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agrimony

The common agrimony, or agrimony for short, is a medicinal plant. The parts of the plant that grow above ground are dried and then ground to make medicine. Agrimony is used for sore throats, stomach upsets, mild diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, gallbladder disorders, water retention, cancer, tuberculosis, bleeding, corns and warts as well as a gargle solution, heart tonic, sedative and antihistamine. Agrimony is applied directly to the skin as an astringent and to treat redness and swelling. Some chemicals isolated from agrimony are used to fight viruses.

How does agrimony work?

Agrimony contains chemicals called tannins, which are believed to help with conditions such as diarrhea.

How effective is agrimony?

There is not enough scientific information to make a statement about the effectiveness of agrimony for treating diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, sore throats and upset stomachs. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of agrimony in these applications.

Are there any safety concerns?

Agrimony appears to be safe and harmless for most adults when used over a short period of time. However, large amounts of agrimony may not be safe and harmless because agrimony contains chemicals called tannins. Agrimony may increase skin sensitivity to sunlight in some people and increase the risk of sunburn.

Precautions and warnings

  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding: agrimony may not be safe or safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women as it affects the menstrual cycle.
  • Surgeries: Agrimony can lower blood sugar levels and there are therefore concerns that it could affect blood sugar control during and after surgery. For this reason, you should stop taking agrimony two weeks before an operation.

Interactions with medication

Care should be taken when combining agrimony with the following medications:

Diabetes medication

agrimony can lower blood sugar levels. Diabetes medication is also used to lower blood sugar levels. Taking agrimony in combination with diabetes medication could result in an excessive drop in blood sugar levels. For this reason, blood glucose levels should be carefully monitored. It is possible that the dosage of the diabetes medication may need to be adjusted.

Dosage

There is not yet sufficient information available to determine an optimal dosage for agrimony. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label or consult a doctor or pharmacist.

References

  1. Copland A, Nahar L, Tomlinson CT, et al. Antibacterial and free radical scavenging activity of the seeds of Agrimonia eupatoria. Fitoterapia 2003;74:133-5.
  2. Gray AM, Flatt PR. Actions of the traditional anti-diabetic plant, Agrimony eupatoria (agrimony): effects on hyperglycaemia, cellular glucose metabolism and insulin secretion. Br J Nutr 1998;80:109-14.
  3. Swanston-Flatt SK, Day C, Bailey CJ, Flatt PR. Traditional plant treatments for diabetes. Studies in normal and streptozotocin diabetic mice. Diabetologia 1990;33:462-4.
  4. Venskutonis PR, Skemaite M, Ragazinskiene O. Radical scavenging capacity of Agrimonia eupatoria and Agrimonia procera. Fitoterapia 2007;78:166-8.