Perennial growing to a height of 1.5 m (5 ft). Has a red stem, downy leaves and dense bunches of pink to mauve florets.
Habitat & Cultivation
Native to Europe, hemp agrimony is now also found in western Asia and North Africa. It grows in damp woods, ditches, marshes and on wasteground, and is gathered when in flower in summer.
Constituents
Hemp agrimony contains a volatile oil (with alpha-terpinene, p-cymene, thymol and an azulene), sesquiterpene lactones (especially eupatoriopicrin), flavonoids, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and polysaccharides. P-cymene is antiviral, while eupatoriopicrin has anti-cancer properties and inhibits cellular growth. The polysaccharides stimulate the immune system. In isolation, the pyrrolizidine alkaloids are toxic to the liver.
History & Folklore
Hemp agrimony was known to Avicenna (ad 980-1037) and other practitioners of Arabian medicine in the early Middle Ages. In her book A Modern Herbal (1931), Mrs Grieve describes how "people used to lay the leaves on bread, considering that they thus prevented it from becoming mouldy".
Medicinal Actions & Uses
Hemp agrimony has been employed chiefly as a detoxifying herb for fever, colds, flu and other acute viral conditions. It also stimulates the removal of waste products via the kidneys. The root is laxative, and the whole plant is considered to be tonic. Recently, hemp agrimony has found use as an immune-stimulant, helping to maintain resistance to acute viral and other infections.
