Is the Chinese medicine motherwort effective?

When talking about motherwort, people will think of the main function of this traditional Chinese medicine, which is to treat women's menstrual disorders, postpartum blood loss, and labor maintenance symptoms. Motherwort is mainly distributed in wastelands, ridges, grasslands, etc. in my country. Its main function is to promote blood circulation, eliminate water, and drain blood. So what are the main effects or functions of the traditional Chinese medicine Motherwort? Let us learn about the main effects and functions of Motherwort.

1. Effect on the uterus

Motherwort decoction, alcohol extract and the leonurine it contains have a stimulating effect on the uterus of many animals, including rabbits, cats, dogs, and guinea pigs. When the decoction of Motherwort is administered to the isolated uterus of rabbits, it has a stimulating effect regardless of whether the uterus is not pregnant, in the early stage of pregnancy, in the late stage of pregnancy, or after delivery. For the uterus in situ, the stimulating effect appears 30 minutes after rapid intravenous injection, and its intensity and duration of action increase with increasing dosage. In the rabbit uterine impotence test, a decoction of motherwort was used. Whether the uterus was pressurized or not, the uterus showed a significant excitatory effect 15-20 minutes after administration. The total alkaloids of Leonurus japonicus have a stimulating effect on the isolated uterus of guinea pigs, and its effect is similar to that of ergonovine. The water extract and ethanol extract of Motherwort have significant stimulating effects on both the isolated and in situ uterus.

2. Anti-platelet aggregation and coagulation effect

The platelet aggregation activity in Wistar rats was increased by scalding, ice water stress and intravenous injection of ADP. The anti-platelet aggregation effect of Leonurus injection (I) in vivo was observed. The platelet aggregation ratio of rats decreased after scalding for 1 hour. The platelet aggregation ratio of scalded rats was maintained within the normal range by external jugular vein injection of Leonurus injection (4.4 ml/kg) (containing 2 g of crude drug). In the ice water stress experiment, 12 ml/rat, containing 4g of crude drug, was injected intraperitoneally for 4 consecutive days. The occurrence rate of platelet aggregates in small blood vessels of myocardial cells of rats was significantly reduced, and the submicrostructural changes of myocardial cells were also improved accordingly. After ADP was dripped into rats, the platelet count in the blood of the group pre-injected with 1 (3ml/kg containing 6g of crude drug) preparation decreased, and the occurrence rate of platelet aggregates in the alveolar wall capillaries was significantly improved compared with the control group.

Through the above detailed introduction to the efficacy and effects of the traditional Chinese medicine Leonurus, women with gynecological diseases such as irregular menstruation can use other types of traditional Chinese medicine for treatment under the guidance of a doctor. However, it should be noted that motherwort has a strong and excitatory effect on the uterus and can cause uterine contractions, so it is strictly prohibited for pregnant women to take it internally or use it externally.