Motherwort

What Is Motherwort?

Motherwort is a bitter, mildly aromatic nervine and cardiotonic herb with a long history of use in Western herbal medicine. As its common name suggests, the herb has deep associations with women’s health, childbirth, postpartum recovery, and the emotional strain surrounding motherhood.

The botanical name Leonurus cardiaca points to another major traditional use: the heart. Motherwort has long been used for palpitations, nervous tension, anxiety, and cardiovascular complaints where emotional agitation and heart symptoms appear together.

The herb is especially suited to tense, restless, overheated states involving anxiety, palpitations, insomnia, irritability, or a sense of pressure in the chest.

How Is Motherwort Used?

Motherwort is most commonly prepared as a tincture, tea, infusion, capsule, or fresh plant extract.

In modern herbal practice, it is frequently used for anxiety with palpitations, stress-related cardiovascular tension, insomnia, nervous agitation, and menopausal or menstrual irritability. It is often chosen when emotional distress is felt strongly in the chest or heart.

Traditional women’s health uses include amenorrhea, menstrual tension, pelvic discomfort, postpartum anxiety, and symptoms associated with hormonal fluctuation. Because the herb is strongly bitter and somewhat unpleasant as tea, tinctures are often preferred.

Motherwort is commonly combined with hawthorn, skullcap, passionflower, lemon balm, valerian, or cramp bark depending on whether the emphasis is cardiovascular, nervous system, or reproductive support.

Traditional Uses

Western Herbal Medicine

In Western herbal medicine, motherwort is regarded as a nervine, cardiotonic, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, and mild hypotensive herb.

Traditional indications include anxiety, heart palpitations, nervous insomnia, hyperactivity, amenorrhea, menstrual discomfort, pelvic tension, and symptoms of emotional agitation after childbirth.

The herb was also historically used for restlessness, neuralgia, thyroid-related agitation, cardiovascular tension, and states of nervous exhaustion with a rapid or unsettled heartbeat.

Motherwort is especially associated with the overlap between the heart, nervous system, and reproductive system.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the related herb Yi Mu Cao is most often derived from Leonurus japonicus, though it shares overlapping traditional themes with Western motherwort.

Yi Mu Cao is traditionally used to move blood, regulate menstruation, reduce swelling, and support postpartum recovery. It is especially associated with blood stagnation patterns involving menstrual irregularity, pelvic pain, and postpartum conditions.

Because the Chinese materia medica generally refers to a related species, these uses should not be assumed to apply identically to Leonurus cardiaca, though the traditional affinities are similar.

Indications

Motherwort is primarily indicated for nervous, cardiovascular, and reproductive conditions involving tension or agitation.

Common traditional and modern indications include:

• Anxiety
• Heart palpitations
• Insomnia
• Hyperactivity
• Restlessness
• Neuralgia
• Restless leg syndrome
• Amenorrhea
• Pelvic inflammatory conditions
• Menstrual tension
• Postpartum emotional distress
• Thyroid-related agitation
• Hypertension
• Coronary artery disease support
• Atherosclerosis support

Clinically, the herb is most commonly used when anxiety and cardiovascular symptoms overlap.

Botanical Information

Leonurus cardiaca is a perennial herb belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is native to parts of Europe and Asia and has naturalized widely in North America.

The plant produces square stems, deeply lobed leaves, and whorls of small pink to purple flowers arranged along the upper stem. Like many mint-family plants, it grows readily in disturbed soils, field edges, gardens, and waste places.

The medicinal portion consists of the aerial parts harvested during flowering, when the plant is most active medicinally.

Motherwort is intensely bitter, which contributes to its traditional use as both a nervine and digestive-stimulating herb.

Phytochemistry

Motherwort’s bitterness and its action belong mostly to two families. The headline alkaloid is the betaine stachydrine (proline betaine), the most abundant and reliably quantified marker in Leonurus cardiaca, reported at roughly 0.6–1.5% of the dried aerial parts ^{17Reference 17Kuchta et al. · 2013Stachydrine in Leonurus cardiaca, Leonurus japonicus, Leonotis leonurus: detection and quantification by HPTLC and 1H-qNMR — analyticalView study →}. The second key alkaloid, the guanidine derivative leonurine †, is the famous “motherwort” compound — but it is a marker of the Chinese species L. japonicus (Yi Mu Cao) and is reported as absent or only trace in true Western L. cardiaca, so it should not be assumed present here ^{16Reference 16Kuchta et al. · 2012Leonurus japonicus, Leonurus cardiaca, Leonotis leonurus: a novel HPLC study on the occurrence and content of the guanidino derivative leonurine — analyticalView study →}.

The herb’s calming and mildly hypotensive reputation is often credited to its bitter iridoid glycosides, chiefly leonuride (ajugol), while lavandulifolioside — a phenylpropanoid glycoside — is the constituent most directly tied to the documented cardiac and negative-chronotropic effects of refined extracts ^{1,2Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}. A flavonoid fraction (standardised products aim for ≥0.2% total flavonoids, often to hyperoside, with quercetin glycosides, rutin and the flavone-C-glycoside orientin) carries much of the antioxidant activity, alongside phenolic acids such as chlorogenic acid ^{7Reference 7Bernatoniene et al. · 2014In vitroThe effect of Leonurus cardiaca herb extract and some of its flavonoids on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the heart — in vitroView study →}. The labdane diterpenoid leocardin and triterpenes such as ursolic acid complete the profile.

Constituent Summary

Figures are percent of dried aerial parts (w/w) where quantified; most constituents are reported only qualitatively, hence the many No Data entries. † leonurine differentiates the species: well-documented in L. japonicus, reportedly absent/trace in L. cardiaca ^{16Reference 16Kuchta et al. · 2012Leonurus japonicus, Leonurus cardiaca, Leonotis leonurus: a novel HPLC study on the occurrence and content of the guanidino derivative leonurine — analyticalView study →}.

Pharmacology & Research

The research base for Leonurus cardiaca is modest and tilts heavily preclinical: a single narrative review, one well-designed ex-vivo cardiac electrophysiology programme, a scatter of in-vitro antioxidant and immunomodulatory work, one animal analgesic study, and two small, methodologically weak human studies ^{1,2,3,4Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →Reference 4Shikov et al. · 2011Clinical trialEffect of Leonurus cardiaca oil extract in patients with arterial hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disorders — clinical trial (open-label)View study →}. The most developed signal is cardiovascular — a refined aqueous extract produces measurable negative-chronotropic, coronary-vasodilating and mild hypotensive effects in isolated hearts and animals, which lines up with the herb’s centuries-old use for palpitations and “nervous heart” ^{2,3Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →}. A receptor-binding study offers the first plausible mechanism for the herb’s calming reputation, showing extract activity at the GABA-A receptor ^{5Reference 5Rauwald et al. · 2015In vitroGABA-A receptor binding assays of standardized Leonurus cardiaca and Leonurus japonicus extracts and their isolated constituents — in vitroView study →}. Two important caveats run through the whole literature: almost none of it is randomised or placebo-controlled in humans, and leonurine — the guanidine alkaloid most often credited as motherwort’s active principle — is a marker of the Chinese species L. japonicus and is absent or only trace in true European L. cardiaca, so a large body of “leonurine” pharmacology does not transfer to this herb ^{16,17Reference 16Kuchta et al. · 2012Leonurus japonicus, Leonurus cardiaca, Leonotis leonurus: a novel HPLC study on the occurrence and content of the guanidino derivative leonurine — analyticalView study →Reference 17Kuchta et al. · 2013Stachydrine in Leonurus cardiaca, Leonurus japonicus, Leonotis leonurus: detection and quantification by HPTLC and 1H-qNMR — analyticalView study →}.

0. Evidence by indication

Support is an experimental score I’m building — a composite weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro > review) and study volume. It’s a beta: a fast way to rank strength of evidence at a glance, not a validated metric, and I’ll keep honing the formula over time. Each indication name links down to its write-up.

Indication	Support	Rests on
Antihypertensive	██████░░░░ 62%	One open-label human trial (CO₂ oil extract, n=50) + in-vivo constituent data; no placebo control.
Cardiotonic & antiarrhythmic	██████░░░░ 60%	Ex-vivo isolated-heart electrophysiology of a refined aqueous extract + in-vivo lavandulifolioside; no human arrhythmia trial.
Anxiolytic & sedative	██████░░░░ 58%	GABA-A binding in vitro + two weak human studies; a placebo-controlled RCT is registered but not started.
Antioxidant	██████░░░░ 56%	Consistent in-vitro radical scavenging, including in plain water infusions; no human outcome data.
Anti-inflammatory	█████░░░░░ 46%	In-vitro immunomodulation of vascular cells; much of the wider literature is on leonurine, largely absent in this species.
Analgesic	████░░░░░░ 36%	A single mouse study (ethanol extract, i.p.).
Antimicrobial	███░░░░░░░ 33%	In-vitro only, and mixed — one study flags a potential pro-virulence / bleeding risk.

1. Antihypertensive

The one published human study is an open-label trial in 50 patients with stage 1–2 arterial hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disturbance, given 1200 mg/day of a Leonurus CO₂ oil extract (LOE) for 28 days; blood pressure and psycho-emotional scores improved, with earlier response in stage 1 disease and minimal side effects ^{4Reference 4Shikov et al. · 2011Clinical trialEffect of Leonurus cardiaca oil extract in patients with arterial hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disorders — clinical trial (open-label)View study →}. It has no placebo arm, no randomisation and a proprietary extract, so it is suggestive rather than confirmatory. The mechanistic backing is stronger: lavandulifolioside, a phenylpropanoid glycoside isolated from the aerial parts, lowered blood pressure and slowed heart rate in animals ^{3Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →}, and the refined aqueous extract reduced left-ventricular pressure and raised coronary flow in isolated hearts ^{2Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}. Pharmacopoeial and review sources describe the herb as mildly hypotonic ^{1,19Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →Reference 19EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewAssessment report on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba — pharmacopoeial/regulatory monographView study →}.

Gap: no randomised, placebo-controlled trial; the only human data used an oil extract, not the tea or tincture people actually take, so the dose–effect relationship for common preparations is unknown.

2. Cardiotonic & antiarrhythmic

This is the herb’s best-mapped activity, and motherwort is grouped with the classic cardiotonic plants on the strength of it ^{18Reference 18Orhan et al. · 2017ReviewAdonis sp., Convallaria sp., Strophanthus sp., Thevetia sp., and Leonurus sp. — cardiotonic plants with known traditional use — reviewView study →}. Working from the traditional use against tachyarrhythmia, a bioassay-guided fractionation produced a Leonurus cardiaca refined extract (LCRE) that was applied to isolated rabbit hearts and to several ion-channel cell models ^{2Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}. It reduced left-ventricular pressure, increased relative coronary flow, prolonged the PQ interval, lengthened the basic cycle length, and modulated sodium (I_Na), L-type calcium (I_Ca,L) and pacemaker (I_f) currents — a coherent negative-chronotropic, coronary-vasodilating profile rather than a cardiac-glycoside effect ^{2Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}. In whole animals lavandulifolioside reproduced the negative chronotropism and PQ/QT prolongation ^{3Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →}, though its authors were explicit that this single constituent did not account for the whole extract’s activity ^{3Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →}. The betaine stachydrine — the herb’s most abundant marker — was enriched in the antiarrhythmic fraction and has reported cardiovascular effects ^{17Reference 17Kuchta et al. · 2013Stachydrine in Leonurus cardiaca, Leonurus japonicus, Leonotis leonurus: detection and quantification by HPTLC and 1H-qNMR — analyticalView study →}. Cardioprotection may also be metabolic: herb-extract polyphenols partially uncoupled cardiac mitochondria and cut mitochondrial ROS production in vitro ^{7Reference 7Bernatoniene et al. · 2014In vitroThe effect of Leonurus cardiaca herb extract and some of its flavonoids on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the heart — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: every functional result is ex vivo or animal; no human study has tested motherwort against a documented arrhythmia, and the active refined extract is not the same thing as a household preparation.

3. Anxiolytic & sedative

The traditional sedative reputation gained a mechanism in 2015, when standardised L. cardiaca extract inhibited binding at the GABA site of the rat GABA-A receptor with reasonable affinity (IC₅₀ ≈ 21 µg/mL), while barely touching the benzodiazepine site ^{5Reference 5Rauwald et al. · 2015In vitroGABA-A receptor binding assays of standardized Leonurus cardiaca and Leonurus japonicus extracts and their isolated constituents — in vitroView study →}. Notably, the isolated constituent that explained the effect in L. japonicus was leonurine — which L. cardiaca lacks — so the active principle in true motherwort is still unidentified ^{5,16Reference 5Rauwald et al. · 2015In vitroGABA-A receptor binding assays of standardized Leonurus cardiaca and Leonurus japonicus extracts and their isolated constituents — in vitroView study →Reference 16Kuchta et al. · 2012Leonurus japonicus, Leonurus cardiaca, Leonotis leonurus: a novel HPLC study on the occurrence and content of the guanidino derivative leonurine — analyticalView study →}. Human data are thin: in the hypertension trial, anxiety and depression scores improved on CGI in most patients ^{4Reference 4Shikov et al. · 2011Clinical trialEffect of Leonurus cardiaca oil extract in patients with arterial hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disorders — clinical trial (open-label)View study →}, and a small clinical study found a motherwort tincture improved emotional state in anxious subjects, though less than melatonin ^{6Reference 6Ovanesov et al. · 2006Clinical trialEffects of melatonin and motherwort tincture on the emotional state and visual functions in anxious subjects — clinical trialView study →}. The overall review concludes sedative activity has been shown in clinical trials, but these are small and uncontrolled ^{1Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}.

Gap: no placebo-controlled RCT has been published; a registered pilot RCT for generalized anxiety (NCT06954038) is not yet recruiting ^{20Reference 20ClinicalTrials.gov · 2025RCTA randomized, double-dummy, placebo-controlled pilot study of an oral supplement based on Leonurus cardiaca for mood and anxiety — registered RCT (not yet recruiting)View study →}. The compound responsible for GABA-A activity in this species is unknown.

4. Antioxidant

Radical-scavenging activity is the most consistently reproduced in-vitro finding. A fluid extract of motherwort scored highly in DPPH assays, comparable to or above hawthorn and ginkgo extracts ^{8Reference 8Bernatoniene et al. · 2009In vitroThe comparison of anti-oxidative kinetics in vitro of the fluid extract from maidenhair tree, motherwort and hawthorn — in vitroView study →}, and methanolic/aqueous Lamiaceae extracts including L. cardiaca protected plasmid and cellular DNA against oxidative damage ^{10Reference 10Oalđe et al. · 2021In vitroA comprehensive assessment of the chemical composition, antioxidant, genoprotective and antigenotoxic activities of Lamiaceae species in vitro — in vitroView study →}. The activity is carried by hyperoside, quercetin, rutin, orientin and chlorogenic acid, which in cardiac mitochondria attenuated ROS generation ^{7Reference 7Bernatoniene et al. · 2014In vitroThe effect of Leonurus cardiaca herb extract and some of its flavonoids on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the heart — in vitroView study →}. Practically, the effect survives everyday preparation: plain hot-water infusions retained measurable phenolic content and antioxidant capacity ^{9Reference 9Przybylska et al. · 2026In vitroWater infusions of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca L.) — phenolic content and antioxidant properties — in vitroView study →}. Isolated polysaccharide fractions also scavenge free radicals ^{11Reference 11Tahmouzi et al. · 2014In vitroOptimum extraction of polysaccharides from motherwort leaf and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities — in vitroView study →}. Context matters, though — one study measured the extract’s antioxidant capacity as 13- to 16-fold weaker than ascorbic acid ^{12Reference 12Sadowska et al. · 2017In vitroThe immunomodulatory potential of Leonurus cardiaca extract in relation to endothelial cells and platelets — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: entirely in-vitro/ex-vivo; no human biomarker or clinical-outcome data, and antioxidant assay results do not establish a benefit at achievable tissue concentrations.

5. Anti-inflammatory

In a vascular-cell model, a polyphenol-rich L. cardiaca extract increased nitric-oxide production in endothelial cells, suppressed platelet-activating-factor secretion triggered by bacterial peptidoglycan, and reduced arachidonic-acid-induced platelet aggregation — an immunomodulatory rather than a broadly “anti-inflammatory” signature ^{12Reference 12Sadowska et al. · 2017In vitroThe immunomodulatory potential of Leonurus cardiaca extract in relation to endothelial cells and platelets — in vitroView study →}. The triterpene ursolic acid contributes anti-adhesive activity ^{14Reference 14Micota et al. · 2014In vitroLeonurus cardiaca L. herb — a derived extract and ursolic acid as factors affecting the adhesion capacity of Staphylococcus aureus — in vitroView study →}. The wider literature looks stronger than it is for this herb: several prominent anti-inflammatory studies (LPS models, endometritis, kidney injury) test leonurine, which is a marker of L. japonicus and is absent or trace in L. cardiaca ^{16Reference 16Kuchta et al. · 2012Leonurus japonicus, Leonurus cardiaca, Leonotis leonurus: a novel HPLC study on the occurrence and content of the guanidino derivative leonurine — analyticalView study →}, so those results should not be read across to Western motherwort.

Gap: no in-vivo inflammation model or human data for L. cardiaca itself; the effect is defined mainly in cultured endothelial cells and platelets.

6. Analgesic

A single mouse study tested an ethanolic extract of the aerial parts by intraperitoneal injection: 500 and 250 mg/kg produced significant antinociception in both phases of the formalin test, and 500 mg/kg increased response latency in the hot-plate and tail-flick tests, pointing to both central and peripheral components ^{13Reference 13Rezaee-Asl et al. · 2014AnimalThe study of analgesic effects of Leonurus cardiaca L. in mice by formalin, tail flick and hot plate tests — animal modelView study →}. This is consistent with the herb’s traditional use for neuralgia and tension, but rests on one study, one species, and a parenteral route that does not reflect oral human use.

Gap: unreplicated; animal-only; injected rather than oral, so it says little about analgesia from a tea or tincture.

7. Antimicrobial

In-vitro work shows genuine but modest activity: motherwort polysaccharides had antimicrobial effects ^{11Reference 11Tahmouzi et al. · 2014In vitroOptimum extraction of polysaccharides from motherwort leaf and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities — in vitroView study →}, and extract plus ursolic acid reduced Staphylococcus aureus adhesion and biofilm formation on fibrinogen-, fibronectin- and collagen-coated surfaces relevant to infective endocarditis ^{14Reference 14Micota et al. · 2014In vitroLeonurus cardiaca L. herb — a derived extract and ursolic acid as factors affecting the adhesion capacity of Staphylococcus aureus — in vitroView study →}. The picture is genuinely mixed, however: a follow-up study found that at sub-inhibitory concentrations the extract also enhanced staphylococcal tolerance to oxidative stress and had direct anticoagulant activity, which the authors flagged as a possible adverse effect in bloodstream infection ^{15Reference 15Micota et al. · 2016In vitroIs it true that plant-derived polyphenols are always beneficial? In-vitro study on Leonurus cardiaca extract in the context of Staphylococcus aureus infections — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: in-vitro only, with contradictory (potentially harmful) findings; no evidence of clinically useful antimicrobial effect at achievable doses.

Mechanisms

Mechanism	Drives	Key compounds
Negative chronotropy; I_Na / I_Ca,L / I_f modulation; PQ/QT prolongation	cardiotonic, antiarrhythmic, antihypertensive	lavandulifolioside, stachydrine
Coronary vasodilation; ↑ coronary flow, ↓ left-ventricular pressure	cardiotonic, antihypertensive	refined aqueous phenolic fraction
GABA-A receptor (GABA site) binding	anxiolytic, sedative	extract-level (active principle unidentified in L. cardiaca)
Free-radical scavenging (DPPH/ABTS); mitochondrial ROS ↓ / uncoupling	antioxidant, cardioprotective	hyperoside, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, orientin, rutin
NO ↑ in endothelium; PAF ↓; platelet aggregation ↓	anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-platelet	ursolic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives

Clinical trials

One placebo-controlled pilot RCT of a Leonurus cardiaca extract for generalized anxiety is registered but not yet recruiting (NCT06954038); the only published human data are two small open-label/non-randomised studies, so the evidence base remains overwhelmingly preclinical.

Completed	Planned	Terminated	Preclinical
0	1	0	~40

Last checked: July 2026.

Dosage

Almost every human study of motherwort has used a concentrated, proprietary extract dosed by weight, not the tea or tincture people actually take — so the research doses and the traditional doses are not interchangeable and are kept in separate tables below.

The research doses come from the two human studies and the one registered trial:

Indication	Preparation	Dose	Est. dried-herb equivalent	Source
Hypertension + anxiety	Leonurus CO₂ oil extract (LOE), proprietary	1200 mg/day, 28 days	— (oil extract; no marker % given — no defensible ratio)	4Reference 4Shikov et al. · 2011Clinical trialEffect of Leonurus cardiaca oil extract in patients with arterial hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disorders — clinical trial (open-label)View study →
Generalized anxiety (registered, not run)	Phospholipid-formulated extract	250 mg or 500 mg twice daily, 30 days	— (proprietary extract; no marker %)	20Reference 20ClinicalTrials.gov · 2025RCTA randomized, double-dummy, placebo-controlled pilot study of an oral supplement based on Leonurus cardiaca for mood and anxiety — registered RCT (not yet recruiting)View study →
Anxiety (emotional/visual)	Motherwort tincture	tincture (dose not standardised in report)	—	6Reference 6Ovanesov et al. · 2006Clinical trialEffects of melatonin and motherwort tincture on the emotional state and visual functions in anxious subjects — clinical trialView study →

The dried-herb equivalent is left blank for every row: both human preparations are concentrated proprietary extracts (a CO₂ oil extract and a phospholipid extract) reported without a marker-compound percentage, so no back-conversion to whole-herb weight can be made without inventing a ratio. These are research doses, not recommendations.

Traditional Dosage

In Western herbal practice motherwort is taken as a tincture, liquid extract or (less often, because it is intensely bitter) an infusion of the dried aerial parts.

System	Preparation	Dose
Western herbal	Liquid extract 1:2	20–40 mL / week (≈ 3–6 mL/day)
Western herbal	Tincture 1:5	2–5 mL, up to 3×/day
Western herbal	Dried-herb infusion	1–3 cups/day
Western herbal (EMA/HMPC)	Comminuted herb / traditional preparations	per the HMPC traditional-use monograph 19Reference 19EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewAssessment report on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba — pharmacopoeial/regulatory monographView study →

Motherwort is commonly used short term during acute anxiety or palpitations, and longer term in constitutional formulas when appropriate. The TCM herb Yi Mu Cao is a different species (L. japonicus) with its own dosing and should not be equated with L. cardiaca.

Safety

Motherwort is generally well tolerated; its intense bitterness can cause nausea or digestive upset in sensitive people ^{1Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}. The clearest evidenced risks are cardiovascular and haemostatic. A polyphenol-rich extract reduced arachidonic-acid-induced platelet aggregation in vitro ^{12Reference 12Sadowska et al. · 2017In vitroThe immunomodulatory potential of Leonurus cardiaca extract in relation to endothelial cells and platelets — in vitroView study →}, and a separate study found the extract has direct anticoagulant activity — it slowed the thrombin-dependent fibrinogen polymerization rate ^{15Reference 15Micota et al. · 2016In vitroIs it true that plant-derived polyphenols are always beneficial? In-vitro study on Leonurus cardiaca extract in the context of Staphylococcus aureus infections — in vitroView study →} — so it should be used cautiously alongside anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs and stopped before surgery. Because refined extracts slow heart rate and lower blood pressure in animal and ex-vivo models ^{2,3Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →}, additive effects with cardiac glycosides, beta-blockers, other rate-slowing agents, antihypertensives and sedatives are plausible, so caution is warranted with those medicines. There is no systematic human safety, drug-interaction or toxicity dataset: the EMA/HMPC classifies motherwort as a traditional-use herbal medicine, meaning its standing rests on long use rather than established clinical safety data ^{19Reference 19EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewAssessment report on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba — pharmacopoeial/regulatory monographView study →}. Herb–drug interactions have not been formally studied in humans; the cautions above are inferred from the herb’s pharmacology, not clinically quantified, and the absence of reports is not evidence of safety.

A species caveat carries into safety as well as chemistry: much online “motherwort” information actually describes L. japonicus (Yi Mu Cao), which contains leonurine and is used specifically to stimulate the uterus — do not import those claims onto Western L. cardiaca ^{16Reference 16Kuchta et al. · 2012Leonurus japonicus, Leonurus cardiaca, Leonotis leonurus: a novel HPLC study on the occurrence and content of the guanidino derivative leonurine — analyticalView study →}.

Pregnancy & lactation

Avoid. Motherwort is traditionally regarded as an emmenagogue and uterine stimulant and is contraindicated in pregnancy on that basis; the related species L. japonicus is used in traditional medicine specifically to promote uterine contraction and menstrual flow ^{1Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}. This is a traditional-use and mechanistic caution — dedicated pregnancy-safety studies have not been performed, and lactation safety has not been assessed. Do not read the absence of modern trials as evidence of safety.

References

1. Wojtyniak, K., Szymański, M., & Matławska, I. (2013). Leonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — review. Phytotherapy Research, 27(8), 1115–1120. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23042598/
2. Ritter, M., Melichar, K., Strahler, S., et al. (2010). Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (Ph. Eur.) — animal / ex vivo. Planta Medica, 76(6), 572–582. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19918711/
3. Miłkowska-Leyck, K., Filipek, B., & Strzelecka, H. (2002). Pharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivo. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 80(1), 85–90. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11891090/
4. Shikov, A. N., Pozharitskaya, O. N., Makarov, V. G., et al. (2011). Effect of Leonurus cardiaca oil extract in patients with arterial hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disorders — clinical trial (open-label). Phytotherapy Research, 25(4), 540–543. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20839214/
5. Rauwald, H. W., Savtschenko, A., Merten, A., et al. (2015). GABA-A receptor binding assays of standardized Leonurus cardiaca and Leonurus japonicus extracts and their isolated constituents — in vitro. Planta Medica, 81(12–13), 1103–1110. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26218338/
6. Ovanesov, K. B., Ovanesova, I. M., & Arushanian, E. B. (2006). Effects of melatonin and motherwort tincture on the emotional state and visual functions in anxious subjects — clinical trial. Eksperimental’naia i Klinicheskaia Farmakologiia, 69(6), 17–19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17209457/
7. Bernatoniene, J., Kopustinskiene, D. M., Jakstas, V., et al. (2014). The effect of Leonurus cardiaca herb extract and some of its flavonoids on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the heart — in vitro. Planta Medica, 80(7), 525–532. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24841965/
8. Bernatoniene, J., Kucinskaite, A., Masteikova, R., et al. (2009). The comparison of anti-oxidative kinetics in vitro of the fluid extract from maidenhair tree, motherwort and hawthorn — in vitro. Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica, 66(4), 415–421. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19702174/
9. Przybylska, A., Proszowska, A. M., Koba, M., et al. (2026). Water infusions of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca L.) — phenolic content and antioxidant properties — in vitro. Foods, 15(11). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42279633/
10. Oalđe, M., Kolarević, S., Živković, J., et al. (2021). A comprehensive assessment of the chemical composition, antioxidant, genoprotective and antigenotoxic activities of Lamiaceae species in vitro — in vitro. Food & Function, 12(7), 3233–3245. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33877247/
11. Tahmouzi, S., & Ghodsi, M. (2014). Optimum extraction of polysaccharides from motherwort leaf and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities — in vitro. Carbohydrate Polymers, 112, 396–403. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25129759/
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20. ClinicalTrials.gov. (2025). A randomized, double-dummy, placebo-controlled pilot study of an oral supplement based on Leonurus cardiaca for mood and anxiety — registered RCT (not yet recruiting). NCT06954038. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06954038