Motherwort - medicinal properties and contraindications

Motherwort - a plant, though wild, but very useful for humans, because it is ranked as an honorary group of medicinal herbs. This name was given to him for good reason, as he chooses places for himself in the most weedy abandoned areas, in 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 classified as perennials of the family Yasnotkovyh. It grows up to 200 cm, but motherwort is quite small - no more than 50 cm. The stems are hollow, with a reddish tinge, straight, their difference from many herbs is that they are tetrahedral, pubescent at the edges, and branched at the top.

If you ever have to independently search for a motherwort, then you can identify it by the lower leaves: they are palmate-divided, rather long - up to 12 cm. All leaves are petiolate, have a dark green color from above, and a lighter green shade from the bottom. The closer to the top, the smaller the leaves become. The middle ones have three cloves, while the upper ones have only two. Motherwort flowers also have their own differences. They are stored in verticils on the tops of the stems, and therefore rather small. They are a long but discontinuous inflorescence of a spike shape and contain spiny bracts. Color can be from pink, with a violet color, to white.

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

Botanists have more than 15 types of motherwort, but only two are “hearty” and “five-bladed” for their healing properties. They are almost indistinguishable in their qualities, but they have external differences:

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

Collection time and storage rule

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

For harvesting, cut a part with a sharp knife or scissors, measuring no more than 40 cm. If you pull out the plant completely, you can lose the healing harvest in this place completely next year. If during the collection there are two types - “five-bladed” and “heart” - they must be collected separately from each other. Drying should also be done separately.

It is important to know! Motherwort likes to settle in many places, but you need to collect it 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 the centuries. You need to dry in dry and warm weather, spreading the stems on a special pallet or clean paper in a cool place with a small draft. To dry the grass evenly, it must be turned over periodically.To determine that the process is completed, you can thus: take any stem and try to break it, and stretch the leaf in your hand. If you managed to do this quickly, then you can harvest and decompose into canvas or thick paper bags. Before the raw material is packaged, it is necessary to check whether the damaged leaves covered with brown bloom or bare stems have not been found in the healing preparation.

Like all dry medicinal herbs, motherwort is afraid of wet rooms, it deteriorates quickly, so it should be stored in a dry place. And not more than three years.

Useful material

More common and the most popular is the five-lobed motherwort.

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

• alkaloids, of which choline and stachydrine 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, and, as doctors have determined, the effect of Motherwort exceeds by 3 to 4 times the effect of valerian.

Able to plant:

• reduce pressure;
• slow down the rhythm or increase the strength of the heartbeat;
• speed up the process of blood clotting.

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

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

Particularly useful qualities of motherwort are disclosed in the treatment of such diseases 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 vegetative nature;
• neurasthenia and epilepsy;
• neurasthenia and fatigue;
• basedovoy disease;
• Hypomenstrual syndrome and uterine bleeding;
• sclerosis of cerebral vessels;
• Meniere's syndrome;
• pathological menopause, accompanied by vascular dystonia.

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

A lot of indigestion and intestinal inflammation is treated by motherwort, turning into a decoction, tea or infusion.

But, if the skin has open wounds or burns, 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 needed:

• paralysis;
• neurosis and neuralgia;
• frequent convulsions;
• heart palpitations and heartbeats;
• insomnia;
• fright;
• hypochondria;
• severe headaches;
• chorea

Recipes

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

To soften the course of neurosis or cardiosclerosis will help this method. Boil 2 tablespoons of herbs in 250 ml of water.On fire, the decoction is up until there is 180 ml of water. This amount is 12 spoons. You can take it like this: half a glass 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 remedy helps a lot. Grind very fine dry grass, put in a container and pour boiling water. Proportions: two tablespoons of motherwort and 250 ml of water. Well wrap and leave in a warm place for a few hours. Drink 50 ml before meals, 4 times a day.

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

Motherwort and other useful plants will help. Recipes, in which many medicinal plants are involved, have been compiled long ago. Such tools are the strongest, since in this case the beneficial substances complement each other favorably.

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: grass of motherwort and dried eggs,mistletoe leaves and hawthorn flowers (should be exactly those that were collected at the very beginning of flowering, when only an insignificant part had time to blossom). All plants should be equally divided. After all the ingredients are crushed and thoroughly mixed, take 8 tablespoons, pour in a liter of boiling water and leave for several hours. Each dose is 30 ml. Drink should be 3 to 4 times a day.

You can make such a therapeutic tool for lowering pressure. In equal proportions is required to prepare:

• grass of motherwort, lemon balm, sweet clover and oregano;
• leaves of eucalyptus, mistletoe and plantain;
• marigold flowers (they must be harvested before the fruit has started)
• hawthorn fruit

All ingredients are crushed and mixed, making a single mixture. Take 2 - 3 spoons and steam in 0.5 liters of boiling water for 1 hour. This dose is a daily dose.

Diseases of the thyroid gland 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;
• leaves of mint and walnut (should be used only very young, plucked in June);
• rhizomes of valerian.

Add here the same hawthorn fruit - two parts.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. Infuse the tool must within 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 go through the same course of treatment.

Juice - how to take?

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

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

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

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

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

Motherwort paired with alcohol

Ready alcohol tincture is already available in any pharmacy, has sedative properties. She will definitely need those people who experience an accelerated heartbeat, shortness of breath, if hypertension begins to develop or torment neuroses.

But, if there is a desire to independently make such a medicine, it is quite real. This recipe contains 20 grams of leaves, finely shredded, and 100 grams of 70% alcohol is taken. The leaves are placed in a glass jar, filled with alcohol. Such a medicine is insisted up to 10 days in a dark place, securely sealed. You can take as medicine, counting a single dose of 40 drops. Drink 3 - 4 times a day.

This treatment has the following positive effects:

• sleep improves significantly, insomnia disappears, falling asleep no longer becomes problematic;
• psychomotor excitability drops sharply;
• the work of the autonomic nervous system is improving, which has a positive effect on many internal organs.

Motherwort hidden in pills

Many neurotropic drugs contain this plant. For example, Motherwort P or Motherwort Forte. They are discharged by doctors in the event that the time has come to help the patient’s cardiovascular system. It is very convenient to take pills that act quickly. Especially if it is necessary to urgently stabilize the pressure, bring the nervous system back to normal, improve the condition caused by vascular dystonia and get rid of seizures. The dose and treatment should be prescribed by a doctor.

What is important to know and take into account?

1. Almost all medical prescriptions and pharmaceutical preparations, due to motherwort, have an excellent effect, but the treatment is slow, and therefore lasts a long time.
2. Each type of treatment has its own dosage, as much depends on the course of the disease, associated diseases, and the state of the body.
3. Starting treatment with this plant, you need to consider that it promotes drowsiness, which means that people whose work requires clear concentration and attention cannot receive funds 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. It can provoke motherwort abundant uterine bleeding, so pregnant women cannot take it. Also dangerous is the plant for women who have recently had an abortion.
3. Doctors do not recommend including motherwort to patients with erosive gastritis and stomach ulcers.
4. Since the plant lowers blood pressure, it means that in case of hypotension it is excluded.It is impossible in any form to use motherwort if you have been diagnosed with arterial hypotension or bradycardia, that is, your heart rate is lowered.

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

Video: useful properties of motherwort