Common Name

Standardized: wood betony

Botanical Name

Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevis.
Plant Family: Lamiaceae

Synonyms

Betonica officinalis, Stachys betonica

Overview

"Sell your coat and buy betony," admonished an Italian proverb of the Middle Ages. Wood betony was once considered an herbal "magic bullet" for dispelling a wide variety of diseases. Antonius Musa, chief physician to the Roman emperor Caesar August, catalogued 47 conditions he treated with the herb. Wood betony is an herb native to Europe bearing a spike of purple flowers on a long, central stem reaching 1-2 feet (60 to 90 cm) high. All the leaves are rough to the touch and are also fringed with short, fine hairs; their whole surface is dotted with glands containing a bitter, aromatic oil.

Parts Used

The whole herb, collected in dry weather.

Typical Preparations

Gargles, extracts and teas. Seldom found encapsulated.

--Medicinal Action and Uses---

Betony was once the sovereign remedy for all maladies of the head, and its properties as a nervine and tonic are still acknowledged, though it is more frequently employed in combination with other nervines than alone. It is useful in hysteria, palpitations pain in the head and face, neuralgia and all nervous affections. In the Medicina Britannica (1666) we read: 'I have known the most obstinate headaches cured by daily breakfasting for a month or six weeks on a decoction of Betony made with new milk and strained.'

As an aromatic, it has also astringent and alterative action, and combined with other remedies is used as a tonic in dyspepsia and as an alterative in rheumatism, scrofula and impurities of the blood.

The weak infusion forms a very acceptable substitute for tea, and in this way is extensively used in many localities. It has somewhat the taste of tea and all the good qualities of it, without the bad ones. To make Betony tea, pour a pint of boiling water on an ounce of the dried herb. A wineglassful of this decoction three times a dayproves a benefit against languid nervous headaches.

The dried herb may also be smoked as tobacco, combined with Eyebright and Coltsfoot, for relieving headache.

A pinch of the powdered herb will provoke violent sneezing. The dried leaves formed an ingredient in Rowley's British Herb Snuff, which was at one time quite famous for headaches.

The fresh leaves are said to have an intoxicating effect. They have been used to dye wool a fine yellow.

Health Benefits of Wood Betony

• Anti-inflammatory
• Improves Respiratory Problems
  
• Improves Kidney Function
• Relieves Stress,
• Treats Oral Problems
• Alleviates Headache
• Treats Digestion Problems
• Lowers Blood Pressure
• Better Circulation
• Alleviates Skin Problems
• Relieves Menstrual Pain
• Improves Liver Function
  
• Maintain Mental Health
• Clears Skin Rashes
• Cures Migraines