Motherwort

Also called Leonurus cardiaca, Leonuri cardiacae herba, Lion's tail, Motherwort herb.

Best grade D across 1 graded outcome Botanical Last checked Oct 21, 2026

The short answer

From 7 sources

Motherwort's oral evidence is thin. The European Medicines Agency accepts it only as a traditional herbal medicine for nervous tension and nervous heart complaints such as palpitations, based on long use rather than trials. One uncontrolled 28-day study in 50 people with hypertension and anxiety reported improvement. It must not be used in pregnancy.

Every graded outcome on this page

1 row · line = participants

Grade DAnxiety and blood pressure in people with stage 1-2 hypertensionAnxiety and blood pressuren 50

Key facts

Regulatory status: EU traditional herbal medicine for nervous tension and palpitations, after serious conditions are excluded by a doctor; adults only¹
Clinical evidence: One uncontrolled study: 1,200 mg a day of oil extract for 28 days in 50 people with hypertension, anxiety and sleep problems²
Pregnancy: EMA: motherwort medicines must not be taken during pregnancy; leonurine stimulated uterine contractions in lab studies^1,6
Different species: Chinese motherwort (Leonurus japonicus) injections used in hospitals around childbirth are a separate injectable product⁴

What it is

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is a mint-family herb whose flowering tops are used as tea, tincture or extract for nervous tension.

How it works

Proposed

Proposed. Reviews attribute mild heart-rate-slowing, blood-pressure-lowering and sedative effects to the herb's nitrogen-containing compounds, terpenes, flavonoids and phenolic acids, based mainly on pharmacological studies plus a few small clinical studies.^3,5

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Motherwort forms compared

2 forms

Motherwort forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 forms	Dried flowering tops (tea or powder)	Liquid (tincture) or oil extract
Absorption in people	No human absorption data.¹	No human absorption data.²
GI tolerance	EMA reported no side effects at the time of its assessment.¹	Side effects were minimal in the 28-day oil-extract study.²
Studied for	Nervous tension, palpitations (traditional use)	Anxiety with hypertension

Dried flowering tops (tea or powder)
Absorption in people
No human absorption data.¹
GI tolerance
EMA reported no side effects at the time of its assessment.¹
Studied for
Nervous tension, palpitations (traditional use)
Liquid (tincture) or oil extract
Absorption in people
No human absorption data.²
GI tolerance
Side effects were minimal in the 28-day oil-extract study.²
Studied for
Anxiety with hypertension

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

1 graded outcome, largest study first

One graded outcome so far. Anxiety and blood pressure in people with stage 1-2 hypertension: a 2011 open-label trial of 50 people found an improvement.

By sizeTable

1Anxiety and blood pressure in people with stage 1-2 hypertension

Improved · Grade D · Open-label trial, 50 people, 2011

Russian adults with stage 1 or 2 arterial hypertension plus anxiety and sleep disorders

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Anxiety and blood pressure in people with stage 1-2 hypertension	Improved	50	Grade D · Open-label trial, 2011	Russian adults with stage 1 or 2 arterial hypertension plus anxiety and sleep disorders

Every graded row

1 row

Grade DAnxiety and blood pressure in people with stage 1-2 hypertensionAnxiety and blood pressureSymptom scores improved (no control group)Open-label trial
n 50 · 2011

Improved On the Clinical Global Impression scale, anxiety and depression symptoms improved markedly in 32%, moderately in 48% and weakly in 8%; 12% did not respond. Blood pressure and mood improved a week sooner in stage 1 than stage 2 hypertension. Side effects were minimal.

Design: Open-label trial, n = 50, 2011
Population: Russian adults with stage 1 or 2 arterial hypertension plus anxiety and sleep disorders
Form: Leonurus cardiaca oil extract
Dose: 1,200 mg a day
Duration: 28 days
Source: Reference 2 · PubMed 20839214 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

No placebo trial

The only oral clinical study found had no control group, so the improvement it reports cannot be separated from placebo or time.^1,2

The big trials are not this product

The large motherwort meta-analysis pooled 46 trials of hospital injections of a different species, which says nothing about oral motherwort supplements.⁴

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from a single regimen: 1,200 mg of Leonurus cardiaca oil extract a day for 28 days, in one uncontrolled study.²

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

What Motherwort meets

2 cited rows

Medicines 2

Motherwort2 medicines · 0 supplements

Supplements and foods 0

No supplement rows in our sources.

Reference summary

Interactions

2 agents

Published interactions, grouped by kind
Agent	What the source says	Evidence
Medicines2
Sedatives and sleeping pillse.g. Hypnotics, sedating painkillers	EMA's assessment report cites an older source saying motherwort potentiates hypnotics and painkillers, and the EU monograph warns it may impair driving. No formal interaction study exists, so treat the combination with caution.^6,7	Review
Blood thinners and NSAIDse.g. Warfarin, aspirin, ibuprofen	Leonurine, a motherwort compound, inhibited platelet aggregation in lab tests. EMA found the older claim of a coumarin-type bleeding interaction unfounded, and no bleeding interaction has been documented in people; the risk is theoretical.⁶	Review

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Motherwort and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Motherwort.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

6 groups

Pregnancy: The European Medicines Agency states motherwort medicines must not be taken during pregnancy. Leonurine, a motherwort compound, stimulated uterine contractions in lab studies, and handbooks cite the herb's traditional use as a uterine stimulant.^1,6
Breastfeeding: The EU herbal monograph states that the safety of motherwort during breastfeeding has not been established.⁷
High doses: Handbooks cited by EMA say more than 3 g a day of powdered extract may cause diarrhoea, stomach irritation or uterine bleeding.^6,5
Children: EMA limits motherwort medicines to adults.¹
Palpitations or heart symptoms: EMA's traditional use applies only after serious conditions have been excluded by a doctor; symptoms lasting over 4 weeks or worsening need medical review.¹
Driving or other sedatives: The EU monograph says motherwort may impair the ability to drive or use machines; avoid combining it with other sedating medicines without medical advice.^7,6

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

2 checks

Check the species

European products use Leonurus cardiaca; Chinese motherwort (Leonurus japonicus) is a different plant with different research.^1,4

Traditional use only

An EU traditional-use registration rests on at least 30 years of use, not on clinical trials.¹

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, motherwort included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

7 answers

What is motherwort used for?

In the EU it is a traditional herbal medicine to relieve nervous tension and nervous heart complaints such as palpitations, after a doctor has ruled out serious conditions. That status rests on long use, not trials.¹

Does motherwort lower blood pressure?

Unclear. One 28-day study without a control group reported improvement in people with hypertension and anxiety; EMA said firm conclusions could not be drawn.^1,2

Does motherwort help anxiety?

In the same uncontrolled study, 80% had a marked or moderate improvement in anxiety and depression scores on 1,200 mg a day of oil extract, but there was no placebo group.²

Does motherwort interact with medicines?

No interaction has been confirmed in studies. EMA notes it may impair driving and cites a report that it potentiates sleeping pills, and lab tests show anti-platelet compounds, so caution is sensible with sedatives and blood thinners.^6,7

Can I use motherwort while pregnant?

No. The European Medicines Agency states motherwort medicines must not be taken during pregnancy, reflecting uterine-stimulating effects in lab studies and its traditional use as a uterine stimulant.^1,6

Is motherwort safe while breastfeeding?

Its safety during breastfeeding has not been established, according to the EU herbal monograph, and no studies in nursing mothers were found.⁷

Is Chinese motherwort the same?

No. Chinese motherwort is Leonurus japonicus, and its main clinical research is on hospital injections given around childbirth, not oral supplements.⁴

Sources

7 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

7 sources

1Leonuri cardiacae herba (motherwort): EU herbal monograph summary for the public (EMA/165476/2019)Guideline European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products, 2019 · ema.europa.eu
2Effect of Leonurus cardiaca oil extract in patients with arterial hypertension accompanied by anxiety and sleep disorders.Open-label trial Phytother Res, 2011 · PMID 20839214
3Leonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort): a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology.Review Phytother Res, 2013 · PMID 23042598
4Motherwort injection for preventing postpartum hemorrhage in pregnant women with cesarean section: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Meta-analysis J Evid Based Med, 2018 · PMID 29882344
5Leonurus cardiaca L. as a Source of Bioactive Compounds: An Update of the European Medicines Agency Assessment Report (2010).Review Biomed Res Int, 2019 · PMID 31119169
6Assessment report on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba (EMA/HMPC/127430/2010)Guideline European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products, 2010 · ema.europa.eu
7Community herbal monograph on Leonurus cardiaca L., herba (EMA/HMPC/127428/2010)Guideline European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products, 2010 · ema.europa.eu

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

3 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026who should avoid, FAQ	Added a breastfeeding note and FAQ from section 4.6 of the EU community herbal monograph (EMA/HMPC/127428/2010, re-read in full: safety during lactation not established; interactions section: none reported). LactMed has no motherwort record (checked in the NCBI LactMed archive). PubMed search for Leonurus cardiaca clinical trials found only one other oral study, a 2006 Russian paper (PMID 17209457) whose abstract gives no participant numbers or dose, so no row was added.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
Oct 17, 2026all	Initial editorial evidence review. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title, year, journal) and each cited abstract read; numbers taken from the abstracts. Regulatory and safety rows use the EMA HMPC summary for Leonuri cardiacae herba (EMA/165476/2019). The Leonurus japonicus injection meta-analysis is cited only to separate it from oral L. cardiaca, not as evidence. Where to buy: we didn’t list a product; none of the stores we checked sells motherwort.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page
Oct 17, 2026interactions	Safety review: added sedative and driving cautions (EU monograph; EMA assessment report), the theoretical anti-platelet interaction with EMA's rebuttal of the coumarin claim, uterine stimulation behind the pregnancy contraindication, and the >3 g uterine bleeding warning. Sources read in full.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: safety review

Supplement & Nutrient Encyclopedia. Educational information only; it is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Statements about supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Motherwort

Medicines 2

Supplements and foods 0

Blood thinners and NSAIDs

Sedatives and sleeping pills