Scientific Name Stachys officinalis (synonyms: Betonica officinalis, Stachys betonica) Family Lamiaceae/Labiatae Other Common Names                                                  Bétoine, Bétoine  Officinale, Bétoine Pourprée, Bétoine Vulgaire, Betonía, Betónica,  Bishop Wort, Bishopswort, Épiaire Officinale, Épiaire Vulgaire, Hedge Nettles, Tabac des Gardes, Wood Betony                                                                                                                                                                                Caution  

See separate listing for Lousewort.

Betony is a perennial herb that  grows in grasslands, meadows, and woods in Europe, western Asia, and  northern Africa (100514). The above ground parts are used as medicine (5).                                 

Orally, betony is used for  diarrhea, stress and tension, headache, epilepsy, facial pain, as an  expectorant for cough, bronchitis, asthma, as an antiflatulent, and as a  sedative. It is also used orally for heartburn, gout, nervousness,  bladder and kidney stones (nephrolithiasis), and bladder inflammation.

In combination with other herbs, betony is used to treat neuralgia and anxiety.                                     

There is  insufficient reliable information available about the safety of betony.                                                             

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION: Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.                                                             

Orally, large doses of betony might cause significant gastrointestinal irritation due to the tannin component (5, 6).

 There is insufficient reliable information available about the effectiveness of betony.

General: Betony is typically taken as a tea or an infusion (6002). Small doses are usually taken to avoid gastrointestinal (GI) irritation.

There is insufficient reliable information available about the standardization of betony.

  Interaction Rating Moderate Be cautious with this combination.     Severity MODERATE   Occurrence POSSIBLE   Level of Evidence D (Theoretical based on pharmacology)    

Theoretically,  betony might have additive effects with blood pressure lowering drugs  due to hypotensive activity of the glycosides found in betony. It might  also interfere with the activity of pressor drugs (5, 6).  Some antihypertensive drugs include captopril (Capoten), enalapril  (Vasotec), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), diltiazem (Cardizem),  Amlodipine (Norvasc), hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDiuril), furosemide  (Lasix), and many others.

Betony is thought to have hypotensive effects (5, 6).  Theoretically, combining betony with other herbs or supplements with  hypotensive effects might increase the risk of hypotension. Some of  these herbs and supplements include andrographis, casein peptides, cat's  claw, coenzyme Q10, fish oil, L-arginine, lycium, stinging nettle,  theanine, and others.

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 None known.                                                                                                 

 There is insufficient reliable information available about the toxicology of betony.

There is insufficient reliable information available about the pharmacokinetics of betony.

The applicable parts of betony are the dried above ground parts. Betony is high in tannins (5). It also contains stachydrine (6).

Betony  is thought to have mild effects on anxiety. The anxiolytic effects of  betony may be related to the hypotensive effects of its glycosidic  constituents (5, 6).

The high tannin content (15%) of betony is responsible for its astringent properties (5).

The hypotensive effects of betony are possibly related to its glycosidic constituents (5, 6).

Betony  is thought to have mild effects on headache. The benefits of betony for  headache may be related to the hypotensive effects of its glycosidic  constituents (5, 6).

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Literature Review Current Through: 12/7/2023, Last Updated: 7/6/2026

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