* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
A pretty plant, bearing spikes of tiny yellow flowers (church steeples) and fruit with hooked bristles at the top (cockleburs), agrimony grows wild by roadsides, fields, and woods. Although the plant has no narcotic properties, tradition holds that when placed under a person's head, agrimony will induce a deep sleep that will last until it is removed.
Folklore aside, agrimony has a long history of medicinal use. The English poet Michael Drayton once hailed it as an "alkheal," and through the ages it did seem to he a panacea. The ancient Greeks used agrimony to treat eye ailments, and it was made into brews to cure diarrhea and disorders of the gallbladder, liver, and kidneys. Anglo-Saxons made a solution from the leaves and seeds for healing wounds; this use continued through the Middle Ages and afterward, in a preparation called eau if arquebusade, or "musket-shot water." Later, agrimony was prescribed for athlete's foot.
In the United States and Canada, lateinto the 19th century, the plant was prescribed for many of these ifis and more: for skin diseases, asthma, coughs, and gynecological complaints, and as a gargle for sore throat.
Habitat: Roadsides, waste ground, fields, woods.
Range: Native to Europe, agrimony is cultivated in much of the United States and southern Canada.
Identification: A perennial, growing 2-3 feet high, with an upright mature brown stem covered with soft, silky hairs. The hairy leaves are alternate and pinnately arranged, with coarsely toothed leaflets. At the top of the stem grow numerous small yellow flowers (July-August) in long spikes, the blooms opening one above another. Hooked bristles at the upper end of the burlike fruit stick to clothing and animal fur.
Uses: Agrimony's medicinal properties as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and astringent are all due to the presence of large quantities of tannin in the plant. Herbalists today use the flowering stem tips and dried leaves as a tonic and diuretic and for digestive disorders, including diarrhea. The plant is also applied to slow-healing wounds. Agrimony is an ingredient of herb teas.
Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria L.
Family: Rosaceaea.
Other Names: Common agrimony; aigremoine gariot (French); Kleiner Odernsennig (German); agrimonia (Italian); agrimonia (Spanish).
Description: An erect, perennial herb (up to 1 m high), with compound, toothed, hairy leaves and small yellow flowers borne in slender spikes. A closely related species, the fragrant agrimony, A. procera is sometimes also used and is considered an acceptable alternative source of raw material. It is similar to A. eupatoria but can easily be distinguished by its fragrant smell. In traditional Chinese medicine, A. pilosa is used.
Origin: Europe and Near East (A. eupatoria); Asia Minor (A. procera, often cultivated) and Asia (A. pilosa). The herb is gathered while flowering - commercial sources originate mainly from eastern Europe.
Parts Used: Dried, aboveground parts of A. eupatoria (Agrimoniae herba).
Uses and Properties: The plant is historically important as an astringent in the treatment of external wounds, especially to stop bleeding. Nowadays it is mostly used to treat mucosal inflammations of the throat and acute diarrhoea, but also for piles, cystitis and urinary incontinence. It is claimed (without scientific evidence) to have benefits in rheumatism, arthritis and gall-bladder disorders.
Active Ingredients:Agrimonia (like other herbs from the Rosaceae), is rich in tannins, particularly catechol tannins and gallotannins. One of the main compounds is agrimoniin. The herb also contains 20% polysaccharides, triterpenoids and flavonoids (glucosides ofluteolin and apigenin). Small amounts of essential oil may be present if A. procera was included in the material. A. pilosa, rich in agrimophol (a polymer of gallic acid), also shows anthelmintic properties.
Pharmacological Effects: Gallotannins are astringent; they have the ability to form hydrogen and ionic bonds with macromolecules such as proteins. Extracts show antiviral and marked antibacterial activities. Agrimony is considered to have diuretic effects but there is limited scientific evidence to support the traditional use in ailments of the urinary tract.
Status: Pharm.; Comm.E+.
Preparation and Dosage: The herb is used in tablets and tinctures. It is an ingredient of numerous commercial preparations, mainly liver, bile and stomach remedies. A tea can be prepared from 1.5 g of the herb (taken two or three times a day).
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Use in moderation.
Not for use during pregnancy.
Not for use by those who are constipated.
High doses may slow heartbeat.
Additional Information
The TerraVita Premium Collection uses only the finest, purest and most potent plant extracts from around the world.
The TerraVita Premium Collection is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
The TerraVita Premium Collection is packed in child-proof, tamper-proof pharmaceutical-grade recyclable containers.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
