NIS - libdoc.who.int - World Health Organization

WHO monographs on medicinal plants commonly used in the Newly Independent States (NIS)
Clinical pharmacology
A 70% ethanol extract of Herba Leonuri was tested in an open clinical
study in patients with cardiovascular diseases. An improvement in cardiac
activity, and a reduction in blood pressure was observed in 69% of patients
(41).
The effect of Herba Leonuri on blood hyperviscosity was investigated
in 105 patients. An extract of Herba Leonuri, 10 ml (5 g/ml) in 250 ml of
5% glucose, was given once daily intravenously for 15 days. In 94.5% of
patients, improvement was observed. The researchers noted a decrease in
blood viscosity and in fibrinogen volume, an increase in the deformability
of red blood cells, and a decrease in platelet aggregation (42).
In an open controlled study 121 normal fertile women were given an
oral dose of a decoction of Herba Leonuri (30 g dry weight equivalent).
An increase in intrauterine pressure in 41.3% of the women was demonstrated.
The increase ranged from 150% to more than 300% of spontaneous
activity before dosing. Intramuscular injection of ergonovine (positive
control) at a dose of 0.2 mg produced a 1% increase in intrauterine pressure.
A blind control with water yielded a positive response rate of 2.7%.
There were no observable side-effects reported apart from diuresis (54).
The efficacy of several plants (Valeriana, Leonurus, Aralia, Hypericum,
Echinopanax, Eleutherococcus, Schizandra, and Panax ginseng) as
photoprotectors and photosensitizers was tested by assessing the influence
of their extracts on the photochemiluminescence of glycyl-tryptophan
solutions. Photosensitization was studied under irradiation with
light λ > 280 nm, as well as with monochromatic light λ = 313, 365,
405 and 436 nm. All of the plants studied acted as photoprotectors at low
concentrations and as photosensitizers at high concentrations. The efficiency
of photoprotection or photosensitization of a single dose of plant
extracts and their concentration in humans were determined. In order of
decreasing effect, the sequence was as follows: Leonurus > Hypericum >
Aralia > Schizandra > Echinopanax > Eleutherococcus > Valeriana >
Panax ginseng. Photosensitization is attributed to the components of the
plant extracts which have strong absorption at high wavelengths (55).
Adverse reactions
No information was found.
Contraindications
Herba Leonuri should be avoided during pregnancy due to its uterotonic
activity, and its ability to affect the menstrual cycle (46, 53). Herba Leon-
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