Leonurus japonicus Seeds | Motherwort
LATIN NAME: Leonurus japonicus
COMMON NAME: Motherwort
Plant Profile
Leonurus japonicus, better known as Motherwort, is a herb. Motherwort is a tall, easy, pink-flowered herb of waysides and old gardens, and its whorls of small, two-lipped, pale-pink flowers have been a familiar of countryside for a very long time. Strong, upright, square stems carry deeply lobed, toothed leaves, and dense whorls of small, pale-pink flowers open up stems through the summer. Plant has a long and careful record in old practice of region, and it is a fine, easy, generous plant of sunny wayside and herb border. During flowering it gives bees and other insects a dependable food source. Taken as a whole, it is a plant that repays a little attention many times over.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the Leonurus group regularly include Leonurus japonicus in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Motherwort has a well-documented place in plant science, and aerial parts of plant have been studied for a long time for their place in traditional practice of old world. Centuries of cultivation have left a detailed record of how it grows and behaves.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Motherwort earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Motherwort is grown for whorls of flowers and long record of use. Herb has a traditional place in practice of region, and it has been gathered and studied for a very long time. In garden tall, upright stems and whorls of pale-pink flowers are a fine, easy addition to herb border and sunny wayside, and flowers are a generous food for the bees. Once settled, it thrives on neglect more than on fussing.
Motherwort, Yi Mu Cao, is a major Chinese and European women’s herb, traditionally used after childbirth and for menstrual comfort; its alkaloids, including leonurine, are studied for uterine and cardiovascular effects.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Motherwort under ordinary good conditions. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Motherwort has real presence in the garden without demanding much in return. What it needs is basic: sun, drainage, and a little patience while it establishes.
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