Common loosestrife

Common loosestrife is a plant whose flowering parts are used to make medicine. Common loosestrife is used as a tea for diarrhea, intestinal problems and bacterial infections. It is also used for swelling and as a drying agent. Women use purple loosestrife for menstrual problems. Common loosestrife is sometimes applied directly to the affected areas for swollen veins, varicose veins, bleeding gums, hemorrhoids and eczema.

How does purple loosestrife work?

Common loosestrife contains drying chemicals called tannins and salicarin. These chemicals have a drying effect. Chemicals with a drying effect may help reduce diarrhea and inflammation. Salicarin may also help fight bacteria in the gut.

How effective is common loosestrife?

There is not enough scientific data to say how effective loosestrife is for diarrhea, intestinal problems, menstrual cramps, inflammatory swelling and infections, and when applied directly to affected areas for varicose veins, bleeding gums, hemorrhoids and eczema. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of common loosestrife in these applications.

Safety and side effects

There is not enough information available to say whether common loosestrife is safe and harmless or what side effects it may have.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of purple loosestrife during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid common purple loosestrife.

Interactions

At the present time, there is no information on interactions of purple loosestrife with medications or supplements.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of purple loosestrife depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At this time, there is insufficient scientific data to determine appropriate dosage ranges for loosestrife. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.