motherwort tea
has felt to me
nurturing
like an English cuppa

its good for so many things

how to take herbs

its calming'
a nervine relaxant;
for the stomach too, a carminative;
a deep, gentle heart tonic;
its a very interesting herb for women,
moderates (?) estrogen,
perhaps the best "simple"
for menopuase.

(I think Michael said, ")
like all the mints,
it's tricky with thyroid,
but mostly, it heals,
it balances them."

It's ubiquistous in Toronto now,
2007.

(If you harvest it, in late June, july, when it first starts to flower, dry it, but then package it, bottle it, so it doesn't oxidize!)

(If you are harvesting, note the square stem! square ribbed stems, then you can't miss it.)

I buy the dry herb from Noah's on Bloor at Spadina where it is quite fresh. While the stalks/stems are white inside, the rest should be green. If its brown it is stale.

Due to its actions on the uterus, motherwort could cause a miscarriage. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid taking it.

Motherwort may reduce levels of thyroid hormone in individuals with overactive thyroid glands. Individuals who have thyroid conditions (low or high thyroid levels, Grave's disease, Hashimoto's thyrotoxicosis, and others) should not take motherwort because it may interfere with treatment.
drugdigest.org

If motherwort is taken at the same time as other herbs that also affect the heart, potentially dangerous changes in heart function may result. Some herbal products with heart effects are:

European Mistletoe
Ginger (in large doses)
Hawthorn
Panax Ginseng
Pleurisy Root
Squill

sources

purple sage's page is wonderful. a great herbal resource.

as is www.ontariowildflower.com/

drugdigest.org