden at Skokomish.

Indigenous and Non-Western Use/Significance/Relationships:

Food:
Materials/Technology:
Medicine:
Part Used: leaves and dried plant
Medicinal Actions: Sedative (Cherokee and Iroquois), Gastrointestinal
aid (Cherokee and Iroquois), Stimulant (Cherokee), Gynecological aid (Delaware,
Micmac, Mohegan, Shinnecock, and Oklahoma), Tonic (Iroquois and Mohegan)
Indications: Gynecological disorders, delirium tremens, typhoid fever,
disturbed sleep, heart palpitations, rheumatism, epilepsy, high blood pressure, fainting,
disease of the stomach, nervousness, hysteria, female diseases, indigestion, obstetric.
Body System Associations: Nervous and Reproductive
Constituents:
Harvest & Processing:
Storage:
Application(s): Infusion taken for all of the above indications.
Preparation: Infusion
Pharmacy:
Other: Motherwort recommended for women and their health issues
Cautions:
***
Other: Indigenous Groups: Delaware, Micmac, Modheman, Shinnecock,
Cherokee, Oklahoma, Iroquois, Mohegan

Western (European-American) Uses/Relationships:

Food:
Materials/Technology:
Medicine:
Part Used: Aerial parts, flowers

Medicinal Actions: Sedative, Emmengogue, Anti- Spasmodic, Cardiac

Tonic, Hepatic, Sedative/Nervine, Diaphoretic, Stimulant (uterine), Astringent,
Calmative.
Indications: Heart Weakness, Palpitations, Angina pectoris, delayed or
suppressed menstruation, aid in menopausal changes, used to ease false labor pains,
Neuralgia, Skin Hypersensitivity, Shingles, herpes; congestive amenorrhea or
dysmenorrhoea; thyroid stress with rapid pulse and hypertension, anemic nervousness,
insomnia, cardiac weakness, neurosis, high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, depression.
Body System Associations: Reproductive, Circulatory, Nervous
Constituents: Bitter glycosides including leonurin and leonuridine;
alkaloids including leonuinine and stachydrene; Volatile Oil; tannin
Harvest & Processing: Stalks gathered at the time of flowering: JuneSeptember, after flowers blossom.
Storage: Drying similar to Skullcap
Application(s): Infusion, Tonic, Tincture
Preparation: Infusion: 1 cup boiling water and 1-2 teaspoons infuse for
10-15 minutes- 3 times a day. Fresh Tincture 1:2, Dried 1:5, 60% alcohol, 30-60
drops 4 times a day. When made into syrup, allays inward tremors, fainting etc.
Pharmacy: 1 of most important agents for heart, strengthens and
normalizes the function of the heart, also important for female reproductive systemuterine tonic, emmenagogue, as part of a tea for contraception, acts as an endocrine
balancer. Also supports the Nervous System and allows an emotional balance to regain.
Allaying nervous irritability and inducing quiet and passivity of whole nervous system.
Other: Good with combination of other herbs for:
- Heart Weakness: 2 pt Hawthorne berry, 2 pt Motherwort, and 1 pt Lily of the Valley
- Palpitations: 2 pt Motherwort, 1 pt Mistletoe, 1 pt Valerian
- Angina pectoris: 3 pt Hawthorne berry, 2 pt Motherwort, 2 pt Lime blossom, 1 pt Lily of
the Valley
- Tea for Contraception: 1 pt Black Cohosh, 1 pt Chasteberry, 1 pt Liquorice, 1 pt
Motherwort
Cautions: May cause contact dermatitis. Doses in excess of 3g of
powdered herb can cause diarrhea, uterine bleeding, and stomach irritation.

Other: The moon in cancer is associated with Motherwort, emotional state of

being, home life, nostalgia. Planting, collecting, and harvesting are at its peak at this time.
Plants gathered at this time will grow back faster.
Essential Oil Information: [IF ANY]
Essential Oils:
Medicinal Actions:
Indications:
Aromatherapy:
Cautions:

Personal Medicinal Experience:

Ecological Relationships:

Other Notes of Interest:

Harvest:
Plant Part: all aerial parts
Season of Harvest: Summer: June-September
Method of Harvest:
Ecological Considerations of Harvest:
Cultural Considerations of Harvest:
Cautions:
[REPEAT ABOVE AS NECESSARY]

Propagation:
Technique: When planted, Motherwort will increase if seeds are broadcasted,
needs no special soil, roots will continue for many years
Timing:
Present in sayuyay Project: Reproductive Bed

Cultural Information:
Cultural/Traditional and/or Geographical Association:
Other Medicinal Information in Cultural Context:
Other Use Information in Cultural Context:

Cautions:

References Cited:

1. Moor Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Red
Crane Books, Inc. 1993.
2. Hoffmann, David. Holistic Herbal. Hammersmith, London: Thorsons. 1990
3. www.botanical.com, 1/29/03, Online version of A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve
4. www.herbmed.org, 1/29/03, Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc.
5. http://bidclix.net, 1/29/03, David Hoffmanns, Herbal Materia Medica
6. Bremness, Leslie. The Complete Book of Herbs. New York, NY: Penguin Studio, 1994.
7. Castleman, Michael. The New Healing Herbs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press. 2001.
8. Mabey, Richard (Editor). The New Age Herbalist. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
1988.
9. www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mother55.html
10. www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/leonurus.html
11. www.naturalhealthnotebook.com/leonuruscardiaca.htm
12. www.purplesage.org/uk/profiles/motherwort.htm
Brad Cohen
sayuyay Plant Project: Medicine of the Plant People
Winter 2002