Our Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris)

Our Lady's Mantle for postpartum prolapse

I first became acquainted with Our Lady’s Mantle about 5 or 6 years ago through a series of classes at the Herbal Medic University (a fabulous school). The herbalist/midwife that led the family and women’s programs called it a “Wise Woman Herb” because the Wise Woman Healers in Europe and Asia have used it for centuries.

Through continued association with the plant, I have come to trust and appreciate it. It’s one of the first plants I reach for when working with women’s genealogical complaints. For these kinds of issues, I use it for everything from PMS to prolapse, to endometriosis. But, like most plants, Our Lady’s Mantle is much more than a women’s herb.  

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    About Our Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris)

    Family – Rosaceae (the Rose Family)

    The many names of Our Lady’s Mantle

    The name Alchemilla reflects the way this plant was favored by alchemists in medieval Europe. They prized it because of its ability to draw and retain dew in the leaves. Moisture, in the form of droplets of water, remains nestled in the leaves long into the day, well after it has evaporated from other plants.  Alchemists collected this precious liquid, believing it possessed a special magic, especially useful for making longevity tonics and potions.

    Vulgaris, the official species name, indicates that this is a common plant. There are, according to a review article in “Natural Medicinal Materials Magazine vol. 40 (2020),” approximately 250 different varieties of Alchemilla, many with the same or similar healing properties.

    Some say the name “Our Lady’s Mantle” is given because the shape of the leaves, which look like a cloak. I prefer another explanation. This herb is claimed to have the ability to repair a woman’s hymen, restoring virginity. This explanation is specifically related to Mother Mary (although it’s said to work for all women). Thus, the plant is called “Lady’s Mantle” not Ladies’ Mantle.

    A lot of its other names refer to the shape of the leaves. Lion’s Foot, Bear’s Foot, Dew Cup and Nine Hooks are some examples. 

    Description and Botanical Information

    A perennial native to Europe and Asia, Our Lady’s Mantle thrives in the north and is commonly found growing wild in Greenland, England, and Scotland. It likes the cooler high mountain ranges and is found freely growing beyond the arctic circle and in cooler mountain regions. Today, this plant is grown in flower and herb gardens around the world. 

    Our Lady’s Mantle grows about 12 inches tall, with slender, erect stems rising from a short, black, stout rootstock. The whole plant is covered in soft hairs. The leaves are 6 to 8 inches in diameter and roundish or roughly kidney-shaped, each with 7 to 9 finely toothed, shallow-lobed edges. The flowers are small and green to yellow forming lovely clusters of blossoms in the early summer.

    By all accounts, Lady’s Mantle is easy to grow in the United States. It prefers well-drained soil in either full sun or part shade. However, if you decide to grow it, it may be best to obtain a cutting or root division. I tried for a few years to germinate seeds without success. This year I’m ordering seedling plants. I’ll let you know how it goes.

    Our Lady's Mantle
    our lady's mantle flowers

    Parts Used

    The flowers and leaves are harvested when the plant first begins to bloom. Plant material may be dried in a cool dark place for later use or made into a tincture or acetate. Both can be made by infusing 1-part herb to 2 parts alcohol or apple cider vinegar respectively.    

    A fresh plant tincture can be made with 30% – 40% alcohol. If using dry herb, use 1-part ground plant material to 3 parts 25% to 30% alcohol. The dosage is 2 to 4 ml 3x per day.

    The dried herb is often used as an infusion, tea, sitz bath, or as a wash. Freshly dried Our Lady’s Mantle also makes a lovely oil to help relieve pain, swelling and for wound healing. (See more details below).

    Bitter astringent, hormonal regulator, cycle regulator, amphoteric, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, astringent, styptic/anti hemorrhage, calming nervine, partus preparator, male tonic, vulnerary, digestive aid, and emmenagogue

    Energetics – Cooling, drying, calming, restoring, stabilizing, and decongesting

    Active constituents

    Our Lady’s Mantle contains a large number of tannins, salicylic acid, several types of ellagitannins, phenol carboxylic acids, and flavonoids, including quercetin and kaempferol, and their glycosides. 

    The chemical constituents contained in a plant are directly related to its medicinal properties. For example, tannins are astringent. Flavonoids act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. There are many categories of chemical compounds. These work together to give herbs their broad ranging and harmonizing effects. All parts work in harmony. Problems can arise when scientists try to extract a single active constituent. Plants, created by nature, are holistic beings and work best in their whole form. 

    Understanding the chemical constituents increases the understanding of how herbs can be used. They are not the only way to understand an herb’s function, but for some people, it is very useful. A full discussion of active constituents is beyond the scope of this writing. If you are interested in reading more about them, here is a great reference for your enjoyment.

    Medicinal Uses of Our Lady’s Mantle

    A look back in history finds Our Lady’s Mantle to be an important herb to the ancient Germanic peoples, who associated it with Freya. A perfect match! Freya, a goddess of the Norse pantheon, is associated with love, beauty, sex, fertility, war, battle, and death, which is a fitting association because of the herbs’ prominent uses as both a wound healer and a woman’s tonic.

    Our Lady’s Mantle has an affinity for the hollow organs in the body (like the uterus, heart, colon etc.), the muscular system and the reproductive system. It works to stay and prevent bleeding both inside and out, repairs, tones, and protects ligaments, and muscular and connective tissue. Its use also helps decrease the amount of water (or poor-quality fluids) stuck in the tissues while improving the overall quality of fluids system wide. 

    This plant also acts as an astringent to tone and rebuild damaged or lax tissues and as a pain-relieving agent and anti-inflammatory, much like Willow bark or Meadowsweet.

    On an energetic level you can see these qualities in all the specific uses listed below.

    A Wound Healer

    Our Lady’s Mantle was honored as an important would healer in the middle-aged healers. Culpepper talked about its wound healing use as “very proper for inflamed wounds and to stay bleeding,” “one of the most singular wound herbs and therefore highly prized and praised, used in all wounds inward and outward.” He went on to say that the use of Our Lady’s Mantle, used both internally and as an external wash or poultice, works wonderfully to dry sores, reduce inflammations and even to treat “green” or infected wounds and sores, leaving behind no corruption.

    Today, Lady’s Mantle is mostly used as a “women’s herb” to treat reproductive issues.

    Reproductive Uses

    With an affinity to the women’s reproductive system, this herb is a valuable remedy for problems associated with weak, deficient tissues. It works to help balance functioning of both overly tense and lax tissues that lack muscular tone.

    As a bitter astringent Our Lady’s Mantle also helps restore boggy, damp, and atrophied tissues. It helps tone and restore vitality to the uterus, repair abdominal organ prolapse, strengthen the pelvic floor and clear pelvic congestion.

    As a tonic herb, Our Lady’s Mantle works slowly, nourishing and supporting reproductive organs and tissues. When taken over a period of time, it brings lasting and regulating effects. 

    Hormonal Regulator

    As a hormonal regulator, Our Lady’s Mantle brings balance to conditions caused by both excess and deficiency. It is indicted for a wide range of genealogical problems including infertility, PMS, menstrual irregularities, excess bleeding, fibroids, ovarian cysts, painful periods, lack of bleeding, endometriosis, and headache associated with the menstrual cycle. When working with issues stemming from a woman’s monthly cycle, it is best used during the luteal phase or last ½ of the cycle. Use it in menopause to relieve moodiness and hot flashes.

    Our Lady’s Mantle is used to prepare the mother’s body for childbirth. Post-partum it is used to help decrease the size of the organs back to normal, to prevent or treat passive hemorrhage, decrease excessive discharge, as a sitz bath to sooth inflamed tissue and to prevent and treat prolapse.

    Use it as a douche, along with the tea or tincture internally to treat abnormal and excessive vaginal discharge and vaginal infections. Infused oil, applied topically, is used to prevent the breasts and abdomen from sagging during pregnancy and lactation.

    Healing Trauma

    Our Lady’s Mantle helps clear the channels of the pelvic and abdominal areas, assisting with the release of tensions and traumas, both new and old. Trauma comes in many forms. It can look like a physical trauma related to childbirth, cesarian, abortion, surgery or any number of physical issues related to the reproductive organs or pelvic area. Trauma can also manifest as mental/emotional baggage from a past event. This lovely herb helps both men and women clear the pelvic area of what was left behind. 

    Some of the issues that can manifest physical, mental, and emotional trauma to reproductive organs and tissues include, sexual abuse (with black cohosh), prostate surgery, any abdominal surgery, cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, miscarriage, endometriosis, etc.

    Other Uses

    One of the less known, but very useful applications for this herb is as a general muscular tonic. As such, Our Lady’s Mantle enhances muscular tone body wide, rendering a positive effect on muscular atrophy and weakness. Some herbalists use it for serious muscular disorders including muscular dystrophy, hernias (with Shepard’s Purse), arthritis, rheumatism, and heart disease, especially when associated or combined with poor nutrition.

    Use the infused oil externally as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic to relieve the pain of rheumatism, arthritis, rashes, sprains, strains, and general muscular pain. Take internally as a tea or tincture for urinary incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome (especially with excess mucus), diarrhea and other digestive discomfort. 

    Our Lady’s Mantle has also been historically used to alleviate all sorts of “oozing” infections like pus filled wounds, ear infections, conjunctivitis, impacted teeth and after a tooth extraction. It strengthens the heart, uterine, urinary, and rectal muscles. It is helpful for urinary incontinence, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and ulcers. As a soothing, relaxing nervine, it may also be helpful when dealing with anxiety and insomnia.

    Dosage Suggestions

    Infusion – 1 tablespoon in a cup of water 3 times per day.

    Tincture – 1:1 or 1:3 take 1-2 ml 3 x per day

                   1:5 take 5 ml 3x per day

    Recipes

    Our Lady’s Mantle Infused Oil
    • 1 cup dried Our Lady’s Mantle Herb
    • 2 cup organic sesame oil

    Place herb in a quart jar.  Cover with sesame oil.  The oil should cover the herb by an inch or two.  Place in a sunny window and shake everyday for 2 weeks.  Strain.

    Woman’s Tonic Tea
    • 2 parts Our Lady’s Mantle
    • 1 part Raspberry Leaves
    • 1 part Rose Petals

    Mix dry herbs. Add 1 tablespoon herb (or to taste) to 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 10 to 20 minutes. Strain and enjoy.

    Further Reading

    References

    Herbal clinicians, herbal treatments, diagnostics, and therapeutics; by the editor’s and contributors of the plant healer’s magazine, 2019

    Mother, Maiden, Crone herbal program from Herbal Medic University taught by Katia LaMone, Herbalist/Midwife 2015

    Bove, Mary; Pelvic Congestion in Women; Medicines from the Earth Herbal Conference, 2009

    Stansbury, Jill ND, Hormone replacement Therapy – Botanical and pharmaceutical Options; Southwest Conference of Botanical Medicine 2003

    Brammer, Debra ND; 6 Botanicals to Treat Hormonal Imbalance in Women and Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy in Men; Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine 2001

    Holmes, Peter; The Energetics of Western Herbs Volume 2; Snow Lotus Press, Boulder, Colorado.  2006

    Wood, Matthew; the book of Herbal Wisdom; North Atlantic Books, Berkley Ca. 1997

    https://www.rebeccasherbs.com/pages/herb-article-br-ladys-mantle

    https://izzyliving.com/medicinal-uses-of-ladys-mantle/

    https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/ladman05.html

    https://www.herbrally.com/monographs/ladys-mantle

    https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/61539

    https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0455-6224/2020/0455-62242040066T.pdf

    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Freyja

    Disclaimer

    The statements and ideas presented here are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. They have not been evaluated by the FDA. All ideas presented are for the sole purpose of education. To help you take control of your own health. If you have a health concern or condition, consult a physician. We suggest that you always consult a medical doctor before modifying your diet, using any new product, drug, supplement, or doing any new exercises.

    These statements and products have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. If you have a health concern or condition, consult a physician. Always consult a medical doctor before modifying your diet, using any new product, drug, supplement, or doing any new exercises.

    Herbs taken for health purposes should be treated with the same care as medicine. Herbal remedies are no substitute for a healthy diet and lifestyle. If you are serious about good health, you’ll want to combine diet, exercise, herbals, a good relationship with your doctor and a generally healthy lifestyle. No one of these will do it alone.

    This information is designed to be used as part of a complete health plan. No products are intended to replace your doctor’s care, or to supersede any of his/her advice or prescriptions.

    Leave a Comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *