Motherwort - medicinal properties and contraindications

Motherwort - a plant, although wild-growing, but very useful for humans, because it is considered an honorary group of medicinal herbs. It was not for nothing that they gave him such a name, since he chooses his places on the weediest abandoned territories, on wastelands and cliffs, in beams and mountainous terrain, under fences, near villages. But some varieties are grown as a cultivated plant.

Botanical passport

The plant is assigned to perennials of the family Lamiaceae. It grows up to 200 cm, but motherwort is very small - not higher than 50 cm. The stems are hollow, with a reddish tint, straight, their difference from many herbs is that they are tetrahedral, pubescent along the ribs, and branched at the top.

If you ever have to independently find motherwort, you can determine it by the lower leaves: they are palmate, separate, quite long - up to 12 cm. All leaves are petiolate, dark green on top, and lighter green on the bottom. The closer to the top, the smaller the leaves become. The middle ones have three cloves, and the upper ones have only two. Motherwort flowers also contain their own differences. They are stored in whorls on the tops of the stems, and therefore quite small. They are a long, but intermittent inflorescence spike-shaped and contain spiny bracts. Color can have from pink, with a purple color, to white.

Motherwort fruits are four wedge-shaped nuts. Their length is small - 2 or 3 mm. Ripening time is at the very end of summer through October. Once in the ground, by the summer they will sprout, and when the hot time comes, the young plant will begin to bloom.

Botanists have more than 15 species of motherwort, but only two have earned attention due to their medicinal properties - “heart” and “five-lobed”. They are almost indistinguishable by their qualities, but they have external differences:

• the five-lobed stems are more pubescent and the flowers are much larger;
• in the heart, both the stems and leaves are almost bare, and the shades of flowers are lilac-pink.

Harvest time and storage rule

As soon as the time of flowering has come, the harvest begins. Since all valuable substances are contained in the leafy tops of the grass, this part is collected. Choose a stem with a diameter greater than 5 mm.

For the workpiece, they cut a part with a sharp knife or scissors, measuring out no more than 40 cm. If you completely tear out the plant, then you can lose the healing crop in this place completely next year. If two species are found during the collection - “five-lobed” and “heart-shaped” - they must be collected separately from each other. Drying should also be done separately.

It's important to know! Motherwort loves to settle in many places, but it must be collected away from highways, hazardous industries and areas with poor ecology.

In order not to lose the medicinal qualities of the plant, it must be prepared for healing purposes according to all the rules that have developed over centuries. You need to dry in dry and warm weather, spreading the stems on a special tray or clean paper in a cool place with a little draft. In order for the grass to dry evenly, it needs to be turned over periodically. To determine that the process is completed, you can do this: take any stem and try to break it, and knead a leaf in your hand. If you managed to do this quickly, it means that you can collect the crop and put it in canvas or dense paper bags.Before the raw materials are packaged, it is necessary to check whether spoiled leaves covered with brown bloom or bare stems were found in the medicinal preparation.

Like all dry medicinal herbs, motherwort is afraid of damp rooms, quickly deteriorates, therefore it should be stored in a dry place. And no longer than three years.

Useful material

The more common and most popular is the motherwort five-lobed.

In the grass there are substances useful for human life, such as:

• alkaloids, of which choline and stachidrin predominate;
• vitamin C;
• flavonoids;
• isovaleric acid;
• carotene;
• essential oil, in small quantities;
• bitterness and sugar;
• tannins and other substances.

When motherwort is most effective

First of all, motherwort in a short time has a calming effect on the central nervous system and has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, and, as doctors have determined, the effect of motherwort is 3-4 times greater than the effect of valerian.

Able also plant:

• lower pressure;
• slow down the rhythm or increase the strength of the heartbeat;
• accelerate the coagulation process.

Motherwort is a recognized anticonvulsant, hemostatic, diuretic, tonic and antispasmodic.

The medical world has recognized the healing properties of this plant. Therefore, doctors include various drugs, the main component of which is motherwort, in the treatment of many diseases.

Especially useful qualities of motherwort are revealed in the treatment of such ailments as:

• atherosclerosis;
• defects and other pathologies of the heart muscle, which are complicated by heart failure;
• hypertension, but only in the initial stage;
• neurosis of a cardiovascular or autonomic nature;
• neurasthenia and epilepsy;
• neurasthenia and exhaustion;
• bazedova disease;
• hyipomenstrual syndrome and uterine bleeding;
• sclerosis of cerebral vessels;
• Meniere's syndrome;
• pathological menopause, accompanied by vegetovascular dystonia.

During the treatment of hypertension of the I and II stages, as the doctors admit, the motherwort best helps. It is included in the course of therapy as a 20 percent tincture and 10 percent herb infusion. Almost all patients noted improvement, systolic blood pressure fell by an average of 50 mmHg.

Many stomach upsets and inflammatory processes of the intestine are treated by motherwort, turning into a decoction, tea or infusion.

But, if open wounds or burns appear on the skin, it is used externally, given the bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. In this case, make a decoction and use it as a compress.

Traditional medicine most often uses motherwort when treatment is required:

• paralysis;
• neurosis and neuralgia;
• frequent seizures;
• heart palpitations and heart failure;
• insomnia
• Fright
• hypochondria;
• severe headaches;
• chorea.

Recipes

If official medicine uses crushed leaves and various tinctures on water or alcohol, as well as motherwort tablets, then folk prefers, first of all, all kinds of decoctions. Prepare and infusions. They are both effective and quickly bring relief, and cooking them at home is not difficult.

This method will help to soften the course of neurosis or cardiosclerosis. Boil in 250 ml of water 2 tablespoons of grass. On the fire, the broth stands until 180 ml of water remains. This amount is 12 spoons. You can take it this way: half a cup twice a day or 30 ml several times a day.

To quickly fall asleep and not wake up at night, to calm the nervous system, such a tool helps a lot. Grind very finely dry grass, put in a container and pour boiling water. Proportions: two tablespoons of motherwort and 250 ml of water. Wrap well and leave in a warm place for several hours. Drink 50 ml before meals, 4 times a day.

If there is a violation of the menstrual cycle or uterine fibroma is detected, such an infusion is drunk three times a day, measuring a single dose - a third of a glass.

Motherwort and other useful plants will help. Recipes in which many medicinal plants are involved have been long drawn up. Such remedies are the most powerful, since in this case useful substances favorably complement each other.

A very good remedy for hypertension, in which motherwort is present, should help those whose pressure is often above normal. It is required to prepare such plants: motherwort and caterpillar grass, mistletoe leaves and hawthorn flowers (there should be exactly those that were collected at the very beginning of flowering, when only a small part managed to blossom). All plants should be equally divided. After all the components are crushed and thoroughly mixed, 8 tablespoons are taken, a liter of boiling water is poured and infused for several hours. Each dose is 30 ml. Drink 3 to 4 times a day.

You can make such a remedy to lower blood pressure. In equal proportions it is required to prepare:

• grass motherwort, lemon balm, sweet clover and oregano;
• leaves of eucalyptus, mistletoe and plantain;
• marigold flowers (they must be collected before the fruit has time to set)
• fruits of hawthorn.

Grind and mix all the ingredients, making a single mixture. Take 2 to 3 tablespoons and steam in 0.5 liters of boiling water for 1 hour. This dose is daily.

Thyroid diseases can also be treated with motherwort. In order for the plant to have a beneficial effect on this organ, you will need to use such a recipe. It is necessary to take in equal shares:

• motherwort grass;
• mint and walnut leaves (should be used only very young, plucked in June);
• rhizomes of valerian.

Add here the fruits of hawthorn - two parts. The components will need to grind and mix until smooth. To get a single dose, you should brew a teaspoon of the collection in 0.5 cups of boiling water. The drug should be infused for 30 minutes. Then it needs to be filtered and drunk half an hour before meals. This method will be beneficial if you drink the medicine for a month twice a day. After 30 days, a break of about 10 days is required. But then you can undergo the same course of treatment.

Juice - how to take?

The juice obtained from the leaves also benefits. It is believed that freshly squeezed motherwort juice is very useful to take during problems with the gastrointestinal tract, insomnia, and neurosis. Take 30-40 drops, dissolved in 15 ml of boiled water, 30 minutes before a meal.

If it is not possible to use fresh leaves, take juice preserved with alcohol. In this case, the ratio is 2 to 3. The dose is 5 ml, taken three times a day.

Juice helps with various ailments associated with the gastrointestinal tract. To facilitate the operation of the system, take 40 drops. The daily intake is 2 to 3 times. There is a positive effect 3 to 4 weeks after the start of therapy.

All kinds of stressful situations, time before exams and important events always negatively affect the body. To quench the excitement, calm the nervous system, special soothing tea from motherwort will come to the rescue.

In order to prepare a drink, there must also be St. John's wort, mint leaves, flower baskets of the chamomile pharmacy and flowers of the yarrow. It is permissible to add here another type of motherwort - heart. All medicinal plants are mixed until smooth. Then one tablespoon is brewed in 250 ml of boiling water and infused for 60 minutes in a warm place. Be sure at this time the tea should be tightly wrapped. You should drink several times a day in 0.5 cups, if necessary, you can add a small amount of honey.Take before meals - 30 minutes.

Motherwort paired with alcohol

Ready-made alcohol tincture is already available in any pharmacy, has sedative properties. It will definitely be needed for those people who experience an accelerated heartbeat, shortness of breath, if hypertension began to develop or torment neuroses.

But, if there is a desire to independently make such a medicine, this is quite real. This recipe contains 20 grams of finely chopped leaves, 100 grams of 70 percent alcohol is taken. Leaves are placed in a glass jar, filled with alcohol. Such a medicine is infused up to 10 days in a dark place, reliably clogged. You can take it as a medicine by counting a single dose of 40 drops. Drink 3-4 times a day.

Such a treatment gives the following positive effects:

• sleep improves significantly, insomnia disappears, falling asleep does not become problematic now;
• psychomotor excitability drops sharply;
• the work of the autonomic nervous system improves, which positively affects many internal organs.

Motherwort hidden in pills

Many neurotropic drugs contain this plant. For example, Motherwort P or Motherwort forte. They are prescribed by doctors if it is time to help the patient's cardiovascular system. It is very convenient to take pills that work quickly. Especially if you urgently need to stabilize the pressure, normalize the nervous system, improve the condition caused by vegetovascular dystonia and get rid of seizures. The dose and course of treatment should be prescribed by a doctor.

What is important to know and consider?

1. Due to motherwort, almost all medicinal prescriptions and pharmacy preparations have an excellent effect, but the treatment is slow and therefore lasts quite a while.
2. Each type of treatment has its own dosage, as much depends on the course of the disease, concomitant diseases, and the state of the body.
3. Starting treatment with this plant, you need to consider that it contributes to drowsiness, which means that people whose work requires a clear concentration and attention should not be taken during this period.

Contraindications

1. Motherwort can sometimes cause an allergic reaction and too depress the activity of the nerve centers if a person suffers from diseases associated with the central nervous system.
2. Motherwort can provoke heavy uterine bleeding, therefore, pregnant women should not take it. Also a danger is the plant for women who have recently had an abortion.
3. Doctors do not recommend including motherwort in treatment of patients with erosive gastritis and a stomach ulcer.
4. Since the plant lowers pressure, it means that with hypotension it is eliminated. You cannot use motherwort in any way if you are diagnosed with arterial hypotension or bradycardia, that is, your heart rate is lowered.

When the patient does not comply with the accepted doses, thereby increasing the presence of motherwort in the body, negative reactions such as nausea, vomiting, severe thirst, pain throughout the body or stool with blood can follow.

Video: useful properties of motherwort