Gender Leonurus (to which it belongs leonurus cardiac) is made up of around 80 herbaceous plants from a well-known family such as the Lamiaceae.
Commonly known as motherwort, it is native to different countries in Asia and Europe, so it is widespread and can be identified in many areas.
Within this genus, we find plants more or less known in medicinal botany:
- Leonurus cardiac
- Leonurus japonicus
- Leonurus parviflorus
- Leonurus villosus
- Leonurus artemisia
It has several common names in addition to motherwort, such as lion’s tail (not to be confused with dandelion), edge nettle or cardiac plant (derived from its scientific name).
As we have mentioned, it is a herbaceous plant, not used in ornamental gardening since it does not have an attractive appearance. It has a large number of active ingredients
Nowadays its commercialization is not very common and they are being studied in various investigations to verify the reality of what is said in traditional medicine.
Various agencies, such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) considers it a safe medicinal plant and is registered as a traditional herbal medicine (MTP).
For being a plant from the Far East, in Japan it is well known and revered for many years.
Table of Contents
Agronomic characteristics of Leonurus cardiac
Leonurus cardiac It is a rather rustic plant, which grows spontaneously in many places, meadows, roadsides, stony environments, etc.
It usually withstands a wide range of temperatures and the full exposure to the Sun. It even withstands winter frosts if they last a short time.
It is able to live in all types of soils, although it tolerates to a lesser degree those clays that retain a large amount of moisture. The lack of drainage impairs their root development.
The multiplication of leonurus cardiac is performed through seeds, after flowering and collection of the parts for medicinal use. These seeds can be sown at the end of summer to be able to finally transplant them in spring.
Flowering
Leonurus cardiac it blooms in the summer months, starting in June. It gives rise to small hairy flowers of whitish color
Flowering occurs in the summer months, giving rise to some little flowers of a rather pale burgundy color, which have a large amount of hair and are small in size. They are characterized -like the #flowers# of the rest of their #family#- for having in the #corolla# formations that resemble two lips, the upper one being concave. This particularity of name to the whole family.
Medicinal properties of Lcardiac eonurus
Active ingredients
- Bitter glycoside (leunurin)
- Pyrogallic tannins
- Alkaloid (leunucardin and stachydrin)
- Phenylpropanic heterosides
The main medicinal effects of this medicinal plant are the following:
Sedative effect
It helps to reduce states of anxiety and, in general, insomnia caused by general stress.
Antiarrhythmic effect
Leonurus cardiac it has a hypotensive effect (due to its leunurin content) and, therefore, reduces tachycardic states and palpitations generated by stressful situations and great physical efforts.
Cardiotonic effect
The very presence of the compound leunurin causes blood pressure (hypotensive) to be reduced and reduces high pressure states, so negative for the circulatory system.
Oxytocic effect
An oxytocic effect is any element that releases the oxytocin, hormone related to contractions in the uterus.
Therefore, leonurus cardiac allows to regulate problems related to menorrhagias and metrorrhagias.
Hypotensive effect
The scientific name of leonurus cardiac it is closely related to the heart. Previous tests on animals, specifically the rabbit, have seen a reduced blood pressure and increased blood flow, so it has positive effects (at the moment, in animals) on the circulatory system.
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect
The content in triterpenoids (Ursanus type) of leonurus cardiac they are strong inhibitors of superoxides produced in cellular activity. Therefore, they have a great antioxidant activity and even anti-inflammatory power.
Different studies corroborate this antioxidant capacity, both by these triterpenoids and by the flavonoids present in different parts of the plant.
The tea of Agripalma
An ideal option to take advantage of the medicinal power of leonurus cardiac it is by preparing an infusion. We have different options to buy with the leaves already dried and prepared.
Daily use:
Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of coffee (1 gram) of leonurus cardiac in a cup of hot water. Take once a day before or after meals.
Bibliography used
- Chen CX, Kwan CY. Endothelium-independent vasorelaxation by leonurine, a plant alkaloid purified from Chinese motherwort. Life Sci. 2001 Jan 12;68(8):953-60.
- Agnihotri VK, Elsohly HN, Smillie TJ, Khan IA, Walker LA. New labdane diterpenes from Leonurus cardiac. Plant Med. 2008 Aug;74(10):1288-90.
- Knöss W, Zapp J. Accumulation of furanic labdane diterpenes in Marrubium vulgare and Leonurus cardiaca. Plant Med. 1998 May;64(4):357-61.
- Ali MS, Ibrahim SA, Jalil S, Choudhary MI. Ursolic acid: a potent inhibitor of superoxides produced in the cellular system. Phytother Res. 2007 Jun;21(6):558-61.
- Ritter M, Melichar K, Strahler S, Kuchta K, Schulte J, Sartiani L, Cerbai E, Mugelli A, Mohr FW, Rauwald HW, Dhein S. Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiac L. (Ph.Eur.). Plant Med. 2010 Apr;76(6):572-82.
- Lans C, Turner N, Brauer G, Khan T. Medicinal plants used in British Columbia, Canada for reproductive health in pets. Prev Vet Med. 2009 Aug 1;90(3-4):268-73.
- Lin JH, Lin QD, Liu XH, Yan JY, He J, Li L, Gu H, Sun LZ, Zhang JP, Yu S, Ma YY, Niu JM, Xia Y, Zhao SC, Li W, Wang HL, Wang BS. [Multi-center study of motherwort injection to prevent postpartum hemorrhage after caesarian section]. Zhonghua Fu Chan Ke Za Zhi. 2009 Mar;44(3):175-8.
- Bernatoniene J, Kucinskaite A, Masteikova R, Kalveniene Z, Kasparaviciene G, Savickas A. The comparison of anti-oxidative kinetics in vitro of the fluid extract from maidenhair tree, motherwort and hawthorn. Act Pol Pharm. 2009 Jul-Aug;66(4):415-21.
- Gedevanishvili MD, Sikharulidze IS, Gogotidze NM. [Toxicological approach to evaluation of bioavailability of powdered medicinal herbs]. Georgian Med News. 2006 May;(134):121-4.
