Motherwort

Leonurus cardiaca

Lamiaceae

A bitter mint for a racing heart and a spinning mind — not a culinary leaf.

Traditional European women’s and heart nervine. Bitter.

Parts used: Aerial parts
Traditional notes: Anxious palpitations · Restlessness · Traditional women’s herb
Grow · USDA 6b: Perennial, USDA 4–8 Direct-sow. It self-sows once happy. In work: May · Jun · Jul · Aug
Harvest: Tops as the first whorls open.

Gloves help — the calyces are sharp.
One plant is a colony next year. Deadhead if you do not want that.
Dry in the dark. Light fades the green.

Safety

Pregnancy Heavy menstrual bleeding without advice Before driving if it sedates you

Lore

Leonurus, lion’s tail. A bitter mint for palpitations and the ‘mother’s herb’ of European midwives. It self-sows in a way that suggests it has opinions about your garden.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.