Motherwort for Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all those mothering themselves and others! I noticed the motherwort plants (aka Leonurus cardiaca) are starting to pop their heads out this week and thought it was a great way to celebrate the “lion heart” mother in all of us.

Although it is contraindicated for anyone pregnant due to its emmenagogic properties, it can otherwise be very useful for menstrual, birthing, postpartum, and menopausal health. It’s a uterine and heart tonic that also supports circulation of blood and energy.

Even though it’s traditionally used for women, its cardiovascular, endocrine, and nervous system strengthening properties can aid in relieving anxiety and stress for all genders and can be called in to mend “a broken heart” and lift the spirits. Like all herbs, it’s best to dig deeper and consultant a trained health professional to understand all of its qualities before taking internally, but in the meantime, invoking it’s energetic and spiritual qualities is great way to celebrate this feminine strength building time of year.

REFERENCE

Gladstar, R. (1993) Herbal healing for women. New York, NY: Fireside

Noe, J. (2017) The endocrine system for the herbalist, second edition. Self-published: Dr. Jody E. Noe, MS, ND

Romm, A. (2018) Botanical medicine for women's health, second edition. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier, Inc.