Motherwort species. Motherwort (photo): properties and applications. The chemical composition and medicinal properties of motherwort

Motherwort ordinary or cordial (nettle deaf, wild nettle, core, heart grass) is a perennial plant from the Lamiaceae family. Distributed in Europe (Central and Eastern), the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, China, Mongolia and Asia Minor. Introduced to North America. It grows in Ukraine and Belarus, the Baltics, in Russia it is most often found in the European and southern parts.

The homeland of the plant is Asia. The “heart doctor” was brought to Europe a long time ago, where the species was successfully naturalized. However, it was not widespread due to the fact that the habitats of motherwort coincide with the more competitive Rhodes Nettle. Previously, the plant was planted near dwellings, monasteries, collected and made medicinal products from it. Today it is cultivated on an industrial scale and harvested for the production of medicinal raw materials.

It belongs to weeds and quickly captures free territories, in which, in the absence of competition and under good conditions, forms extensive thickets. It prefers places along roads, dwellings, grows in rare forests, in ravines, abandoned quarries, on slopes and wastelands, often found among forbs of private front gardens, less often inhabits river banks. Prefers clay and sandy soils rich in nitrogen.

The medicinal properties and contraindications of motherwort have been studied well enough, therefore the plant is actively used in folk and official medicine. Also, five-lobed and gray-colored types of the core have pharmacological activity, but more often folk healers use the heart herb.

Morphological description

Reaches a height of up to 2 m (usually 50-150 cm), has a straight tetrahedral stem, branching in the upper part. Outside the inflorescences, the stem is glabrous or pubescent in the corners with appressed hairs. One plant has several stems.

The leaves have petioles and are colored dark green. Above and below the shoot, the leaves are unequal: the upper ones are oblong-rhombic in shape, whole, and the lower ones are five- or tripartite, incised to half, have wide wedge-shaped lobes with coarse-toothed edges of different sizes.

Flowers are zygomorphic and are collected in false multiflorous whorls in the axils of the upper leaves. Whorls form an intermittent long apical inflorescence in the form of a spikelet. The calyx is bare, about 8 mm long, has a pronounced tube and consists of 5 teeth, which end with a spiny point. Two lower prongs bigger size and bent down. The corolla is five-membered, has a lilac-pink or pink color, and is larger than the calyx. The petals are welded.

A hairy oblique ring is located inside the corolla tube. The upper lip has a solid edge, is elliptical, densely furry and slightly concave. The lower lip has well-developed lateral lobes. Under upper lip 4 fertile stamens were collected - the upper ones are shorter than the lower ones. Anthers are intrinsic. There is 1 pistil, with an upper ovary, represented by two carpels, in which false septa are formed as they mature, and the genetseus becomes four-membered. The stigma with two equal lobes is located on top of the column. Blooms all summer.

The fractional fruit consists of 4 nut-like parts, which, after ripening, have an olive-green color and a triangular pyramid-shaped shape, with hairs at the top. Ripens unevenly, from July to August. Seeds are highly viable: germination lasts up to 9 years.

Chemical composition

The plant is rich in pharmacologically active substances, including:

alkaloids (leonurin, stachydrin, leonurinine);
iridoids (8-acetylgarpagid, haliridoside, ayugol, ayugoside, harpagid);
flavonoids (rutin, cosmosin, quinqueloside, quercetin, hyperoside);
traces of essential oil (in the composition - limonene, caryophilene, linalool, α-humulene, α- and β-pinene);
sahara;
tannins;
saponins;
bitterness;
carotene;
amine stachydrin;
organic acids (tartaric, P-coumaric, malic, vanillic, ursolic, citric);
vitamins E, C and A;
micro and macro elements.

Collection and procurement

For subsequent harvesting, the entire apical part is collected together with flowers. The optimal period is full blooming of the plant, when the petals are open, most often in July. Choose dry and sunny weather for collection. Lateral shoots with a stem are cut with scissors - the workpiece should be about 40 cm long and no thicker than 5 mm.

Raw materials are laid out in a thin layer on clean paper and dried naturally (in attics, verandas). During drying, the raw material must be turned over. The finished raw material breaks with a characteristic crunch. Store in linen bags in a dry place for 3 years.

History and application in different countries

In Tibetan medicine, herbs have been used by plants for about 2 thousand years. In the countries of modern Europe, wild nettle has been used among the population since the X century. In medieval medical treatises, the heart herb was used for "heartbeat and" heaviness in the stomach ", it was also used for lung diseases and as a sedative. The plant was mentioned in official European herbalists as early as the 15th century, gaining universal recognition in the 19th century.

In folk medicine of Russia, the first written mentions of the pharmaceutical effects of motherwort date back to 1485. Beginning in 1930, motherwort became the main competitor of valerian in the treatment of heart diseases, and also began to be used as a sedative.

Bulgarians use the plant to relieve convulsions in the treatment of neuroses, as well as a diuretic, anti-tuberculosis drug.
In the Czech Republic and Romania, the plant is used to treat tachycardia and pain in the heart, epilepsy and Graves' disease.
In Ukraine, the plant is used to treat rheumatism, fright, menstrual irregularities, bronchial asthma, elimination of cardiac and pulmonary edema.
In England, the tincture of the plant is traditionally prescribed for people with weakness of the heart muscle and diseases of a neurological nature, especially those suffering from hysteria.
Almost every resident of the United States has a motherwort tincture in his medicine cabinet, which is used as a heart and sedative.

In Russia and Belarus, core preparations are mainly used as cardiotonic and sedative agents. Clinical studies have revealed positive dynamics in patients with hypertension, cardiosclerosis, angina pectoris, cardioneurosis, myocarditis during course treatment. However, the greatest efficiency can be achieved in the treatment of pathologies in the early stages of development and with prolonged use of motherwort (with interruptions). Phytotherapy is not able to replace 100% chemical pharmaceuticals, but it can reduce the dosage of the latter and, accordingly, reduce the drug load on patients.

Useful properties of the core

The medicinal properties of motherwort herb are diverse. Among the most significant effects on the body are:

Antihypertensive effect: the core is an excellent herbal remedy for normalizing blood pressure and allows to reduce the doses of chemically synthesized antihypertensive drugs;
Cardiotonic, with normalization of the heart rate: mild stimulation of the heart muscle with an increase in the amplitude of heart contractions and a decrease in their frequency;
Spasmolytic and vasodilating actions. It leads to the expansion of the coronary vessels and increased oxygen access to the organ.
Pronounced sedative effect: eliminates nervous excitability, improves overall well-being and normalizes sleep.
Hormone regulating. It normalizes the menstrual cycle, relieves the symptoms characteristic of menopause.
Anticonvulsant.
Decongestant and diuretic.
Antioxidant.
Hemostatic.

In addition, plant preparations improve metabolism: they normalize carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, normalize the level of glucose, total fats, cholesterol, pyruvic and lactic acids in the blood.

According to a number of indicators, the herbal tincture is more effective than the valerian tinctures and, traditionally used to treat the heart, and has less side effects... But the therapeutic effect of motherwort treatment comes slowly, and most people prefer even stronger drugs, but fast-acting, which is not always justified.

Among the indications for treatment with plant preparations:

cardiovascular neuroses, neurasthenia, psychasthenia;
overexcitation of the central nervous system, fright;
headache associated with nervous overload;
multiple sclerosis;
diseases of blood vessels and heart: angina pectoris, myocarditis, cardiosclerosis, arrhythmia;
hypertension in the early stages;
nicotine poisoning with the development of myocardiopathy;
spasms of the gastrointestinal tract;
inflammatory bowel disease;
edema of various origins;
bronchial asthma;
colds;
rheumatism;
graves' disease;
uterine bleeding;
climacteric syndrome;
convulsions (as drugs to enhance the action of anticonvulsants).

Motherwort pharmacy preparations

Plant-based preparations are low-cost and at the same time effective drugs, when used correctly, they are well tolerated by patients and do not cause addiction.

Motherwort extract liquid (prepared in pharmacies) and in the form of tablets... Reduces general overexcitation, stabilizes the heart rate, normalizes blood pressure and dyspnea in patients with essential hypertension. It is effective in the treatment of myocardiopathy, which developed against the background of nicotinism, VSD.
Motherwort tincture... The properties of the drug make it possible to prescribe it to patients with neurotic and asthenoneurotic dysfunctions with sleep disorders, neuroses accompanying the premenopausal period, in the initial stage of arterial hypertension.
Motherwort herb... Dry raw material with indications similar to tincture.

It is also a part of complex phytopreparations that are used for heart pathologies and nervous system: valemidine, tricardine, heart drops, evening, sedafiton, etc.

Motherwort recipes

From fresh and dry raw materials, various dosage forms are prepared, which are recommended for certain diseases.

Motherwort tincture

The most common dosage form, which has a wide range of indications and can be used for all of the listed pathologies. You can buy it at a pharmacy, or you can prepare it yourself: take 1 part of dry raw materials and add 5 parts of 76% alcohol to it. Insist in a dark place for 21 days.

Take 30-40 drops up to 4 times a day (depending on the severity of the disease).

Water infusion of herbs

It is indicated for neuroses of the cardiac nature, sleep disorders, increased nervous excitability. Helps to increase diuresis, promotes the excretion of phlegm. Take 2 tbsp. dry raw materials, pour 500 ml of boiling water and steam for 2 hours.

Take half a glass 3-4 times a day.

Tea

Take without sweeteners, drink in small sips, in 3 - 4 doses during the day.

The juice

One of the most effective dosage forms with the highest concentration of nutrients. It is prescribed for hypertension, neuroses, headache, insomnia, cardiovascular diseases, vegetative-vascular dystonia and climacteric syndrome. It is prepared from fresh leaves and stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days: pass the leaves through a meat grinder, squeeze the gruel through cheesecloth.

Take 1 tsp. 1.5 hours before meals, 3 times a day. within 3 weeks. As an external preparation, it is indicated for the treatment of ulcers, long-term non-healing wounds, burns at the stage of regeneration.

Baths

Such pleasant procedures are especially recommended for patients with VSD, they help eliminate panic attacks, improve sleep, get rid of anxiety and unmotivated fear. They are also recommended for restoring the general strength of the body, increasing immunity, restoring the heart rate, eliminating headaches and tachycardia. For the preparation of baths, you can use an aqueous infusion of the plant (1 liter per bath) or a ready-made extract in a volume of 10 ml. The bath can be taken within 15 minutes, preferably before bedtime.

Phyto-gatherings with motherwort

It has been proven that mixtures of plants have a more effective effect than motherwort monopreparations.

Tea that normalizes metabolic processes in the central nervous system

Take 5 parts of valerian rhizomes, 10 parts each of lemon balm leaves, St. John's wort and hawthorn flowers, add 20 parts of motherwort to the mixture. To make tea, take 2 tsp. herbal mixture and pour 250 ml of boiling water. Insist 5 minutes.

Take in small portions throughout the day.

Soothing collection

Helps with VSD, anxiety, sleep disturbances, heart palpitations. Take 2 parts of motherwort and 1 part each of lemon balm leaves, St. John's wort and valerian root, mix. 1 tsp pour 250 ml of boiling water into the mixture and leave for 10 minutes.

Take the resulting volume during the day and especially before bedtime.

Collection in the early stages of hypertension

Take 30 gr. white mistletoe, hawthorn flowers, heartwood and marsh cinnamon. Pour this mixture with 1 liter of boiling water and insist for 2 hours in a thermos, strain and place in the refrigerator.

Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day. within 1-2 weeks. After a break of 7 days, you can repeat the course.

Collection to help reduce high blood pressure quickly

Mix knotweed, bearberry, calamus root and motherwort in equal proportions. Take 1 tbsp. mixture and pour 1 liter of boiling water, insist in a thermos for 12 hours. Take 500 ml of vodka and dissolve 500 ml of honey in it, mix it all with herbal infusion and leave for another 9 days.

Take twice a day, morning and evening, starting with 1 tsp. and gradually increasing the dose to 1 glass per dose (increase the dose within 7 days).

Collection for dysmenorrhea and menopause (to eliminate unpleasant symptoms)

Take 25 gr. blackberry leaf, 20 gr. motherwort and fragrant woodruff, 15 gr. dried crusts, 10 gr. hawthorn flowers. For 250 ml of boiling water, take 2 tsp. mixture and brew like tea, let it brew for 10 minutes.

Take 1 glass throughout the day. The effect begins to appear within 7-10 days.

Collection to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures

Take 1 tsp. heart grass, Danish astragalus, lumbago of the opened, curly lily tubers, lemongrass berries and horsetail ephedra herb. Pour raw materials with 300 ml of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes.

Take the resulting product in the morning and evening, dividing the dose in half.

Collection from tremors of the hands and head (with parkinsonism, dysfunction of the nervous system)

Take 150 gr. hawthorn fruits, 100 gr. valerian and motherwort roots, 50 gr. seed hops, mint leaves and dill seeds, mix everything. Take 2 tbsp. mixture, pour 2 cups of boiling water, cook for 5 minutes and soak for 2 hours in a thermos.

Take 3 times a day, 50 ml. Every day you will have to prepare a new portion of the drug and take it for a month, then take a break for 10 days and take it again for 1 month.

Collection for infertility

Take in equal shares calendula flowers, motherwort, chamomile, St. John's wort, buckthorn bark, yarrow, horsetail, bearberry and plantain. Mix everything and take 10 tsp for 500 ml of boiling water. mixture, insist for 2 hours.

Take 100 ml three times a day, 2 months before the intended conception.

Side effects and contraindications

In case of an overdose or uncontrolled treatment, unpleasant symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes with blood) occur. Skin reactions are possible.

You can not resort to treatment with plant preparations when:

bradycardia;
hypotension;
pregnancy;
lactation;
hypersensitivity to the plant;
children under 12 years old.

As for the use in children, here the opinions of herbalists differ: many recommend the plant in the form of baths even to babies in the first year of life with poor sleep, colic, constant anxiety, and regurgitation. For children from 3 years old, a plant in the form of tea is recommended for hyperactivity, functional disorders of digestion, and poor sleep.

You can not use drugs with motherwort for people whose work requires increased concentration of attention, as well as those who drive a car. It is undesirable to combine treatment with the use of alcohol-containing and sedative drugs - potentiation of the action will be observed.

A herbaceous biennial or perennial plant motherwort (Leonurus) is a member of the Labiate or Lamiaceae family. These plants are widely distributed in natural conditions in Eurasia (Siberia, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia). Several species of motherwort also grow in North America. This culture prefers to grow on wastelands, railway embankments, garbage places, as well as in quarries, cliffs and along river banks. Healing properties are possessed by 2 types, namely: motherwort heart and motherwort hairy (five-lobed).

The height of the motherwort can vary from 0.3 to 2 meters. It has a taproot and an erect tetrahedral stem, which is sometimes branched. The length of the lower palmate-lobed or palmate-separated leaf plates is about 15 centimeters. The upper leaf plates are sometimes solid; as they approach the apex, their size decreases. All leaves have petioles. At the ends of the shoots or in the leaf axils, spike-shaped intermittent inflorescences are formed, consisting of small flowers. The fruit is a coenobium, which includes 4 evenly developed parts. Most of the species are considered good honey plants.

Planting motherwort

Motherwort can be grown in the same place for 3 to 5 years. This plant is drought tolerant and has no special requirements for soil composition. Freshly harvested seeds have a low germination rate. To increase it after the seeds are harvested, they are ripened for 60 days, after which their germination increases to 85 percent. At a soil temperature of 4–6 degrees, as well as optimal moisture, the seedlings will appear already 4 or 5 days after sowing. Seeds are sown before winter or at the beginning of spring. If sowing is planned for spring, then immediately before it the seeds must undergo stratification, for this they are placed on a refrigerator shelf for 4-6 weeks for vegetables, before that they are poured into a plastic container or a plastic bag, which must be filled with moistened sand ( 1: 3).

In autumn, seeds are sown dry 7–10 days before the first frost and buried 10–15 mm in the soil. For spring sowing, the seeds should be deepened by 20 mm. The approximate row spacing is from 0.45 to 0.6 m. When sowing seeds in spring, 15–20 percent less is consumed than when sowing in autumn.

When the motherwort seedlings appear, they need to be thinned out, while it should be borne in mind that there should be from 4 to 6 bushes per 100 cm of a row. In the first year, caring for such a plant is very simple, you only need to remove weeds from the site. It only needs to be watered during prolonged drought. Starting from the second year of growth, it will be necessary not only to weed the site, but also to loosen its surface, as well as to prune last year's shoots, and once more in the summer, feed this culture with Nitroammophos, which is introduced into the soil.

From the second year of growth, the motherwort should begin to harvest. To do this, all lateral cuttings should be cut from the bushes, as well as the upper parts of the stems, the thickness of which should not be more than 0.5 cm.Collection should be made in July, while only 2/3 of the bush should be covered with flowering, and on the remaining part there should still be buds. Harvesting should be done in the morning, immediately after the dew has melted. Re-harvesting is carried out 6 weeks after the first.

The harvested motherwort should be spread in a thin layer in a shaded place. During drying, the raw material should be periodically turned over and agitated. You can also dry this plant in another way: it is tied in small bunches, and then suspended from the ceiling, while the selected room should be well ventilated (for example, a balcony, attic or veranda). You can also use a grass dryer, but it should be borne in mind that the temperature in the cells should not exceed 50 degrees. It is quite simple to check the readiness of the raw material: the shoot should break easily with light pressure, and the foliage should be rubbed into dust with your fingers. Dried motherwort has a bitter taste and specific aroma. For storage, the grass can be placed in cardboard boxes, cloth bags or in bags made of thick paper. It is removed to a cool, dry place, protected from direct sunlight. If all the rules are followed during storage, the raw materials will retain their medicinal properties for three years.

Types and varieties of motherwort with photos and names

The motherwort genus unites 24 species, they are divided into five subsections. It is interesting that in non-traditional medicine of eastern countries (Korea and China), some types of this plant are used as healing ones, and in various European countries completely different types are used in folk medicine. Below will be described those species that are cultivated by gardeners.

Gray motherwort (Leonorus glaucescens)

The bush has a gray color due to the fact that it is covered with dense dense pubescence, consisting of pressed hairs directed downward. The color of the flowers is pale pink.

Motherwort tatar (Leonorus tataricus)

The stem has a pubescence in the upper part, consisting of long hairs. The bare leaf plates are thinly dissected. The flowers are purple-pink in color.

Motherwort (Leonorus cardiaca), or motherwort heart

This perennial herb has a short woody rhizome, from which lateral roots extend, they are not very deep in the ground. Ribbed tetrahedral erect shoots are hollow inside in the upper part branched. They can be colored violet-red, but most often green, and there are many protruding long hairs on their surface. The height of the stems varies from 0.5 to 2 meters. Opposite petiole leaf plates gradually decrease in size as they approach the apex. The front surface of the leaves is painted in a pale or dark green color, and the back has a light gray tint. The lower leaf plates are five-partite, round or ovoid, the middle ones are three-partite or three-lobed, with wide serrated lobes, oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, and the upper ones are simple with lateral teeth. Spike-shaped apical inflorescences consist of small pink flowers sitting in whorls. The fruit contains dark brown nuts. In Europe, this species is cultivated as a medicinal one.

Motherwort five-lobed (Leonorus quinquelobatus), or hairy motherwort

Some scientists believe that this species is a species of common motherwort. Be that as it may, their ranges completely coincide. In this species, unlike the common motherwort, the middle and lower leaf plates are five-part, and the upper ones are three-lobed. The surface of the stem is covered with protruding long hairs.

Motherwort properties: harm and benefit

The medicinal properties of motherwort

The motherwort herb contains flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, quinqueloside and others), alkaloids, saponins, essential oil, tannins, organic acids (malic, vanillic, citric, tartaric, ursolic), vitamins A, C and E, potassium, calcium , sulfur and sodium.

The fact that motherwort herb has medicinal properties became known for a long time. Doctors and pharmacists who lived in the Middle Ages used this plant very widely in their practice, but gradually they forgot about it. It was only at the end of the 19th century that they remembered it, while in the thirties of the 20th century, scientists proved that the sedative effect of medicinal valerian preparations is 1.5 lower than those made on the basis of motherwort. This plant helps to strengthen the myocardium, stabilize the heart rate, as well as increase myocardial contraction in tachycardia, myocarditis, cardiosclerosis, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris and heart failure of 1-3 degrees. This herb lowers cholesterol levels, helps lower blood pressure in hypertension, reduces the amount of glucose and lactic acid in the blood, and it also has an antispasmodic and anticonvulsant effect.

Motherwort is also quite often used in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example: with gastritis, flatulence, catarrh of the large intestine, spasms, colitis, neuroses, etc. This herb also has an expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect, and its sedative effect on the body it is used during the therapy of insomnia, psychasthenia, hysteria, thyrotoxicosis and vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Motherwort is also used in gynecology for uterine bleeding, painful and unstable regulation, and for climacteric syndrome. This herb is also used in the treatment of epilepsy, chronic cough and Graves' disease, and its seeds are prescribed for glaucoma. Motherwort is contained in such pharmaceutical preparations as: motherwort tincture, sedative collection No. 2, Phytosedan, motherwort herb, Motherwort forte Evalar tablets (with vitamin B6 and sodium carbonate), Motherwort forte, Motherwort P, motherwort extract in tablets.

Contraindications

Motherwort can cause allergic reactions in some people. Also, preparations based on motherwort cannot be used by those who have an individual intolerance to this herb. It has a stimulating effect on the smooth muscles of the uterus; therefore, it is not recommended to use it for pregnant women, as well as for women after an abortion. Also, motherwort is not recommended for people with erosive gastritis, stomach ulcers, or arterial hypotension. And it should also be borne in mind that drugs made on the basis of motherwort cause drowsiness, so they must be taken with caution by people whose activities are associated with increased concentration of attention.

Obviously, the name of this herb clearly indicates the main place of growth.

Indeed, it can often be found on wastelands, as well as along fences, near dwellings, in weedy places, less often on pastures, floodplain meadows.

The plant is inconspicuous, inconspicuous, but completely unique in its properties.

Motherwort \u003d green pharmacy

For a long time motherwort has proven itself as a medicinal plant for many ailments. In nature, there are several types of it, but in medicine it is most often used motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca). It is a herbaceous perennial hairy plant with a woody rhizome.

Motherwort of the heart has pink flowers, sometimes with a purple tint. These modest, angelic, at first glance, flowers are very insidious, as they are armed with thorny bracts, which, if you carelessly, can hurt yourself when collecting motherwort. And it is harvested in August, just during flowering. The upper part of the plant is used as a medicinal raw material (it is better to discard the faded, rough and lower inflorescences).

Motherwort herb contains alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, organic acids, essential oil, bitter and sugary substances, carotene. This is the reason for its therapeutic effect.

Motherwort drugs primarily have a sedative effect, and also slow down the heart rate (the action is explained by the presence of alkaloids and flavonoids).

Motherwort - application

It is used in the form of a tincture of 30-40 drops, a liquid extract - 15-20 drops each and an infusion of 15 g of raw materials per 200 ml of water - 1 tbsp. spoon 3-4 times a day with cardiac neuroses and increased nervous excitability.

Motherwort will also help in the initial stages of hypertension.

Curious facts about the application of the properties of motherwort

Russian folk medicine advises taking motherwort to treat persistent cough.
German - uses motherwort for heart palpitations, asthma, headache, anemia, painful periods.
Romanian doctors recommend treating Graves' disease and epilepsy.
The British use this herb as a cure for hysteria, shortness of breath, heart weakness.
In India, motherwort is considered not only a cardiac but also a stomach remedy.
In the US, it replaces valerian.

Motherwort bath

Medicinal baths made from motherwort herb have a good healing and restorative effect on the nervous system (the duration of such a bath is 20-25 minutes). They can include an infusion, decoction or liquid extract of one motherwort, as well as mixtures of motherwort with other medicinal plants. To restore strength, with chronic fatigue, an excited state of the nervous system, increased irritability (including in the menopause), it is recommended to take baths from motherwort herb in combination with mint, yarrow, calamus root. Such baths have a tonic effect, improve overall health and mood.

Doctors and traditional healers advise taking short-term motherwort baths for people suffering from high blood pressure, chronic headaches, heart rhythm disturbances, narrowing of the coronary vessels, persistent sleep disorders.

Thanks to the effects of alkaloids and essential oil, with the regular intake of such baths, a sick person, if not completely cured of an ailment, then at least significantly alleviates his condition.

Motherwort can also be used as a soothing agent in baths for young children.

The broth for these purposes is prepared as follows: 3-4 tbsp. tablespoons of dry chopped herbs, you must pour 1 liter of boiled water. Insist a little, strain and add a little to the bath where the baby is bathing.

Motherwort herb tea is useful.

It slows down the aging of the body, improves metabolism, and enhances immunity. To enhance the healing properties of motherwort, it can be combined with the fruits of hawthorn, rose hips, lemon balm, hops, chamomile flowers. Tea can help cope with sleep disorders. To get such a drink for insomnia, you need to take 1 teaspoon of herbs, pour 150 g of boiled water, leave for 15 minutes, strain and drink before bedtime.

✓ Curious facts

There is a belief that this herb is not loved. evil spirits, therefore, before a bundle of it was necessarily hung in the entryway, at the entrance to the dwelling.

Motherwort has no serious contraindications. However, you should be careful when using drugs based on it for hypertension.

With prolonged use, an allergic reaction may occur. It is also important to remember that motherwort enhances the effects of alcohol and any sedative sleeping pills. In any case, a consultation with a doctor before using it will not be superfluous.

Motherwort \u003d natural cosmetics

You can wash your face with a decoction of motherwort for cosmetic purposes in the morning and in the evening, this will help to rejuvenate your skin. Infusion - rinse oily hair, as a result, their appearance improves.

Motherwort is an excellent honey plant

Motherwort honey is very beneficial for health. And you can also rub it into the hair roots 20 minutes before washing - the hair becomes fluffy, and their growth increases.

As you can see, many miracles, mysteries, discoveries are fraught with a modest, unpretentious medicinal plant, which, perhaps, grows in a wasteland nearby.

Mar-16-2017

What is motherwort?

What is motherwort, medicinal properties and contraindications, what are beneficial features in this plant, all this is of great interest to those who lead a healthy lifestyle, monitor their health, and are interested in folk methods of treatment, including with the help of medicinal herbs. So we will try to answer these questions in the following article.

It turns out that weed - motherwort - is very, very useful for humans. She is a honey plant. Experienced beekeepers specially cultivated this herb in the vicinity of the apiary. A similar tradition is still alive today. Motherwort cabbage soup was once cooked from it (and in some places it is still brewed today). But this is not the most important thing. He was famous since ancient times for his medicinal properties, which is worth telling in more detail.

The first mentions of human use of motherwort for medical purposes are given in herbalists compiled in the 15th century (information about medicinal plants in the old days in Russia was recorded in special collections, which were usually called "herbalists").

Modern scientific medicine has deeply studied this plant and came to the conclusion that it has an extremely wide spectrum of action on the nervous system, so motherwort replaced valerian, which is much more difficult to grow, already in many countries of the world, for example, in the USA and Canada. But a detailed story about the healing properties of motherwort awaits the reader ahead.

Motherwort is a genus of perennial or biennial herbaceous plants of the Lamiaceae family. (lat.Lamiáceae).

The botanical name is Leonúrus.

Popular names - heart herb, core, dog nettle.

Motherwort is a perennial plant with a height of 30 to 100 cm, with a tetrahedral, densely pubescent, branched stem. The leaves are petiolate, the lower ones are 5-7-palmate-separated, the upper ones are tripartite and tripartite-lobed, opposite opposite.

The flowers are small, located in the leaf axils. Corolla is two-lipped (diagnostic sign), pink in color. The fruit is fractional, breaking up into 4 nuts. Blooms from June to autumn.

This plant grows in Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Western Siberia... The name of the motherwort determines its habitat - the plant loves desert places, pastures, fallow lands, wastelands, slopes, precipices, abandoned settlements.

In medicine, two types of motherwort are commonly used - the motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) and the five-lobed (Leonurus quinquelobatus). These two species are very close to each other, they practically do not differ.

Collection and preparation of motherwort:

For the purpose of treatment, only the upper part of this plant is harvested during flowering. For harvesting, it is necessary to properly cut off the tops of the plant, the thickness of the stem should be 5 mm, length 40 cm. Having collected the raw materials, it should be dried in the shade. Spread out in a thin layer on a surface and turn over occasionally so that it does not turn black.

There are special dryers for the final harvesting of grass.

The storage location is dry and the shelf life is three years. If you do not have enough time to collect and harvest motherwort herb, you can purchase it at any pharmacy.

The chemical composition of motherwort:

The main active ingredients of motherwort herb are flavonoids, iridoids and alkaloids.

The plant contains alkaloids (up to 0.4%): leonurin, leonuridine, stachydrin; choline; sapononins, flavonoids: quercetin, rutin, quinqueloside, cosmosin, hyperoside, quercetin, quercetin-7-glucoside, isoquercitin; iridoids: haliridoside, 8-acetylgarpagid, ayugoside, ayugol, harpagid; essential oil (up to 0.9%), which includes limonene, linalool, caryophilene, α-humulene, α- and β-pinene; diterpenoids, steroid glycosides, caffeic acid glycoside, paracumaric acid, tannins (up to 2.5%), bitterness of marubin, coloring agents, resins, vitamin C, carotene; macro- and microelements.

Useful properties of motherwort:

The preparations of this plant have:

sedative properties,
lower blood pressure
slow down the heart rate.

Have a beneficial effect on

carbohydrate and fat metabolism,
normalize indicators of protein metabolism.

Motherwort herb is an old folk remedy. This plant was studied at the Department of Pharmacology of the Tomsk Medical Institute, prof. N.V. Vershinin. The drugs are similar in nature to the medicinal valerian drugs.

Its preparations are used as a sedative for:

increased nervous excitability,
cardiovascular neuroses,
hypertension,
ischemic heart disease,
thyrotoxicosis,
insomnia,
vegetative-vascular dystonia,
neuroses.

It is also prescribed for:

neuroses of the gastrointestinal tract,
flatulence,
spastic pain.

This plant contains flavonol glycosides, mainly rutin, essential oil (traces), saponins, stachydrin alkaloid, tannins, carotene. In the Siberian motherwort, collected during flowering, the alkaloid Leonurin was found.

Its preparations are similar in action to preparations of lily of the valley and valerian officinalis, however, in their action they are significantly superior, especially in the treatment of cardiovascular neuroses and other heart diseases.

Motherwort-based drugs are used for nervousness, cardiosclerosis, insomnia, neurasthenia, depression, venous dystonia, and other diseases of the body.

It has an undeniable effect of action in disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, an increase in the thyroid gland, inflammation of the intestines, and meager periods.

This plant can be consumed as a tea to normalize the nervous system. For the treatment of wounds and burns, motherwort is used externally, since it has a strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect.

Contraindications:

Motherwort can cause an allergic reaction and have individual contraindications for use.
Drugs based on it can stimulate the contraction of the muscles of the uterus, so they should not be taken by either pregnant women or those who have recently had an abortion. Motherwort can cause bleeding.
For those who suffer from arterial hypotension, bradycardia, stomach ulcers and erosive gastritis, this plant is contraindicated.
Motherwort is not recommended for anyone whose work is associated with increased concentration of attention, as it causes drowsiness.
Treatment for thrombosis and thrombophlebitis is carried out only under the supervision of a doctor.
If the recommended dosage is exceeded, pain throughout the body, vomiting, bloody stools and thirst may occur.
If you decide to give motherwort to children, the dosage and duration of treatment must be agreed with the pediatrician.

In addition, it should be remembered that treatment with medicinal herbs requires compliance with:

How to take motherwort to calm down:

Collection 1

You will need:

motherwort herb - 1 part,
valerian roots - 1 part,
cumin seeds - 1 part,
fennel seeds - 1 part.

1 tbsp. l. brew the mixture in 1 cup boiling water for 1 hour, then strain and take warm 100 g 3 times a day, the last time at night.

This collection has a strong calming effect on the nervous system.

Collection 2

You will need:

motherwort herb - 4 parts,
dried grass herb - 3 parts,
thyme herb - 2 parts,
blackberry leaves - 5 parts.

4 tbsp. l. the mixture should be infused in 1 liter of boiling water for 2-3 hours. Take 1/2 cup (100 g) 4 times a day, 1 hour after meals.

This fee is used for increased nervous excitability and hysterical seizures.

Collection 3

You will need:

motherwort herb - 1 part,
bearberry leaves - 1 part.

Pour 2 tbsp. l. mixture with 3 cups of water, cook until about 2 cups of liquid remains, strain. Take 70-100 g 3-4 times a day 1 hour after meals.

This collection is soothing.

For sleep:

Collection:

You will need:

motherwort herb - 3 parts,
dried grass herb - 3 parts,
valerian roots - 1 part,
heather grass - 4 parts.

4 tbsp. l. mix the mixture in 1 liter of boiling water in the oven for 12 hours, drain. Take 1 tbsp. l. 4 times a day.

This fee is used for increased nervous excitability and insomnia.

For heart:

The use of these fees will alleviate the condition of many of those who suffer from heart pains and suffer from debilitating shortness of breath.

Collection 1

You will need:

motherwort herb - 2 parts,
lemon balm leaves - 2 parts,
yarrow herb - 3 parts,
st. John's wort herb - 3 parts.

Mix all components thoroughly, then take 1 tbsp. l. the resulting mixture, brew in 2 cups of boiling water, let stand for three hours. After that, strain the resulting infusion and take 100 g once a day, you need to drink in small sips.

Collection 2

You will need:

motherwort herb - 4 parts,
lily of the valley flowers - 1 part,
fennel seeds - 2 parts,
peppermint leaves - 3 parts.

1 tbsp. l. Brew the mixture in 2 glasses of boiling water, let it brew for one hour, then strain and take 50 g 1-2 times a day.

Collection 3

You will need:

motherwort herb - 3 parts,
marshmallow roots - 2 parts,
garlic bulbs - 1 part,
mullein flowers - 1 part.

1 tbsp. l. brew the mixture in 1 glass. boiled water, strain. Take 50 g 4 times a day.

Motherwort for women:

Many women suffer from a natural physiological process - the menstrual cycle (or rather, from those painful sensations that often accompany it). Here are some formulations that are particularly effective in relieving pain.

Collection 1

You will need:

brittle buckthorn bark - 3 parts,
birch leaves - 3 parts,
flowering heather branches - 4 parts
chamomile flower baskets - 10 parts,
motherwort herb - 5 parts,
peppermint leaves - 10 parts.

1 tbsp. l. brew the mixture with 1 cup boiling water. Take hot 250 g daily, in divided doses.

Collection 2

You will need:

flowers of white lamina or lamellar stalk embracing - 1 part,
cuff leaves - 2 parts,
chamomile herb - 2 parts,
motherwort herb - 3 parts,
water pepper herb - 5 parts.

2 tbsp. l. boil the mixture in 3 cups of water, evaporating it to 2 cups. Take warm 150 g 2 times a day.

Motherwort with:

High pressure:

Collection that can be used for hypertension.

You will need:

motherwort herb - 3 parts,
hawthorn flowers - 3 parts,
hawthorn fruit - 3 parts,
horsetail herb - 3 parts,
mistletoe herb - 3 parts,
garlic bulbs - 3 parts,
arnica flowers - 1 part,
yarrow herb - 4 parts.

Move all herbs thoroughly, then 1 tbsp. l. brew the mixture in 1 glass of boiled water. Then strain. Take 50 g 4 times daily before meals.

With insomnia, neuroses:

Do not forget that this plant has a sedative effect that is three times higher than that of valerian, which means that baths with motherwort decoction will certainly help with cardiovascular nerves, insomnia, soothe after a hard day, relieve nervous tension.

It is best to take such baths in the evening, when a hard day is over and you just need to relieve stress. If you want to get rid of insomnia or soothe the central nervous system with the help of motherwort decoction baths, then you can advise taking a warm bath.

First, prepare a decoction of this plant:

Take 50 g of dry herb, pour 1 liter of boiling water, put on low heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then cover the dishes with a lid and leave for 20 minutes. The broth must be filtered and added to the water. The temperature of the water in the bath should not be too high, it is best if it is 37-38 degrees. You can take a bath for 20-30 minutes, and then you should definitely rest. Half an hour after taking a bath, you can drink a glass of warm milk or a little warm decoction of motherwort herbs, valerian, dill, peppermint.

With menopause:

There is also a collection that facilitates the transition of a woman from middle age to old age. Menopause brings many different experiences to women. You can make this stage of life easier with an old recipe.

You will need:

fragrant woodruff herb - 4 parts,
motherwort herb - 4 parts,
marsh creeper grass - 3 parts,
hawthorn flowers - 2 parts,
blackberry leaves - 5 parts.

4 tbsp. l. Brew the mixture in 1 liter of boiling water, let it brew and strain. Take 100 g 3-4 times a day 1 hour after meals.

Great video about motherwort. Worth seeing!

Gathering "Polechikha":

You will need:

bedstraw (fragrant woodruff) - 20 g,
blackberries (leaves) - 25 g,
hawthorn (color) - 10 g,
motherwort (grass) - 20 g,
marsh dryweed - 15 g.

1 tbsp. l. brew the mixture in 1 glass of boiling water. Wrap, let it brew for 1 hour and strain. Take as tea 3 times a day for 1 glass.

After 10 days of taking this collection, the blood flow to the head is significantly reduced. Itching in the neck stops, headaches decrease, appetite returns, and sound sleep appears.

Motherwort is a genus of perennial or biennial grasses of the Lamiaceae family.
Botanical name - Leonúrus.
Popular names - heart herb, core, dog nettle.

Motherwort is a plant with a height of 30 to 100 cm, with a tetrahedral, densely pubescent, branched stem. The leaves are petiolate, the lower ones are 5-7-palmate-separated, the upper ones are tripartite and tripartite-lobed, opposite opposite.

The flowers are small, located in the leaf axils. Corolla is two-lipped (diagnostic sign), pink in color. The fruit is fractional, breaking up into 4 nuts. Blooms from June to autumn.

Motherwort grows in Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Western Siberia. The name of the motherwort determines its habitat - the plant loves desert places, pastures, fallow lands, wastelands, slopes, precipices, abandoned settlements.

In medicine, two types of motherwort are usually used - this is the heartwort (Leonurus cardiaca) and the motherwort five-lobed (Leonurus quinquelobatus). These two species are very close to each other, they practically do not differ.

Collecting and harvesting motherwort

For the purpose of treatment, only the upper part of the motherwort is collected during flowering. For harvesting, it is necessary to properly cut off the tops of the plant, the thickness of the stem should be 5 mm, length 40 cm. Having collected the raw materials, it should be dried in the shade. Spread out in a thin layer on a surface and turn over occasionally so that it does not turn black.

There are special dryers for the final harvesting of grass.

The storage location is dry and the shelf life is three years. If you do not have enough time to collect and harvest motherwort herb, you can purchase it at any pharmacy.

The chemical composition and medicinal properties of motherwort

Motherwort contains flavonol glycosides, mainly rutin, essential oil (traces), saponins, stachydrin alkaloid, tannins, carotene. In the Siberian motherwort, collected during flowering, the alkaloid Leonurin was found.

Motherwort preparations are similar in action to preparations of lily of the valley and Valerian officinalis, however, in their action they are significantly superior, especially in the treatment of cardiovascular neuroses and other heart diseases.

Motherwort-based drugs are used for nervousness, cardiosclerosis, insomnia, neurasthenia, depression, venous dystonia, and other diseases of the body.

The motherwort herb has an undeniable effect on disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, an increase in the thyroid gland, inflammation of the intestines, and poor menstruation.

Motherwort can be consumed as a tea to normalize the nervous system. For the treatment of wounds and burns, motherwort is used externally, since it has a strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect.

The use of motherwort in folk and scientific medicine

In folk medicine, motherwort has been known for a long time and is used in the form of infusions, tinctures and teas. In traditional medicine, motherwort is used in the form of crushed leaves, water or alcohol tincture, as well as a tablet extract.

With nervous excitability, in the early stages of hypertension, with cardiovascular neuroses, an infusion of motherwort herb is used.

Prepare an infusion at the rate of 15 g (3 tablespoons) of dry herbs per glass of water. Pour boiling water over and leave for 1-2 hours. It is recommended to prepare such an infusion using purified or melt water.

Take 1 tbsp. spoon up to four times a day before meals.

In case of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, motherwort infusion is drunk in the same dosages, or 40 drops of grass juice are taken 2-3 times a day. The positive effect is observed after 3-4 weeks of treatment.

Another option for making infusion: 2 tablespoons of chopped raw materials pour 0.5 liters of boiling water and leave for 2 hours. Drink an infusion of 2 glasses of wine 4 times a day before meals. Use as a sedative and hypnotic.

With violations of the menstrual cycle, with fibroids of the uterus, motherwort infusion is drunk 1/3 cup 3 times a day.

In case of hypertension of I-II degrees, motherwort herb is more often used in the collections: hawthorn flowers, mistletoe, motherwort herb, dried herb.

For diseases of the thyroid gland, the following recipe helps: crush and mix 1 tbsp. l. motherwort herbs, peppermint leaves, green walnuts, valerian rhizomes and 2 tbsp. l. hawthorn fruit. Take 1 tbsp. l. collection, pour 1 glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour, drain.

Take 0.5 glasses 2 times a day before meals for a month, then a break for 10 days, and again repeat the course of treatment.

Soothing tea

Mix in 1 tbsp. tablespoons of the following plants: Hypericum perforatum, heartwort, yarrow, chamomile flowers and peppermint leaves, 1st. Brew a spoonful of the mixture as an infusion and take it warm two or three times a day thirty minutes before meals, half a glass.

Alcohol tincture of motherwort

This drug can be bought ready-made in a pharmacy, or you can make it yourself according to the following recipe: chopped grass leaves (20 g) pour 100 ml. 70% alcohol. Insist for 7-10 days and apply 30-40 drops 3-4 times during the day.

This excellent sedative helps with neuroses and accelerated heartbeat, myocardiopathy, shortness of breath, in the early stages of hypertension.

When using motherwort tincture, an improvement in the quality of sleep is noted, the process of falling asleep occurs faster, and psychomotor excitability decreases. It is worth noting the positive effect on the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the normal functioning of internal organs.

Motherwort tablets

Motherwort is the main component in the composition of some complex neurotropic drugs "Motherwort forte" and "Motherwort P" sedative action, which have a regulatory effect on cardiovascular activity.

Motherwort tablets are very convenient to use and can be taken easily anywhere and anytime. To reduce pressure, stabilize the nervous system and with vegetative-vascular dystonia, you should take 3-4 tablets a day before meals.

Motherwort P is mainly prescribed as a sedative to normalize sleep, improve metabolism, with high blood pressure, convulsions. You need to take these pills three times a day for two weeks.

Vitamin B6 and magnesium carbonate are added to the tablets "Motherwort forte Evalar" for a stronger positive effect on the nervous system. It should be taken during periods of increased stressful experiences, 1-2 tablets before meals in the morning and evening.

Features of the use of motherwort preparations

Despite such an abundance of medicinal properties, motherwort preparations have a noticeable healing effect rather slowly, the period of treatment with medicines prepared on the basis of the plant is usually long. This is the normal effect of herbal treatments - slowly but surely.

The dosage of drugs also varies depending on the nature of the disease, the severity of its symptoms, the degree of neglect, the presence of any other concomitant diseases, and the age of the patient.

When treating motherwort people suffering from serious diseases of the central nervous system, sometimes signs of excessive inhibition of the activity of the nerve centers are revealed.

Motherwort - contraindications

Motherwort can cause an allergic reaction and have individual contraindications for use.

Motherwort preparations can stimulate uterine muscle contraction, so they should not be taken by pregnant women or those who have recently had an abortion. Motherwort can cause bleeding.

Motherwort is contraindicated for those who suffer from arterial hypotension, bradycardia, stomach ulcers and erosive gastritis.

Motherwort is not recommended for anyone whose work is associated with increased concentration of attention, as it causes drowsiness.

Treatment for thrombosis and thrombophlebitis is carried out only under the supervision of a doctor. If the recommended dosage is exceeded, pain throughout the body, vomiting, bloody stools and thirst may occur.