Motherwort Constituents

The image above is from normanallan.com.

None of the unresearched items are in my books so I'm adding those to my list to research studies and will clarify those when I can. 

The next herb will be oats.  Love and Light!

On to the constituents of motherwort.

Alkaloids are defined by Hoffman as "organic compounds with at least one nitrogen atom in the heterocyclic ring". This is the ONLY thing they all have in common. They are not usually soluble in water, nor are their salts. Most are also alkaline (Hoffman, 2003, p. 120-133, 152).

Apigenin (Flavonoid), occasionally on leaves and in ferns, has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, diuretic, and hypotensive properties (Hoffman, 2003, p. 106).

Caffeic Acid (Phenolic Acids, Polyphenolic Acid): it has antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective properties (Ganora, 2009, p. 108). It adds synergy for antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects in herbs such as echinacea.

Diterpenes: Hoffman describes a specific diterpene so I'll just talk about Ganora. She says there are several categories and what they do depends on that category. Diterpenes, structurally, have 20 carbons. She says these are relatively stabile because of their size but a rare few may be volatile. They are usually constituents of oleoresins or resins. This means they are either water soluble or high-percentage alcohol soluble. it appears there are too many to specify any activity they may possess. She does say there are about 2,500 of them (Hoffman, 2003, p. 174; Ganora, 2003, p. 46, 68, 134, 139, 140).

Glycosides (Bitter, Flavonoids): are compounds that contain a sugar unit attached to a non-carbohydrate molecule (aglycone). The sugar makes them easier to absorb, making to aglycone more bioavailable than others. They are categorized by the sugar, aglycone, or the link between the 2. (Hoffman, 2003, p. 41, 48, 199).

Iridoids are monoterpenoid lactones that are often the basis for the bitter principle as they are the bitterest compounds meaning they stimulate the digestive system. Ganora calls these modified monoterpenoids (Hoffman, 2003, p. 66, 67; Ganora, 2009, p. 68, 134, 136).

Kaempferol (3,5,7,4-tetrahydroxyflavone) (Flavonoids): responsible for eliminating free radicals in plants caused by UV radiation of the sun.

L-Stachydrine (Alkaloid):

Labdane Diterpenes:

Leocardin (Labdane Diterpene):

Leonruin (Glycosides):

Leonuride (Iridoid):

Leonuinine (Alkaloid):

Leonuridine (Glycoside):

Leonurine (Iridoid):

Quercetin (Flavonoid) reduces allergy-induced inflammation, inhibits the growth of head and neck cancers, inhibits reverse transcriptase. Fallon says this has anti-thyroid properties. Cohen says it prevents gout. Pierre says it fights cancer and prevents heart disease.  Also, process cherries, such as those in a can, have twice as much as fresh cherries (Hoffman, 2003, p. 14; Fallon, 2001, p. 502; Cohen, 2007, p. 262; Pierre, 2005, p. 8-9).

Stachydrene (Alkaloid):

Tannins (Polyphenolic Acid) can damper some of the harsher effects of some constituents but excessive use of them can cause certain cancers. In lab studies, they can inhibit fungi, yeast, bacteria and viruses. They do inhibit some other cancers and are antioxidants. There are different kinds of tannins so the risks vary. They are present in plants to protect them in various ways, depending on location (Hoffman, 2003, p. 114-117, 201).

Volatile oil: Volatile just means they evaporate more quickly than other substances. If it says "volatile", you want to use the plant as fresh as possible and try not to warm it up in any way (Ganora, 2009, p. 52, 57, 61, 134, 139). Chevallier (2016) says volatile oils are what is extracted from the plant to make essential oils and are made of a lot of compounds, sometimes as much as 100 (p. 14).

Have a Great Day!