Leonurus. Leonurus cardiaca.

Synonym—Motherwort.

CONSTITUENTS—

Bitter principle, volatile oil.

PREPARATIONS—

Extractum Leonuri Fluidum, Fluid Extract of Leonurus. Dose, from a half to two drams.

Specific Symptomatology—This agent is positive in suppressed lochia from any cause, amenorrhea from cold; dysmenorrhea, with morbid nervous excitability, and hysteria.

Prof. John King regarded motherwort as superior to all other remedies in suppression of the lochia, giving it internally and applying a fomentation of the herb over the lower abdominal region. The author has used it with excellent results.

Therapy—It is prescribed in the above conditions, also in delirium tremens, typhoid state in fevers, chronic diseases with wakefulness, restlessness, disturbed sleep, spinal irritation, neuralgia of the stomach and head, feeble digestion, general debility, chorea, convulsions, nervousness from irregular menstruation, palpitation of the heart, associated with uterine disease, amenorrhea, with chlorosis, cachexia and an irritable, excitable, enfeebled state of the nervous system, spasms and harrassing bearing down pains, and morbid sensibility from uterine disease, pain in the pelvic and lumbar regions in females.

Dr. Dawes of England uses leonurus for its action upon the heart. It is a simple heart tonic, promoting normal action, probably very mild in its influence. It would work well combined with cactus or crataegus or both, especially in the presence of nux vomica or collinsonia.

Motherwort is tonic and laxative, a diaphoretic somewhat like asclepias, an emmenagogue like cimicifuga and a nervine like scutellaria.

The American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy, 1919, was written by Finley Ellingwood, M.D.
It was scanned by Michael Moore for the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine.