Wood Betony (Betonica officinalis): Traditional Uses & Safety

At a glance

Botanical name: Betonica officinalis
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Aerial Parts
Taste: Bitter, Astringent
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Dry

Taught in Eden's Table

Sprouts (grades K-2), Week 22

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Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Insufficient data; caution

While breastfeeding

Avoid during breastfeeding — traditional emmenagogue with limited lactation data.

For children

Generally safe in low doses

Cautions

No significant contraindications; mild uterine stimulant — caution in pregnancy

General contraindications

Caution — possible uterine stimulant

Stewardship

Wood Betony (Betonica/Stachys officinalis) is cultivated in Europe; historically the 'most praised herb' of Anglo-Saxon tradition (Musa, Leechdoms). Stewardship: a plant with 47 Culpeper uses has witnessed a millennium of ordinary medicine — plant a patch as living inheritance.

In the traditional record

Wood Betony (Betonica officinalis / Stachys betonica) — the Roman physician Antonius Musa wrote an entire treatise on betony, attributing to it forty-seven distinct uses; the Salernitan medical school taught "sell your coat and buy betony," and the herb is referenced in the Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga and across European tradition as a head, nerve, and digestive tonic.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.