Motherwort

In European herbal medicine motherwort has been taken mainly for nervous heart conditions and digestive complaints. It has also been used for bronchial asthma, menopausal symptoms and absent periods, and externally for wounds and skin inflammation ^{1Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}.

Western herbalists regard it as a nervine, cardiotonic, antispasmodic, emmenagogue and mild hypotensive.

Traditional indications include anxiety, palpitations, nervous insomnia, hyperactivity, menstrual discomfort, pelvic tension, and agitation after childbirth. It was also used for restlessness, neuralgia, thyroid-related agitation, and nervous exhaustion with a rapid or unsettled heartbeat.

In the European Union it is registered as a traditional herbal medicine to relieve nervous tension and nervous heart complaints such as palpitations, once serious conditions have been ruled out ^{21Reference 21EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewCommunity herbal monograph on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba (EMA/HMPC/127428/2010) — regulatory monographView study →}.

Yi mu cao is the aerial part of the related Leonurus japonicus, used in Chinese medicine and Japanese Kampo for gynaecological and cardiovascular disorders ^{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 →}.

It is used to move blood, regulate menstruation, reduce swelling and support recovery after childbirth, especially for menstrual irregularity, pelvic pain and postpartum conditions.

The one published human study was an open-label trial in 50 patients with stage 1–2 high blood pressure, accompanied by anxiety and sleep disturbance. They took 1200 mg/day of a Leonurus CO₂ oil extract for 28 days. Blood pressure and psycho-emotional state improved, a week earlier in stage 1 than in stage 2 disease, and side effects were minimal ^{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 →}.

The trial had no placebo arm and no randomisation, and it used a proprietary extract.

In animals, lavandulifolioside, a phenylethanoid glycoside isolated from the aerial parts, lowered blood pressure and slowed the heart rate ^{3Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →}. A refined water 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 →}.

A review describes mild blood-pressure-lowering effects ^{1Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}.

No randomised, placebo-controlled trial exists, and the human study used an oil extract rather than a tea or tincture.

A review groups motherwort with the traditional cardiotonic plants ^{18Reference 18Orhan et al. · 2017ReviewAdonis sp., Convallaria sp., Strophanthus sp., Thevetia sp., and Leonurus sp. — cardiotonic plants with known traditional use — reviewView study →}. Water extracts of the aerial parts have been used for centuries against rapid heart rhythms ^{2Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}.

Starting from that use, researchers fractionated the most active water extract into a refined extract (LCRE) and tested it on isolated rabbit hearts and on single heart cells ^{2Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}.

In the whole heart it reduced left-ventricular pressure, increased coronary flow, prolonged the PQ interval and lengthened the basic cycle length, meaning a slower rate ^{2Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}.

In single cells it blocked the L-type calcium current (I_Ca,L), reduced the repolarising potassium current (I_Kr), prolonged the action potential and slowed the activation of the pacemaker current (I_f). It had no effect on the sodium current ^{2Reference 2Ritter et al. · 2010Cardiac and electrophysiological effects of primary and refined extracts from Leonurus cardiaca L. (PhView study →}.

In whole animals, lavandulifolioside slowed the heart and prolonged the PQ, QT and QRS intervals, though its authors concluded that this one compound did not explain the whole herb’s effects ^{3Reference 3Miłkowska-Leyck et al. · 2002AnimalPharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca — animal in vivoView study →}.

The betaine stachydrine was enriched in the refined extract, at 6.7% against 0.6–1.5% in the herb, 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 →}.

Constituents of an ethanol extract, including chlorogenic acid, orientin, quercetin, hyperoside and rutin, partly uncoupled heart mitochondria and reduced their free-radical 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 in animals. No human study has tested motherwort against a documented arrhythmia, and the refined extract is not the same as a household preparation.

In 2015, a standardised L. cardiaca extract was found to inhibit binding at the GABA site of the rat GABA-A receptor (IC₅₀ ~21 µg/mL). Binding at the benzodiazepine site was 15 to 30 times weaker ^{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 →}.

In Chinese motherwort, the compound leonurine explained part of the effect. L. cardiaca contains no leonurine, and none of the other constituents tested, including lavandulifolioside and stachydrine, was significantly active, so its active compound is unknown ^{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 →}.

The human data are small. In the blood-pressure trial, anxiety and depression improved markedly in 32% of patients and moderately in 48% on the Clinical Global Impression scale ^{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 →}. In anxious young people, a motherwort tincture improved emotional state, though less than melatonin did ^{6Reference 6Ovanesov et al. · 2006Clinical trialEffects of melatonin and motherwort tincture on the emotional state and visual functions in anxious subjects — clinical trialView study →}.

A review states that sedative activity has been shown in clinical trials ^{1Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}; those trials are small and uncontrolled.

Gap: no placebo-controlled trial has been published. A registered pilot trial for generalised 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 the GABA-A activity in this species is unknown.

Radical scavenging is the most consistently reproduced in-vitro finding. In one comparison, a motherwort fluid extract was more active than ginkgo and hawthorn extracts in the DPPH assay, though not in the ABTS assay ^{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 →}.

Methanol, ethanol and water extracts of six Lamiaceae herbs, motherwort among them, 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 →}.

Hyperoside, quercetin, rutin, orientin and chlorogenic acid from the herb reduced free-radical production in heart mitochondria ^{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 →}.

Plain hot-water infusions contained chlorogenic acid (median 527 µg per 100 mL) and kept their antioxidant capacity whichever way they were prepared ^{9Reference 9Przybylska et al. · 2026In vitroWater infusions of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) as a source of chlorogenic acid and antioxidant properties — in vitroView study →}. Polysaccharides from the leaf 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 →}.

In one study the extract’s antioxidant capacity was 13 to 16 times weaker than that of ascorbic acid ^{12Reference 12Sadowska et al. · 2017In vitroThe immunomodulatory potential of Leonurus cardiaca extract in relation to endothelial cells and platelets — in vitroView study →}. All of this is in vitro or ex vivo, with no human data.

In a vascular-cell model, a polyphenol-rich L. cardiaca extract increased nitric-oxide production in endothelial cells, reduced platelet-activating-factor secretion triggered by bacterial peptidoglycan, and reduced platelet aggregation caused by arachidonic acid ^{12Reference 12Sadowska et al. · 2017In vitroThe immunomodulatory potential of Leonurus cardiaca extract in relation to endothelial cells and platelets — in vitroView study →}. This is an immunomodulatory rather than a broadly anti-inflammatory effect.

The triterpene ursolic acid reduces bacterial adhesion ^{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 →}.

Several prominent anti-inflammatory studies (LPS models, endometritis, kidney injury) test leonurine ^{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 →}. For L. cardiaca itself there is no in-vivo inflammation model or human data; the effect is defined in cultured endothelial cells and platelets.

A single mouse study injected an ethanol extract of the aerial parts into the abdomen. At 500 mg/kg it reduced pain responses in the first phase of the formalin test, and at 250 mg/kg in the second phase. At 500 mg/kg it also lengthened response times in the hot-plate and tail-flick tests, pointing to both central and peripheral actions ^{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 →}.

It is one study, and it used injection rather than a preparation taken by mouth.

In vitro, motherwort leaf 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 →}. The extract and ursolic acid each reduced Staphylococcus aureus adhesion to surfaces coated with fibrinogen, fibronectin or collagen, which matters in infective endocarditis, and ursolic acid also reduced biofilm formation ^{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 →}.

A follow-up study found that at sub-inhibitory concentrations the extract weakened several staphylococcal virulence traits but increased the bacteria’s tolerance to oxidative stress. It also had direct anticoagulant activity, which the authors flagged as a possible risk 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 →}.

The data are in vitro only and point in both directions, with no evidence of a useful antimicrobial effect at achievable doses.

Tolerability. The EU herbal monograph lists no known undesirable effects and no reported overdose ^{21Reference 21EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewCommunity herbal monograph on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba (EMA/HMPC/127428/2010) — regulatory monographView study →}. Its strong bitterness can cause nausea or stomach upset in sensitive people ^{1Reference 1Wojtyniak et al. · 2013ReviewLeonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}.

Bleeding. 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 →}. A separate study found direct anticoagulant activity: the extract slowed thrombin-dependent fibrinogen polymerisation ^{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 →}. Use it cautiously alongside anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs, and stop it before surgery.

Heart rate and blood pressure. Refined extracts slow the heart and lower blood pressure in animal and isolated-heart studies ^{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 →}. Its effects could add to those of cardiac glycosides, beta-blockers, other rate-slowing drugs, antihypertensives and sedatives.

Drowsiness. It may impair the ability to drive or use machines ^{21Reference 21EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewCommunity herbal monograph on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba (EMA/HMPC/127428/2010) — regulatory monographView study →}.

Children and adolescents. Use under 18 is not recommended, because there are no adequate data ^{21Reference 21EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewCommunity herbal monograph on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba (EMA/HMPC/127428/2010) — regulatory monographView study →}.

Evidence base. Motherwort is registered in the EU as a traditional herbal medicine, on the basis of long use. No interactions have been reported, and tests for reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity have not been done ^{21Reference 21EMA Committee on Herbal Medicinal Produc · 2010ReviewCommunity herbal monograph on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba (EMA/HMPC/127428/2010) — regulatory monographView study →}. Interactions have not been formally studied in people; the cautions above follow from its pharmacology.

Species. Chinese motherwort, L. japonicus, contains leonurine, which has uterus-stimulating effects ^{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 →}. Its uses and cautions do not transfer directly to L. cardiaca.