Yimucao Not Only Activates Blood and Regulates Menses; It Is Also an Excellent Kidney-Treating Herb

Mention Yimucao (Motherwort, Leonurus), and few adults do not know it. It is a very common gynecological herb; patent medicines made from it, such as Yimucao granules, are routinely used in obstetrics and gynecology.

Yimucao excels at activating blood and regulating menses, and dispelling stasis and unblocking the channels; it is an essential herb for gynecological menstrual and obstetric diseases. The very name Yimucao (benefiting-mother herb) comes from its main therapeutic effect: it treats persistent lochia after childbirth, abdominal pain due to stasis, or difficult labor and stillbirth. In treating common gynecological menstrual and obstetric diseases, Yimucao may be used alone or combined with other blood-activating, menses-unblocking herbs such as Danggui (Angelica), Chuanxiong (Ligusticum), Ruxiang (frankincense), and Moyao (myrrh).

Yimucao is cheap and readily available, growing in stands in many places. Along the rivers in my hometown, wild Yimucao is everywhere. It is very easy to grow and produces very charming flowers, so in some places it is even cultivated as an ornamental.

Yimucao can be used not only for obstetric and gynecological diseases but also has a strong diuretic, edema-reducing action, and can be used to treat edema of various causes.

The Zhonghua Bencao (Chinese Materia Medica) also records Yimucao therapeutic action on acute kidney injury. Using serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, fractional excretion of filtered sodium, renal blood flow, and animal survival as observational indicators, it can be demonstrated that Yimucao has a significant effect in treating the initial stage of ischemic acute renal failure in dogs. In rabbits, intravenous injection of leonurine markedly increases urine output.

Yimucao both promotes diuresis and reduces edema, and activates blood and resolves stasis, so it is an excellent herb for treating edema caused by the mutual binding of water and stasis. It may be used alone or combined with Baimaogen (Imperata root) and Zelan (Lycopus). If treating blood strangury and hematuria due to blood heat and stasis, it may be paired with Cheqianzi (Plantago seed) and Shiwei (Pyrrosia).

An older woman I know gave me her family ancestral formula for treating acute nephritis. I asked her whether I could publish it, and she agreed. So I attach this formula here: Jinqiancao (Lysimachia) 30g, Yunling (Yunnan Poria) 10g, Zhuling (Polyporus) 10g, Zexie (Alisma) 10g, raw Baizhu (Atractylodes) 20g, Yimucao (Motherwort) 30g, Baimaogen (Imperata root) 30g, Cheqianzi (Plantago seed) 20g. This formula has good results in treating acute nephritis in patients who have not yet received hormone therapy.

Many patients may develop acute nephritis for various reasons, and the treatment of various diseases by Chinese and Western medicine can also easily cause kidney damage. If a Yimucao-based formula is used in the early stage of kidney injury, the patient renal function can be quickly restored.

Patients with damaged kidneys often have turbid urine or hematuria; examination may show elevated urine protein and the like. If the patient cannot easily take a decoction, I usually tell them to take the patent medicine Yimucao granules or Yimucao paste directly. If the patient can take a decoction, I usually give them the above decoction, which works more quickly. Besides Yimucao, the other herbs in this formula also have good diuretic, edema-reducing, and kidney-protecting effects.

Because Yimucao activates blood and resolves stasis and is cheap and readily available, it is also used in the countryside to treat traumatic injuries and sores, carbuncles, and swelling pain. Yimucao also clears heat and detoxifies, so it may be combined with Huangbai (Phellodendron), Pugongying (dandelion), and Kushen (Sophora flavescens) to treat heat-type sores, carbuncles, and swelling pain.

Therefore Yimucao is also one of the commonly used herbs in oncology. But patients with a bleeding tendency should be cautious when taking Yimucao and should consult a professional physician.