This product is the dried ripe fruit of the motherwort herb (Leonurus heterophyllus Sweet) from the Lamiaceae family. It is produced throughout China. The aerial parts are harvested when the fruits are ripe in autumn, dried, and the fruits are threshed and impurities removed.

bubble_chart Morphological Characteristics

Annual or biennial herb; stem erect, 30-120 cm tall, obtusely quadrangular, slightly hairy. Leaves vary greatly in outline, lower stem leaves ovate, long-petioled; middle stem leaves trifoliate, short-petioled; upper stem leaves unlobed, nearly sessile. Flowers numerous, axillary, arranged in verticillasters. Corolla pink to pale purplish-red. Nutlets brown, Sparganium Rhizome-shaped, one end slightly wider, seemingly truncate; the other end gradually narrowing and bluntly pointed, 2-3 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide. Pericarp thin, cotyledons whitish, oily. Odorless, bitter in taste. Flowering period June to September, fruiting period September to October.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sweet and acrid, slightly cold. Little poison. Act on liver meridian.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Invigorating blood to regulate menstruation, clearing heat and improving vision.

bubble_chart Indications

Women: menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, postpartum stagnation abdominal pain; liver heat headache, dizziness, red eye swelling and pain, and the formation of nebula in the eyes.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Improves vision, benefits essence, eliminates water qi, long-term use lightens the body."
2. Bielu: "Treats blood counterflow with great heat, headache, and heart vexation."
3. 《Rihuazi》: "Treats postpartum blood distension."
4. Kaibao Bencao: "Used as a decoction and squeezed to extract juice for ingestion, it expels dead fetus."
5. 《Lüchanyan Materia Medica》: "Removes heat qi."
6. Gangmu: "Treats wind, resolves heat, regulates qi and activates blood, nourishes the liver and benefits the heart, calms the soul and stabilizes the spirit, regulates women's meridians, menorrhagia, leukorrhea, and various postpartum and prenatal diseases."
7. Bencao Qiuyuan: "Benefits essence, unblocks blood vessels, nourishes the liver. Suitable for liver qi deficiency causing stagnation, leading to irregular meridians, menorrhagia, and leukorrhea."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

For internal use: decoct in water, 6-9g; or take in pill or powder form.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Use with caution in cases of dilated pupils, blood deficiency without stasis, and yin deficiency menorrhagia.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Motherwort Fruit contains motherwort herb alkaloids, Japanese betony herb alkaloids, and 26% fatty oil. The main components of the oil are oleic acid, accounting for 63.75% of the total oil, and linolenic acid, accounting for 21.13%. It also contains 0.04% vitamin A-like substances. The main components of the fatty oil are linoleic acid (42.62%), linolenic acid (29.93%), oleic acid (20.23%), Windmill Palm acid (5.40%), and stearic acid (1.57%). Additionally, it contains 17 amino acids and 24 mineral elements.

1. Hypotensive effect: The aqueous or alcohol-water extract of Motherwort Fruit has a mild hypotensive effect when injected intravenously in anesthetized animals.
2. Excessive dosage of motherwort herb alkaloids can paralyze the central nervous system, causing temporary respiratory excitement followed by paralysis; it also exhibits a curare-like paralyzing effect on motor nerve endings (inhibitory paralysis). In some regions of China, such as Changshu, Jiangsu, it is customary to fry Motherwort Fruit, grind it into powder, and use it to make pancakes or mix it with fried rice flour as a tonic. This can easily lead to poisoning. According to 25 reported cases of poisoning, consuming 20-30g at once can cause symptoms to appear within 4-10 hours, and there are also cases where symptoms began after consuming 500 pieces continuously over 10 days. Symptoms include sudden general weakness, inability to move the lower limbs, paralysis, soreness and numbness throughout the body, chest tightness, profuse sweating, and collapse, but consciousness and speech remain clear, and tongue coating and pulse are mostly normal. With timely rescue, death can be avoided.