Cudweed
OTHER NAME(S): Brown Cudweed, Chaffweed, Cotton Dawes, Cotton Weed, Cotonnière des Fanges, Dwarf Cotton, Dysentery Weed, Everlasting, Gnaphale des Fanges, Gnaphale des Marais, Gnaphale des Mares, Gnaphale des Vases, Immortelle des Vases, Live Everlasting, Low Cudweed, Marsh Cudweed, Mountain Everlasting, Mouse Ear, Petty Cotton, Sumpf-Ruhrkraut, Sumpnoppa, Wartwort, Gnaphalium uliginosum, Filaginella uliginosa, Gnaphale
Overview
Cudweed is an herb. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicine.
People use cudweed for conditions such as high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, diarrhea, gut infections, and many others, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Don't confuse cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum) with cat's foot (Antennaria dioica), which is also known as cudweed. Also, don't confuse cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum) with Pilosella officinarum; both are sometimes called mouse ear.
There isn't enough information to know how cudweed might work.
There isn't enough information to know how cudweed might work.
Uses
Insufficient Evidence for
- Aphrodisiac.
- Blood clots.
- Constipation or hemorrhoids, when used as an enema.
- Cough, tonsillitis.
- Depression, sleep problems, anxiety.
- Diarrhea, gut infections.
- Diseases of the mouth or throat, when used as a gargle or rinse.
- High blood pressure.
- Stomach ulcers.
- Wounds, ulcers, burns, or head lice, when used topically.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of cudweed for these uses.
Precautions
It is not known if cudweed is safe or what the potential side effects might be.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of cudweed during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Cudweed may cause an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to the Asteraceae/Compositae plant family. Members of this family include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many others. If you have allergies, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking cudweed.
Diabetes: Cudweed might lower blood sugar. There is a chance that cudweed might interfere with blood sugar control and might lower blood sugar too much. If you have diabetes and use cudweed, monitor your blood sugar carefully.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with CudweedCudweed might lower blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking cudweed along with diabetes medications might cause blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of cudweed depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for cudweed. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
- Williamson EM, Evans FJ, eds. Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations. Essex, England: CW Daniel Company Ltd., 1998.
- Spiridonov, N. A., Konovalov, D. A., and Arkhipov, V. V. Cytotoxicity of some Russian ethnomedicinal plants and plant compounds. Phytother.Res 2005;19(5):428-432.
- Shikov AN, Pozharitskaya ON, Makarov VG, et al. Medicinal plants of the Russian Pharmacopoeia; their history and applications. J Ethnopharmacol 2014;154(3):481-536.
- Shikov AN, Kundracikova M, Palama TL, et al. Phenolic constituents of Gnaphalium uliginosum L. Phytochem Lett 2010;3:45-7.