Food Forest Plants
Food Forest Plants
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$7.95
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Motherwort is an easy-to-grow medicinal herb with a long history in European and Asian herbal traditions. This hardy perennial from the mint family produces soft, deeply lobed leaves and pinkish flowers that bees absolutely love. In warm temperate and cool climates, it is reliable, tough, and very low-maintenance — a great choice for herbalists, cottage gardens, and medicinal plant collections.
Motherwort has been valued for centuries for its calming, heart-supporting, and uterine-tonic properties.
Traditional Western Use:
Used by midwives as a uterine tonic
Supportive in prevention of postpartum infections
Used to promote uterine stimulation
Taken for anxiety, palpitations, and heart tension
Traditionally used for overactive thyroid, restlessness, and nervous exhaustion
Chinese Herbal Medicine:
In Chinese medicine, motherwort is considered bitter, spicy, and slightly cold, and enters the pericardium and liver meridians. It is used to:
Invigorate blood circulation
Regulate menstruation
Support postpartum recovery
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is easy to grow and well-suited to Port Stephens, NSW, and other warm temperate or cool regions like the Blue Mountains.
Soil:
Prefers well-drained soil
Grows well in average garden soil enriched with compost
Tolerates clay-loam if drainage is adequate
Light Requirements:
Best in full sun to part shade
Afternoon shade is helpful in very hot coastal climates
Watering:
Moderate water needs
Drought-tolerant once established, but grows lusher with regular moisture
Frost Hardiness:
Fully frost-hardy
In warm, frost-free climates it is less likely to self-sow
Growth Habit:
Herbaceous perennial
Dies back in winter in cooler areas and regrows in spring
Can self-sow modestly in cooler climates
Excellent bee plant
Adds texture and height to herb borders
Suitable for medicinal gardens, cottage gardens, and food forests
Low maintenance and long-lived
Lion’s Tail, Heartwort
Agripaume / Herbe battudo (French)
Agripalma, Melissa salvatica (Italian)
Aartgespan, Hartgespan (Dutch)
益母草 yì mǔ cǎo (Chinese)
Yakumos (Japanese)
Ikmoch’o (Korean)
Hjärtstilla / Bonässla (Swedish)
Løvehale (Norwegian, Danish)
Nukula (Finnish)
Echtes Herzgespann / Echtes Löwenschwanz (German)
Sercdecznik pospolity (Polish)
Agripalma, Marihuanilla (Spanish)
Disclaimer:
We love plants as much as you do! All plants sold by Food Forest Plants are intended for ornamental, educational, or gardening purposes. Some may have traditional culinary or medicinal uses, but we cannot give medical advice—please consult a qualified professional before consuming or using any plant. We take great care in labelling, but mistakes can happen. Food Forest Plants is not responsible for any illness, injury, or other effects from using, handling, or consuming plants. Use at your own risk.
Motherwort is an easy-to-grow medicinal herb with a long history in European and Asian herbal traditions. This hardy perennial from the mint family produces soft, deeply lobed leaves and pinkish flowers that bees absolutely love. In warm temperate and cool climates, it is reliable, tough, and very low-maintenance — a great choice for herbalists, cottage gardens, and medicinal plant collections.
Motherwort has been valued for centuries for its calming, heart-supporting, and uterine-tonic properties.
Traditional Western Use:
Used by midwives as a uterine tonic
Supportive in prevention of postpartum infections
Used to promote uterine stimulation
Taken for anxiety, palpitations, and heart tension
Traditionally used for overactive thyroid, restlessness, and nervous exhaustion
Chinese Herbal Medicine:
In Chinese medicine, motherwort is considered bitter, spicy, and slightly cold, and enters the pericardium and liver meridians. It is used to:
Invigorate blood circulation
Regulate menstruation
Support postpartum recovery
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is easy to grow and well-suited to Port Stephens, NSW, and other warm temperate or cool regions like the Blue Mountains.
Soil:
Prefers well-drained soil
Grows well in average garden soil enriched with compost
Tolerates clay-loam if drainage is adequate
Light Requirements:
Best in full sun to part shade
Afternoon shade is helpful in very hot coastal climates
Watering:
Moderate water needs
Drought-tolerant once established, but grows lusher with regular moisture
Frost Hardiness:
Fully frost-hardy
In warm, frost-free climates it is less likely to self-sow
Growth Habit:
Herbaceous perennial
Dies back in winter in cooler areas and regrows in spring
Can self-sow modestly in cooler climates
Excellent bee plant
Adds texture and height to herb borders
Suitable for medicinal gardens, cottage gardens, and food forests
Low maintenance and long-lived
Lion’s Tail, Heartwort
Agripaume / Herbe battudo (French)
Agripalma, Melissa salvatica (Italian)
Aartgespan, Hartgespan (Dutch)
益母草 yì mǔ cǎo (Chinese)
Yakumos (Japanese)
Ikmoch’o (Korean)
Hjärtstilla / Bonässla (Swedish)
Løvehale (Norwegian, Danish)
Nukula (Finnish)
Echtes Herzgespann / Echtes Löwenschwanz (German)
Sercdecznik pospolity (Polish)
Agripalma, Marihuanilla (Spanish)
Disclaimer:
We love plants as much as you do! All plants sold by Food Forest Plants are intended for ornamental, educational, or gardening purposes. Some may have traditional culinary or medicinal uses, but we cannot give medical advice—please consult a qualified professional before consuming or using any plant. We take great care in labelling, but mistakes can happen. Food Forest Plants is not responsible for any illness, injury, or other effects from using, handling, or consuming plants. Use at your own risk.