botanical name(s): Agrimonia eupatoria
synonyms: agrimony, stickwort, cocklebur
part(s) used: aerial parts
qualities: bitter, cool, dry
affinities: liver
actions: mild astringent, tonic, diuretic, vulnerary
dosage:
» tincture: 2 - 4 ml.
therapy: there is no remedy which is better suited to the treatment of tension, especially that tension to which traditional Chinese medicine refers as Constricted Liver Qi. The patient feels extreme mental tension, torment, as if caught in a bind (see Dr. Bach's use of Agrimony). There is corresponding physical tension, as if the part were caught in a bind; constricted respiration, harassing cough; sharp pains in the kidneys (Scudder), kidney-stones, bladder and menstrual problems (Ellingwood). This is a traditional remedy for gall-stone passage. The tongue is clear, but sometimes there are longitudinal, oval ulcers. During passage of a gall- or kidney-stone, the tongue is usually dark blue or purple, due to the congestion of blood. The wiry pulse is the great indicator, in combination with the tormented mental state (Wood).
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 1
toxicity: 0
» photodermatitis reactions are possible (Duke, pp. 23-24)
» high in tannic acids, but no related problems reported
» not for long term use
constituents: tannins, nicotinic acid, silicic acid
drug interactions:
footnotes
Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.
Ellingwood, F. 1898. American Materia Medica, Therapeutics, and Pharmacognosy. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.
Scudder, J.M. 1881. The Eclectic Practice in Diseases of Children. Cincinnati, OH.
Wood, Matthew. 1992. The Admirable Secrets of Herbs, Roots and Barks: Western Herbal Medicine, A Materia Medica. Unpublished manuscript.
Wood, Matthew. 1987. Seven Herbs: Plants As Teachers. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Press.