Leonurus japonicus

Leonurus japonicus
File:Leonurus japonicus Blanco2.259.png
Leonurus japonicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Leonurus
Species:	L. japonicus
Binomial name
Leonurus japonicus Houtt.
Synonyms
Leonurus artemisia (Lour.) S. Y. Hu Leonurus heterophyllus Sweet Leonurus sibiricus auct. pl. Stachys artemisia Lour.

Leonurus japonicus, commonly called Chinese motherwort, is a herbaceous flowering plant native to Asia, including Korea and Japan, and China to Cambodia.

Description

Plants are annual or biennial, growing from taproots. The stems are upright growing to a height of 30 to 120 cm. The flowers are sessile and produced in verticillasters. The calyx is tubular-campanulate shaped and 6-8 mm long with broad triangle shaped teeth. The corolla is white or reddish to purplish red in color. Plants bloom from June to September.

It has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in other parts of the world including South and North America, Europe and Africa.

Uses

It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called yìmǔcǎo (Chinese: 益母草), literally "beneficial herb for mothers".

In China, Leonurus heterophyllus injection has been studied for its potential to prevent postpartum hemorrhage after caesarian section.

Gallery

• Leonurus japonicus 01.JPG

  brush
• Leonurus japonicus 03.JPG

  flower
• Leonurus japonicus Blanco2.259.png

  shrub

See also

• Chinese herbology 50 fundamental herbs

External links

• USDA GRIN Taxonomy for Plants - Leonurus japonicus
• Plants for a Future