Motherwort, the Marvelous Mood-Melter


But my favorite use for Motherwort is just for the edgies. It doesn't CHANGE anything, the same lunacy is still going on all around you, but you just don't have to feel so CRACKLY about it. Things like the road going icy on your way home...or your entire engine going into cardiac arrest on the side of the Saw Mill Parkway (after I waved bye-bye to the nice policeman who stopped and informed me that only ONE towing company could come get it, I did TWO droppersful DIRECTLY under my tongue.....)I survived, the car didn't. I take a hit before I go to the dentist. And heaven knows I sang Motherwort's praises when one round of Lyme disease was messing with my heart BIG time. Leonurus cardiaca is a heart tonic and also a uterine tonic (they are VERY similar organs) which means it SHOULDN'T be taken by folks with certain existing heart problems, and shouldn't be taken at the beginning of a pregnancy. While it can be a wonder at easing the anxiety of childbirth, that has to be weighed against the added risk of bleeding more heavily. So those of you ON blood-thinning drugs, or who bruise very easily, Momwort probably ISN'T going to be your best bud. For the most part, 10-25 drops of Motherwort tincture are taken in a little water. Squirting it directly under your tongue is saved for emergencies as you are also mainlining the alcohol, and that can be a little rough.

Now. Here's the BEST part. IT'S A WEED!!! Oh yes indeed. Unfortunately not a NATIVE weed (If I were going to a 'new world' you think I wouldn't bring some seeds of THIS gem???) But it's easy to find, often at the edge of the woods. The basal leaves are shaped much like maple leaves with a very distinct texture to them. As it goes into bloom, the leaves along the blooming stalk change to a completely different shape. Here's a good photo of it in bloom. We gather the entire upper plant JUST as it goes into bloom in mid-summer here and tincture the whole thing (leaves, flowers, stems) in 100 proof vodka for 6 weeks. You can often do a second harvest as an early cut-back will produce a later second blooming. The flowers are pink, although once I found a stand of pure white ones. I tinctured them separately and

The copyright of the article Motherwort, the Marvelous Mood-Melter in Weeds & Wild Plants is owned by Barbara Hall. Permission to republish Motherwort, the Marvelous Mood-Melter in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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