Leonurus Turkestanicus

Plant Name

Leonurus turkestanicus V.I. Krecz. & Kuprian.
Syn.-Leonurus cardiaca ssp. turkestanicus (V.Krecz. & Kuprian.) Rech. fil.

Botanical Info

Perennial herbaceous plant with a ligneous rootstock,
50-200 cm in heigh.

Geography:

Common in mountain regions of Central Asia and Mongolia.
Grows in isolation, sometimes forming thickets. It grows as a weed, along fallows, on waste grounds, along the roads, in road cracks, in residential areas, along the fences. It is found growing in small bunches among dumetums, on wood glades, and wood skirts, on pastures.

Chemical Content

The plant contains diterpene bitter principles, iridoid monoterpenes, flavonoids including rutin and quercitrin, leonurin, betaine, caffeic acid derivatives, tannins and traces of a volatile oil.
The herb contains several components with sedative effects—alphapinene, benzaldehyde, caryophyllene, limonene and oleanolic acid.

Traditional Use and Activity

It is Stomachic, laxative, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue. The plant is used in absent or painful menstruation, premenstrual tension, menopausal flushes. It is hypnotic and sedative and is used as a cardiac tonic. Studies in China have shown that Motherwort extracts show antiplatelet aggregation actions and decrease the levels of blood lipids. It is used on the treatment of nervous cardiac disorders and as adjuvant for thyroid hyperfunction. It is antispasmodic. The British Herbal Compendium indicated its use for patients who have neuropathic cardiac disorders and cardiac complaints of neurological origin. The herb is a slow acting adjuvant in functional and neurogenic heart diseases. Its sedative and spasmolytic properties combine well with Valeriana officinalis or other cardioactive substances.