 Botany
Plant is a coarse, erect, branched, somewhat hairy, annual herb, 60 to 120 cm high. Leaves are 5 to 10 cm long, pinnately or palmately 3- to many-parted; lobes narrowed and often incised, the upper leaves entire, linear and pale beneath. Flowers are crowded, occurring in numerous whorls. Calayx is about 7 mm long with triangular teeth. Corolla is about 1 cm long and red, the tubes as long as the limb. Upper lip of the corolla is hooded and hairy, the lower equals the upper, and the two rounded lateral lobes.
Distribution
Widely scattered in waste places in and about towns.
Introduced.
Occurring in all warm countries.
Constituents
Fresh leaves yield a crystalline principle, leonurine, and fixed oil 0.5 %.
Calyx contains a trace of aromatic oil.
Seeds contain leonurinine, volatile oil and fatty oil.
Plant yields alkaloids: cycloleonurinine, leoheterin, leonurine, leonurinine, leuronurine, prehispanolone, preleoheterin, stachydrine.
Properties
- Considered antibacterial, antispasmodic, astringent, alterative, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, tonic, nervine, hypnotic, vulnerary and emmenagogue.
- Has earned the name "marihuanilla" in South America and Mexico, smoked as a mild intoxicant, the effect attributed to leonurine.
Parts used and preparation
Roots, leaves, seeds, and juice.
Uses
Culinary
Leaves and roots are edible; used as flavoring.
Young shoots cooked, imparts a sweetish flavor.
In Sarawak, herb used as a culinary ingredient.
Folkloric
In the Philippines, decoction of the plant, taken internally as a diuretic.
In Chinese medicine, all plants parts are used, especially the seeds.
In Malacca, poultice of plant used for headaches.
In Java, infusion in spirits administered after childbirth.
Plant used to stimulat uterine contractions.
Used as tonic, alterative, vulnerary and general remedy in puerperal and menstrual disorders.
Used as emmenagogue.
Leaves used for rheumatism.
Juice used for psoriasis, scabies,various skin eruptions.
Leaves ingested to relieve menstrual pain and excessive bleeding.
Tinctures used for rheumatic fever.
Studies
• Antiplatelet Effect / Leonurine: Study isolated leonurine from the aerial part of Leonurus sibiricus var. albiflora. Leonurine showed significant invitro inhibition of rabbit platelet aggregation induced by thrombin, arachidoic acide and collagen.
• Toxicological Studies: Study of the dried kacangma herb showed indications of renal and liver toxicity in the medium and high dose group with associated histopath effects. In the low dose group, no significant toxicity was noted.
• Anti-Tumor Effects: Study evaluating the chemopreventive role of motherwort in lesions of the mammary gland and uterus of GR/A mice showed suppression of palpable mammary tumors and retardation of growth. There was no effect on pregnancy-dependent mammary tumors, mammary hyperplastic alveolar nodules or uterine adenomyosis.
• Anti-Inflammatory: Study investigating the anti-inflammatory effect of motherwort showed inhibition of secretion of TNF-a (tumore necrosis factor), IL-6 and IL-8 possibly by inhibiting NF-kB activation. Results indicate MW may be helpful in regulating inflammatory diseases. (2) Study showed LS synergistically induces the production of NO and TNF-a by peritoneal macrophages when treated by recombinant IFN-[gamma](rIFN-[gamma]). Study results suggest LS influences NO and TNF-a production via NF--(kappa)B signaling pathway.
• Antibacterial: Study of carbon tetrachloride and chlorofom extracts of LS aerial parts showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity.
• Hypolipidemic / Antioxidative / Anti-Atherogenic: Study showed LS herb extract supplementation may modulate lipoprotein composition and attenuate oxidative stress by elevated antioxidant processes with suppression of inflammatory mediators – a possible mechanism of an anti-atherogenic effect.
• Cytotoxicity / Furanoditerpene-Lactones: Study yielded two new and four known furanoditerpene-lactones from the aerial parts of Lenorus sibiricus. The compounds exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against leukemia cells in tissue culture.
• NO and TNF-a Induction: Study showed LS synergistically induces the production of NO and TNF-a by peritoneal macrophages when treated by recombinant IFN-[gamma](rIFN-[gamma]). Study results suggest LS influences NO and TNF-a production via NF--(kappa)B signaling pathway.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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