Wood Betony

What Is Wood Betony?

Wood betony is a low perennial of the mint family, used in European herbal medicine as a gentle nervine for anxiety and headaches. Its leaves and flowering tops are dried for tea and tincture ^{13,14Reference 13Drugs et al. · 2006ReviewDrugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). (2006, updated). Betony — review. National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30000919/View study →Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

Stachys officinalis (also sold as Betonica officinalis) is native to Europe, north-western Africa, the Caucasus and Siberia, where it grows in meadows, pastures, hedge banks and open woodland ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. It forms clumps of heart-shaped basal leaves and sends up spikes of purple-red flowers through summer ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

The herb is rich in phenylethanoid glycosides, including verbascoside and a group named after it, the betonyosides ^{10Reference 10Miyase et al. · 1996Phenylethanoid glycosides from Stachys officinalisView study →}. Laboratory studies have looked mainly at its antioxidant activity, with one rat study of its anti-inflammatory effect ^{1,6Reference 1Matkowski et al. · 2006In vitroAntioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae — in vitroView study →Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}.

In North America the name “wood betony” is also given to Pedicularis canadensis, a lousewort in a different family ^{15Reference 15NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboPedicularis canadensis (Canadian lousewort, wood betony)View study →}.

How Is Wood Betony Used?

Wood betony is used as the dried leaf and flowering top.

• Tea — the leaves and flowering tops infused as a tea ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}, taken for nervous tension, headache and digestion.
• Tincture or liquid extract — taken for the same purposes.
• Gargle — for mouth and throat irritation ^{13Reference 13Drugs et al. · 2006ReviewDrugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). (2006, updated). Betony — review. National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30000919/View study →}.
• Smoking blends — added to herbal smoking mixtures.

Traditional Uses

European Herbal Medicine

Betony was one of the most esteemed herbs of medieval European medicine, and it was already in medicinal use in ancient Egypt ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. The medicine is the aerial part, the leaf and flowering top, gathered as the plant comes into flower.

It has been used as a nerve tonic for anxiety and headaches, as an astringent for diarrhoea, and as a gargle for mouth and throat irritation ^{13Reference 13Drugs et al. · 2006ReviewDrugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). (2006, updated). Betony — review. National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30000919/View study →}. Modern Western herbalists class it as a calming nervine, valued especially for tension headache, and as a mild bitter for digestion.

It is also used as a supposed galactogogue, to increase breast milk ^{13Reference 13Drugs et al. · 2006ReviewDrugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). (2006, updated). Betony — review. National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30000919/View study →}. It is taken as an infusion of the dried herb, as a tincture, or in herbal smoking blends, and is often combined with other herbs.

Indications

• Anxiety and nervous tension [aerial parts; European herbal medicine]
• Tension headache [aerial parts; European herbal medicine]
• Indigestion [aerial parts; Western herbal medicine]
• Diarrhoea [aerial parts; European herbal medicine]
• Mouth and throat irritation [aerial parts, as a gargle; European herbal medicine]

Botany

Wood betony is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial of the mint family, Lamiaceae ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. Its accepted name is Stachys officinalis, and many herbal texts and nurseries list it as Betonica officinalis ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

Most of its leaves grow from the base on long stalks. They are large, oblong to heart-shaped, with toothed edges ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. Smaller stalkless leaves grow in pairs at wide intervals on the slender, square stems ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. Both kinds of leaf are rough, fringed with short hairs, and carry glands that give off an aromatic, bitter oil ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

The flowers are purple-red, tubular and two-lipped, with the middle lobe of the lower lip the largest ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. They grow in whorls separated by bare stem and pairs of leaves, forming an interrupted spike ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. Each flower has two short and two long stamens ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. The plant flowers from summer into autumn and reaches 45–60 cm ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

The fruit is a dry schizocarp that splits into single-seeded nutlets when ripe ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

Distribution

Wood betony is native to Europe, north-western Africa, the Caucasus and Siberia ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}. It grows in meadows, pastures, hedge banks and open woodland ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

Growing Conditions

Cultivation snapshot for Wood Betony

Lifeperennial

• Grows in full sun to part shade ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.
• Prefers moist, well-drained, neutral to acidic soil, and is drought-resistant once established ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.
• Hardy in USDA zones 4–8 ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.
• Grows from seed sown in late summer, autumn or early spring, and self-seeds readily ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.
• Slugs and snails may damage it ^{14Reference 14NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboStachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort)View study →}.

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Pharmacology & Research

About a dozen laboratory studies have been published on wood betony. Most are test-tube studies of its antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, and one tested its anti-inflammatory effect in rats ^{1,2,3,4,6,7Reference 1Matkowski et al. · 2006In vitroAntioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae — in vitroView study →Reference 2Stegăruș et al. · 2021In vitroPhytochemical analysis and biological activity of three Stachys species — in vitroView study →Reference 3Benedec et al. · 2023In vitroStachys species: comparative evaluation of phenolic profile and antimicrobial and antioxidant potential — in vitroView study →Reference 4Apostolescu et al. · 2023In vitroChemical and antioxidant profile of hydroalcoholic extracts of Stachys officinalis, S. palustris and S. sylvatica from Romania — in vitroView study →Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →Reference 7Lazarević et al. · 2013In vitroChemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Stachys officinalis — in vitroView study →}.

The antioxidant results are the most consistent: betony extracts ranked among the stronger of several Lamiaceae tested ^{1,2Reference 1Matkowski et al. · 2006In vitroAntioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae — in vitroView study →Reference 2Stegăruș et al. · 2021In vitroPhytochemical analysis and biological activity of three Stachys species — in vitroView study →}. The rat study found an anti-inflammatory effect, which its authors attribute mainly to iridoids ^{6Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}.

No human clinical trial of the herb has been run or registered.

1. Antioxidant

This is the most replicated activity. In a comparison of six wild European Lamiaceae, a methanol extract of S. officinalis gave the strongest reducing power in the phosphomolybdenum assay and, with Marrubium vulgare, the highest inhibition of lipid peroxidation (78%) ^{1Reference 1Matkowski et al. · 2006In vitroAntioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae — in vitroView study →}. It ranked fourth of six for DPPH radical scavenging ^{1Reference 1Matkowski et al. · 2006In vitroAntioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae — in vitroView study →}.

In a comparison of three Romanian Stachys species, betony had the highest total polyphenol content (232 mg gallic-acid equivalents/g) and the highest antioxidant capacity (602 mM Trolox/g) ^{2Reference 2Stegăruș et al. · 2021In vitroPhytochemical analysis and biological activity of three Stachys species — in vitroView study →}.

In a comparison of six Romanian Stachys species, chlorogenic acid was the main polyphenol in every sample ^{3Reference 3Benedec et al. · 2023In vitroStachys species: comparative evaluation of phenolic profile and antimicrobial and antioxidant potential — in vitroView study →}. Another Romanian study found betony highest of three species in tannins and in anthocyanins, which occurred only in the flowers, and confirmed antioxidant activity in all three ^{4Reference 4Apostolescu et al. · 2023In vitroChemical and antioxidant profile of hydroalcoholic extracts of Stachys officinalis, S. palustris and S. sylvatica from Romania — in vitroView study →}.

The antioxidant activity is linked to the phenylethanoid glycosides, such as verbascoside and the betonyosides, and to flavonoids such as luteolin and apigenin.

Gap: No cell, animal or human study shows this antioxidant capacity has a measurable effect in the body. The assays used alcohol or methanol extracts, not the tea.

2. Anti-Inflammatory

A study of ten Hungarian Stachys species used the carrageenan rat paw-oedema model. Water extracts of the aerial parts were given by injection into the abdomen and by mouth ^{6Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}. The extracts of S. officinalis, S. alpina, S. germanica and S. recta were highly active by injection. At 5 mg/kg they matched or exceeded the reference drug diclofenac ^{6Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}.

The main iridoids in the extracts (ajugoside, aucubin, acetylharpagide, harpagide and harpagoside) were tested in the same model. Only aucubin and harpagoside showed strong, dose-dependent activity ^{6Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}. The authors conclude that iridoids are most probably responsible, with other constituents or synergy also involved ^{6Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}.

Gap: A single laboratory and one model, not independently replicated. An acute rodent assay does not show clinical anti-inflammatory benefit at any human dose.

3. Antimicrobial

The essential oil of the aerial parts, mostly germacrene D and β-caryophyllene, was most active against the mould Aspergillus niger (MIC 2.5 mg/mL) and the yeast Candida albicans (MIC 5.0 mg/mL) ^{7Reference 7Lazarević et al. · 2013In vitroChemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Stachys officinalis — in vitroView study →}.

In comparisons of several Stachys species, extracts were active mainly against Gram-positive bacteria ^{2Reference 2Stegăruș et al. · 2021In vitroPhytochemical analysis and biological activity of three Stachys species — in vitroView study →}, and against Candida and both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with betony not the most active ^{3Reference 3Benedec et al. · 2023In vitroStachys species: comparative evaluation of phenolic profile and antimicrobial and antioxidant potential — in vitroView study →}.

In a screen of 166 Ukrainian plant extracts, a water-alcohol extract of betony had direct antifungal activity against azole-resistant Candida albicans and C. tropicalis from denture stomatitis ^{9Reference 9Ohiienko et al. · 2023In vitroScreening of medicinal and aromatic plant extracts for synergism with fluconazole against Candida — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: The clearest potency data are for the essential oil, which is not how the herb is used. There is no animal infection study.

Mechanisms

Betony’s iridoid glycosides, especially aucubin, have shown anti-inflammatory activity in rats, and are thought to carry the extract’s effect ^{6Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}. Its phenylethanoid glycosides and flavonoids act as antioxidants in laboratory tests ^{1,2Reference 1Matkowski et al. · 2006In vitroAntioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae — in vitroView study →Reference 2Stegăruș et al. · 2021In vitroPhytochemical analysis and biological activity of three Stachys species — in vitroView study →}.

The essential oil is mostly sesquiterpenes, which carry its modest antifungal activity ^{7Reference 7Lazarević et al. · 2013In vitroChemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Stachys officinalis — in vitroView study →}.

Clinical Trials

The evidence base is entirely preclinical.

Last checked: July 2026.

Phytochemistry

The aerial parts contain phenylethanoid glycosides. Six were first isolated from this species and named betonyosides A–F ^{10Reference 10Miyase et al. · 1996Phenylethanoid glycosides from Stachys officinalisView study →}. The same study found verbascoside (acteoside), forsythoside B and leucosceptoside B ^{10Reference 10Miyase et al. · 1996Phenylethanoid glycosides from Stachys officinalisView study →}.

The main iridoid glycosides in water extracts of Hungarian Stachys species, including betony, are aucubin, harpagide, 8-O-acetylharpagide, ajugoside and harpagoside ^{6Reference 6Háznagy-Radnai et al. · 2012AnimalAntiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivoView study →}. Chlorogenic acid is the main polyphenol ^{3Reference 3Benedec et al. · 2023In vitroStachys species: comparative evaluation of phenolic profile and antimicrobial and antioxidant potential — in vitroView study →}. Betony is also rich in tannins, and its flowers contain anthocyanins ^{4Reference 4Apostolescu et al. · 2023In vitroChemical and antioxidant profile of hydroalcoholic extracts of Stachys officinalis, S. palustris and S. sylvatica from Romania — in vitroView study →}.

The essential oil of the aerial parts from the Balkans is mostly sesquiterpenes, led by germacrene D (19.9%), β-caryophyllene (14.1%) and α-humulene (7.5%) ^{7Reference 7Lazarević et al. · 2013In vitroChemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Stachys officinalis — in vitroView study →}. An Italian study analysed the volatile fraction of the leaves and flowers separately. The leaves gave mainly (E)-caryophyllene (20.1%), (E)-nerolidol (14.3%) and caryophyllene oxide (6.1%), and the flowers mainly caryophyllene oxide (16.5%), (E)-nerolidol (15.4%) and humulene epoxide II (9.2%) ^{11Reference 11Giuliani et al. · 2017Secretory structures and essential oil composition in Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis from ItalyView study →}.

The herb also contains the flavonoids apigenin and luteolin, the triterpene acids oleanolic acid and ursolic acid, and the amine stachydrine.

Constituent Summary

No quantitative content has been published for these compounds in wood betony. † marks the glycosides first described from this species.

Dosage

Traditional doses follow the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia ^{16Reference 16British Herbal Medicine Association · 1983British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983 — Stachys betonica, preparations and doses — pharmacopoeia, as reproduced in the Inner Path materia medica entry for Stachys officinalis. https://www.innerpath.com.au/matmed/herbs/Stachys_officinalis.htmView study →}. The research figures below are animal doses and test-tube concentrations.

Traditional Dosage

Safety & Pregnancy

Wood betony is a gentle, generally well-tolerated herb at ordinary doses. It has a traditional reputation for bringing on menstruation, so it is best avoided in pregnancy.

Full Safety Detail

Tolerance. Wood betony is gentle and generally well tolerated at ordinary tea and tincture doses. Very large amounts may cause digestive upset.

Smoking. Like any smoked herb, it exposes the lungs to combustion products.

Tannins. Its tannins could in theory reduce the absorption of some drugs and minerals taken at the same time. This has not been studied.

Genetic safety tests. In laboratory tests, a Betonica officinalis extract was not mutagenic in the Ames test and did not cause chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes ^{12Reference 12Slapšytė et al. · 2019In vitroGenotoxic properties of Betonica officinalis and other extracts — in vitroView study →}. It caused DNA damage in the comet assay and a slight rise in sister-chromatid exchange ^{12Reference 12Slapšytė et al. · 2019In vitroGenotoxic properties of Betonica officinalis and other extracts — in vitroView study →}.

Interactions. No drug-interaction study of the whole herb has been published.

References

1. Matkowski, A., & Piotrowska, M. (2006). Antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae — in vitro. Fitoterapia. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16713687/
2. Stegăruș, D. I., et al. (2021). Phytochemical analysis and biological activity of three Stachys species — in vitro. Plants (Basel). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34961181/
3. Benedec, D., et al. (2023). Stachys species: comparative evaluation of phenolic profile and antimicrobial and antioxidant potential — in vitro. Antibiotics (Basel). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37998846/
4. Apostolescu, G. F., et al. (2023). Chemical and antioxidant profile of hydroalcoholic extracts of Stachys officinalis, S. palustris and S. sylvatica from Romania — in vitro. Acta Chim Slov. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40836517/
5. Moshari-Nasirkandi, A., et al. (2023). Screening of 20 species from Lamiaceae family based on phytochemical analysis, antioxidant activity and HPLC profiling — in vitro. Sci Rep. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37813985/
6. Háznagy-Radnai, E., et al. (2012). Antiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids — animal model (rat), in vivo. Phytother Res. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21887806/
7. Lazarević, J. S., et al. (2013). Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Stachys officinalis — in vitro. Chem Biodivers. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23847079/
8. Hickl, J., et al. (2024). Antimicrobial power of plant extracts against oral pathogens and Streptococcus mutans biofilms — in vitro. Front Oral Health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39726767/
9. Ohiienko, T., et al. (2023). Screening of medicinal and aromatic plant extracts for synergism with fluconazole against Candida — in vitro. Wiad Lek. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37622505/
10. Miyase, T., et al. (1996). Phenylethanoid glycosides from Stachys officinalis. Phytochemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8862039/
11. Giuliani, C., et al. (2017). Secretory structures and essential oil composition in Stachys officinalis subsp. officinalis from Italy. Nat Prod Res. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27931115/
12. Slapšytė, G., et al. (2019). Genotoxic properties of Betonica officinalis and other extracts — in vitro. Food Chem Toxicol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31520668/
13. Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). (2006, updated). Betony — review. National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30000919/
14. NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Stachys officinalis (betony, bishop’s wort). North Carolina State University. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/stachys-officinalis/
15. NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Pedicularis canadensis (Canadian lousewort, wood betony). North Carolina State University. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pedicularis-canadensis/
16. British Herbal Medicine Association. (1983). British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983 — Stachys betonica, preparations and doses — pharmacopoeia, as reproduced in the Inner Path materia medica entry for Stachys officinalis. https://www.innerpath.com.au/matmed/herbs/Stachys_officinalis.htm

View all 16 references▾