Motherwort is best known for treating female disorders, hence its name “motherwort.” Its Chinese name, yi mu cao, translates as “benefits the mother herb.”

Here are a few fun facts about motherwort you might not know…

• The compound, leonurine, found in motherwort, is known to help relax blood vessel walls helping to lower blood pressure and improve heart rate.
• Research conducted in China has shown motherwort assists in lowering blood lipid levels, aiding a healthy cardio system.
• Unlike other herbs in the mint family, motherwort is a bitter herb without the fragrance and flavor of many mint family plants. The taste is often softened by the use of honey, lemon, or other herbs to help balance the herb’s strong bitter flavor.
• Motherwort is native to Eurasia and is now naturalized throughout Southern Canada and the Northeastern United States.
• There is an old tale of a town whose waters flowed through banks of motherwort which caused the residents to live to be 130 years old.

Find out more about this must-know herb.