What it is:
This herb is thewhole herb of Leonurusheterophyllus Sweet (family Labiatae) which is produced inall parts of China.It is harvested in summer, dried in sun-light, and used unpre-pared or in the form of a liquid extract.

Property:
Pungent and bitter in flavour, slightlycold in property, acting on the heart,liver and urinary bladder channels.

Effects:
Invigo-rating blood circula-tion to remove bloodstasis and relievingedema by inducing diuresis.

Used for:
1. Irregular or stagnant menstruation,distending pain in the lower abdomen, amenorrhea, postpartumabdominal pain due to blood stasis, lochiorrhea and othersymptoms resulting from retention of blood stasis in the interior; and also traumatic injuries with ecchymoma, swelling and pain. It is decocted with sugar into a soft extract for oral use,i.e. Soft Extract of Motherwort(YimucaoGao). It can also beused together with Chinese angelica, chuanxiong rhizome and red peony root.

2. For difficultyin urination and edema, it can be decocted alone for an oral dose or usedwith cogongrass rhizome,poria and white atractylodes rhizome. Besides, this herb, with the actionof clearing away heat and toxins, canbe used internally or ternally to treat external diseases like sores,carbunclesand other pyogenic infections, and pruritus and skin urticaria. In recentyears, it has been used in the treatmentof acute and chronic nephritic edema and angina pectoris of coronary heart diseasedue to stagnation ofblood stasis.

Dosage and admi-nistration: 10-15g, decocted in water for an oral dose. For inducing diuresisto treat edema, the large dosage can be 30-60g. Proper amountfor external use by washing the fresh herb clean and pounding it to pastefor topical applica-tion.

Precautions:
It should not be used in cases of deficiencyof the blood withoutblood stasis.