Despite the common name of motherwort, this herb should not be consumed by pregnant women. It originated in Asia where it was cultivated by monasteries and botanical gardens in the Middle Ages, used to calm the heart and reduce thrombosis. It escaped from cultivation and became widely naturalized, but is now less commonly found in the wild due to competition from stinging nettles (a stronger plant). When my neighbor tried free-range rabbits (for a very short time, duh), they completely devoured this plant when it first emerged in spring.

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An unobtrusive plant with unobtrusive blooms, but it is beloved by all sorts of pollinating insects that visit the blooms from sunrise to sunset. For this reason alone, I will always make sure I have a space for it in my garden.

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This is a medicinal herb, extremely bitter. Normally used dried.
Should be gathered and dried after flowering.
The blooms seem to be Very attractive to many insects.

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