Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
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Agrimony is a tall, yellow-flowered herb from fields and hedgerows. Herbalists use the dried leaves and flowering tops. It is taken mainly as a tea, a tincture (an alcohol extract) or a gargle.
In parts of the United States it is called cocklebur, after its hooked seed burrs. That nickname causes trouble. True cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) is a different plant, and it is poisonous.
Folk use was mostly for loose bowels, sore throats and small wounds. Human evidence for any of this is very thin. No claim on this page is proven in people.
Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and it is not proof that it is safe. Please read the rest of this page with that in mind.
No one has shown what agrimony does in the human body. The main idea rests on its tannins, which are plant compounds that bind to protein.
In test tubes, tannins make surface proteins pull tight. Herbalists call this an astringent effect, meaning tissue feels tight and dry. It is the usual reason given for the old use in diarrhoea and mouth rinses.
In laboratory tests, agrimony extracts soak up free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage cells. In cell and animal work, extracts have also lowered some markers of inflammation (swelling and irritation).
Animal studies have reported small drops in blood sugar. Whether that happens in people is not known. Do not treat agrimony as a blood sugar medicine.
Lab tests show some activity against bacteria and viruses in a dish. That is a long way from an effect in a person drinking tea.
Dried leaf and flowering top is the common form. You will find it loose or in tea bags.
Forms you swallow include:
- Loose dried herb for an infusion (a strong tea) - Tea bags, often blended with other herbs - Capsules of powdered leaf
Liquid and skin forms include:
- Liquid tincture in alcohol or glycerine - Gargles and mouthwashes - Skin washes and compresses for minor cuts
You may also see flower essence drops. They hold no measurable plant material.
Strength is not standardised across brands. Check that the label names Agrimonia eupatoria.
Avoid any product that only says "cocklebur". That word is also used for a poisonous plant.
Agrimony has a long record in European folk medicine. Greek and Roman writers mentioned it, and settlers carried it to North America.
American Eclectic doctors of the 1800s listed it as an astringent and a mild bitter tonic. They gave it for loose bowels and sore throats. They also used it as a wash for slow-healing wounds.
English country practice brewed it as a spring tea. Some healers claimed it helped the liver and kidneys. Others gave it to children who wet the bed.
These were practitioner reports, written down long before controlled trials existed.
German herbal guidance has allowed the dried herb for mild diarrhoea and for irritation of the mouth and throat. That permission rests on long use and plausibility, not on strong trial results.
Stop agrimony and see a doctor if any of these happen:
- Diarrhoea lasts more than two days, or you see blood in your stool. - You have a fever, or signs of dehydration such as dizziness and very dark urine. - A sore throat lasts more than a week, or you struggle to swallow or breathe. - You bruise easily, bleed from the gums, or notice unusual bleeding. - Your skin or eyes turn yellow. - You feel shaky, sweaty or confused and take diabetes medicine.
Get emergency help for swelling of the face, lips or throat, or for sudden trouble breathing.
In the United States agrimony is sold as a dietary supplement. It is not approved as a drug there. In the United Kingdom and the European Union it is sold as a food supplement or herbal tea, and German herbal guidance has allowed the dried herb for mild diarrhoea and mouth irritation.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
Reviewed by the HealisticMD editorial team How we grade evidence →
The published evidence for Agrimony is weak or absent. That usually means no controlled trial has tested it, not that a trial found it ineffective — the two are different, and we grade only what has been published.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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