English name: White dead nettle
Family: Lamiaceae
Botanical characteristic: Annual herb, 20 – 40 cm tall, has
a square stem. The leaves are ovate with a pointed top, opposite, with a serrated edge. White flowers grow in the axils of the leaves, which form double-lipped crowns. The fruit is four hard fruits.
Microscopic drawing:
Distribution: It grows by the roads, on the edges of forests, gardens.
Drug: Lamii albi flos, Lamii albi herba
Harvesting method: Flowers and stalk with flowers are collected from May to September. White crown scales are removed by hand in dry weather. The stalk with flowers is harvested with gardening shears, without the presence of lower woody parts.
Drying: Flowers and stalk are dried naturally in thin layers in an airy place, in the shade. Artificially in a drying room, where the temperature must not exceed 40 °C.
Active substances: White dead nettle contains iridoid bitter-tasting substances such as lamalbid. Flavonoids are represented by rutoside and tiliroside. In the drug we find slime, a smaller amount of tannins and traces of essential oils. The phenolic compounds include rosmarinic acid, which is biogenetically synthesized by all representatives of the lamiaceae plant family.
Uses: White dead nettle and preparations from it are rather used in folk medicine, where it is understood as the so-called female plant. It is used for irregular menstrual cycles and infections of the female genital organs. However, these effects have not yet been sufficiently scientifically supported. Due to the content of mucilage, tannins and anti-inflammatory substances, the drug can rarely be used for stomach and intestinal irritation.
Selected herbal preparations: AGROKARPATY WHITE DEAD NETTLE herbal tea 1×30 g, LEROS RESPIRATORY TRACT infusion bags 20×1.5 g, FYTO GYNASTAN Herbal WOMEN’S TEA 20×1 g, LEROS PEACEFUL MENSTRUATION infusion bags 20×1.5 g, J.V. DROPS – FEMI for ovarian activity 50 ml.