yi mu cao

Name: yi mu cao
Creator: Bencao Index

益母草·Herba Leonuri

Leonurus

About yi mu cao

Yi Mu Cao (益母草) is motherwort, a plant of the mint family, recorded as Herba Leonuri. It is acrid and bitter in flavour, slightly cold, and enters the Heart, Liver and Bladder channels. The catalogue files it among the herbs that invigorate the Blood. Its Chinese name reads as the herb that benefits mothers.

Names

Pinyin	yi mu cao
Chinese	益母草
Latin Name	Herba Leonuri
English Name	Leonurus·motherwort
Japanese	yakumoso
Korean	ikmocho

Classification

Category: Invigorate the Blood
Channels: Heart, Bladder, Liver
Flavour: Acrid, Bitter
Temperature: Slightly Cold
Family: Labiatae
Species: Leonurus heterophyllus
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Invigorates Blood, dispels stasis, regulates menstruation and reduces masses

Irregular periods from Blood stasis, with abdominal pain before the period
Abdominal pain after childbirth with retained lochia
Amenorrhea, or heavy periods with clots
Fixed abdominal masses and infertility from Blood stasis on a base of Blood deficiency
Pain from traumatic injury

Promotes urination and reduces swelling and edema

Acute generalised edema, particularly with blood in the urine
Edema together with Blood stasis
Scanty or painful urination
Chronic edema from nephritis, with heaviness, distension and fatigue
Kidney stones

Clears Heat and resolves toxicity, internally or topically

Toxic swellings, sores and abscesses
Itchy rashes from Damp-Heat lodged in the muscles and skin
Eczema, skin lesions and ulcers

Combinations

dang gui
Blood Stasis presenting with infertility, irregular or scanty menstruation, and lower abdominal fullness and pain
dang gui + chuan xiong
Postpartum Blood Stasis with dysmenorrhea or pain in the lower abdomen
chi shao + dang gui + mu xiang
Infertility, irregular periods, scanty menses and a full, painful lower abdomen from Blood Stasis
chi shao + dang gui + mu xiang + chuan xiong + xiang fu
Lower abdominal pain and dysmenorrhea from Blood Stasis after childbirth
pu huang
Lochioschesis.
bai mao gen
Edema accompanied by Blood Stasis; edema from nephritis
huang jing + shi wei + dong kui zi
Bloody Lin and Stone Lin
ze lan
Conditions combining Blood Stasis with accumulated pathogenic water, for example Blood separation, where amenorrhea gives way to edema of the whole body
zhi ke + pu huang
Stimulates uterine contractions.
dang gui + bai shao + dan shen
Irregular menstruation or amenorrhea with abdominal pain

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 9-60g; Dried: 90-120g; Fresh: 180-240g; Tincture: 2-4ml; For glomerulonephritis with edema: up to 120g	9-60 g	—	2-4 ml	—	—

Cautions

pregnancy Contraindicated in pregnancy: as a strong Blood-moving herb it can stimulate the uterus and may cause miscarriage
contraindication Deficiency of Yin or Blood, and Yang deficiency with prolapse, which its moving, draining action can worsen

Interactions

Drug interactions

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medicines (heparin, warfarin, enoxaparin, aspirin, dipyridamole, clopidogrel): effects may add together; use with caution

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