Leonurus quinquelobatus
StarLeonurus quinquelobatus
Synonyms: Leonurus cardiaca subsp. villosus, Leonurus quinquelobatus var. caucasicus, Leonurus cardiaca var. canescens, Cardiaca quinquelobata, Leonurus villosus, Leonurus cardiaca var. villosus
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
Leonurus quinquelobatus, commonly known as five-lobed motherwort, is an erect perennial herb in the family Lamiaceae native to eastern Europe, the Caucasus, western Siberia and Central Asia, and naturalised in scattered localities elsewhere; it is regarded by some authorities as a subspecies or close ally of L. cardiaca and the two are frequently combined in commerce as motherwort. Plants grow 50 to 150 centimetres tall from a creeping rhizome, with stout, square, often purple-tinged stems clothed in spreading, somewhat rough hairs. The leaves are opposite and long-petioled; lower leaves are broadly orbicular in outline and palmately divided into five deep, coarsely toothed lobes from which the specific epithet derives, while upper leaves are smaller and three-lobed to entire. Inflorescences are crowded sessile axillary verticillasters forming long terminal leafy spikes; the small two-lipped pale pink to mauve flowers have a hairy upper lip and a five-toothed campanulate calyx with stiff awn-like teeth. The fruit consists of four small, three-angled brown nutlets enclosed within the persistent prickly calyx, which catches readily on clothing and animal fur.
Active Constituents
Stachydrine (proline betaine)
Pyrrolidine alkaloid / betaineConcentration: Principal alkaloid; used with leonurine as a pharmacopoeial quality marker for motherwort herb
Water-soluble betaine alkaloid characteristic of the genus Leonurus. Reported uterotonic and mild cardiovascular/anti-fibrotic activity and used, alongside leonurine, as an official marker for standardising motherwort (Leonuri herba).
Leonurine (guanidine alkaloid)
Guanidino alkaloid (SCM-198)Concentration: Minor in aerial parts; more prominent in some congeners
Guanidine alkaloid credited with cardioprotective, hypotensive, uterotonic and neuroprotective actions in the genus. Present in lower amounts in European five-lobed motherwort than the alkaloid content alone would suggest; the sedative action is attributed more to iridoids than to leonurine.
Verbascoside (acteoside)
Phenylethanoid glycosideConcentration: Major phenolic constituent of Leonurus aerial parts
Caffeoyl-phenylethanoid glycoside with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and radical-scavenging activity. Identified as a major bioactive across Turkish Leonurus species including L. quinquelobatus.
Genkwanin
Methylated flavoneConcentration: Prominently detected in L. quinquelobatus
7-O-methylapigenin flavone reported as notably abundant in L. quinquelobatus relative to other motherworts; contributes anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
Caffeoylquinic acids (incl. chlorogenic acid)
Hydroxycinnamic acid estersConcentration: Present as a group of related isomers
Chlorogenic/caffeoylquinic acids together with free caffeic and ferulic acids provide the bulk of the antioxidant capacity of the aqueous extract.
Flavonoid glycosides (rutin, hyperoside, quercetin)
Flavonol glycosidesConcentration: Total flavonoids standardised to ≥0.2% (hyperoside equivalents) in quality herb
Rutin, hyperoside and quercetin derivatives underpin the vascular and mild sedative-cardiotonic reputation; flavonoid content is the basis of pharmacopoeial standardisation for motherwort.
Iridoid glycosides (leonuride / ajugol)
Iridoid glycosidesConcentration: Bitter constituents of the aerial parts
Bitter iridoids to which the sedative and mild hypotensive activity of motherwort is chiefly attributed.
Essential oil (caryophyllene, humulene)
Sesquiterpene volatile oilConcentration: Small quantity; caryophyllene and α-humulene dominant
Volatile fraction dominated by β-caryophyllene and α-humulene, contributing aroma and minor anti-inflammatory activity.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Cardiac glycosides / beta-blockers / antihypertensives
Motherwort is traditionally cardiotonic and mildly hypotensive/negatively chronotropic; concurrent use with cardiac glycosides, beta-blockers or antihypertensives could additively lower heart rate or blood pressure.
Clinical note: Monitor heart rate and blood pressure in patients on cardiovascular medication; avoid unsupervised combined use.
CNS depressants / sedatives
The iridoid-mediated sedative action may add to that of benzodiazepines, hypnotics, opioids or alcohol.
Clinical note: Caution with concurrent sedating agents; may increase drowsiness.
Anticoagulant / antiplatelet agents
Motherwort has been reported to affect platelet aggregation; a theoretical additive effect with warfarin, DOACs or antiplatelets exists.
Clinical note: Use caution around surgery or in patients on anticoagulants.
Preparation Methods
Infusion (herbal tea)
Parts: aerial parts (flowering tops), leaf
Pour boiling water over 1–2 g dried flowering herb, infuse covered 10–15 minutes and strain; taken up to three times daily as a mild sedative and cardiotonic. Traditionally standardised motherwort herb (Leonuri herba) in the Russian/Eastern-European tradition is derived from L. quinquelobatus.
Tincture (hydroethanolic extract)
Parts: aerial parts
Ethanolic tincture (commonly 1:5 in ~70% ethanol), 20–40 drops in water up to three times daily. Avoid in pregnancy (traditional uterotonic/emmenagogue use) and in significant bradycardia or hypotension; combine with cardiovascular or sedative drugs only under supervision.
Clinical Studies
Chemical Composition and Bioactivities of Turkish Leonurus Species (Lamiaceae) Extracts: Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Antiproliferative Potential
Comparative study of Turkish Leonurus species including L. quinquelobatus. Verbascoside, genkwanin and caffeoylquinic acids were identified as major constituents, with genkwanin notably abundant in L. quinquelobatus. Extracts showed antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activity in vitro.
Historical Texts
State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR / Russian Pharmacopoeia (Herba Leonuri)
20th centuryEuropean herbal tradition (motherwort, Leonurus)
16th–19th centuryReferences
- Saltan N, Köse YB, Göger F, Osmaniye D, İşcan G. Chemical Composition and Bioactivities of Turkish Leonurus Species (Lamiaceae) Extracts: Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Antiproliferative Potential . Molecules (2026) [DOI]
- Wojtyniak K, Szymański M, Matławska I. Leonurus cardiaca L. (Motherwort): A Review of its Phytochemistry and Pharmacology . Phytotherapy Research (2013) [DOI]
- Miłkowska-Leyck K, Filipek B, Strzelecka H. Pharmacological effects of lavandulifolioside from Leonurus cardiaca . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2002) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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