Motherwort: good for women
Motherwort, also called Leonurus japonicus Houtt, is used widely as a traditional medicinal herb in Asia and America. Motherwort means “good for women” which indicates its traditional function as a supplement that is beneficial to females. More specifically, motherwort is well known as an excellent medicine for the treatment of obstetrical and gynecological diseases due to its effect of promoting blood circulation.
In particular, motherwort is traditionally used to treat menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, and emmenagogue. In one Taiwanese study, 8430 of 8766 women (96.17%) diagnosed with infertility had sought traditional Chinese medicine including motherwort treatment in addition to visiting their gynecologists. The researchers found that female infertility patients with risk factors (e.g., endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or irregular menstrual cycle) were more likely to use traditional Chinese medicine than those without traditional Chinese medicine.
Furthermore, records shows that motherwort is commonly used in Taiwan for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Researchers examined the records of 3432 women who received Chinese Herbal Medicine therapies for menopausal symptoms at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei between 2003 and 2006. The researchers concluded that the most commonly prescribed Chinese herb was motherwort.
Moreover, a study shows that consuming motherwort helps to decrease body weight and inhibit obesity after menopause. Female mice were ovariectomized and fed high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Motherwort was orally administrated for 6 weeks. The results of this research showed that the total weight significantly decreased in the group that received the motherwort treatment. Also, motherwort-treated mice decreased serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels.
In conclusion, the consumption of motherwort improves obstetrical and gynecological diseases and alleviates menopausal symptoms.
This paper was published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.
Reference
1. Miao LL, Zhou QM, Peng C, Liu ZH, Xiong L. Leonurus japonicus (Chinese motherwort), an excellent traditional medicine for obstetrical and gynecological diseases: A comprehensive overview. Biomed Pharmacother. 2019 Sep;117:109060.
2. Hung YC, Kao CW, Lin CC, Liao YN, Wu BY, Hung IL, Hu WL. Chinese Herbal Products for Female Infertility in Taiwan: A
Population-Based Cohort Study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Mar;95(11):e3075.
3. Chen LC, Wang BR, Chen IC, Shao CH. Use of Chinese herbal medicine among menopausal women in Taiwan. Int J Gynaecol Obstet.2010 Apr;109(1):63-6.
4. Kim J, Kim MH, Choi YY, Hong J, Yang WM. Inhibitory effects of Leonurus sibiricus on weight gain after menopause in ovariectomized and high-fat diet-fed mice. J Nat Med. 2016 Jul;70(3):522-30.
