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Madder Herb - Uses And Side Effects

Madder-dyed cloth has been found on Egyptian mummies. The herb also colored the red trousers of French soldiers and Turkish fezzes. Because alizarin, a red dye obtained from the roots of the madder plant, stains living bone red, medical researchers in the 1800s used the herb to trace bone development and bone cell function. (Eventually, synthetic alizarin replaced the natural product.)

Madder consists of the dried roots of Rubia tinctorum. The plant is native to parts of the Mediterranean, Europe, and Asia and cultivated in some areas of North America.

The stalks of the Madder are so weak that they often lie along the ground, preventing the plant from rising to its maximum height of 8 feet. The stalks are prickly, and the whorls of leaves at the joints have spines along the midrib on the underside, a feature that the French turn to advantage by using them for polishing metal-work.

Common doses of madder

Madder comes as dried root and fluid extract. Some experts recommend the following doses:

• As an infusion or a decoction from dried root, 1 to 2 grams taken orally four times daily for up to 2 months.
• 20 drops of the fluid extract or 1 capsule (from dried root tincture) taken orally three times daily for up to 2 months.

Uses of madder herb

Although not as a general rule employed medicinally, Madder has been reputed as effectual in amenorrhoea, dropsy and jaundice. Specifically, madder may help to :-

• Bladder stones
• Jaundice
• Kidney stones
• Lack of menstruation
• Paralysis
• Sciatica (severe hip and leg pain)

Side effects of madder

Call your health care practitioner if you notice red-tinged breast milk, perspiration, saliva, tears, or urine.

Madder has caused intestinal and liver tumors in rats.

Interactions

Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Tell yoUr health care practitioner about any prescription or nonprescription drugs you're taking.

Important points to remember

• Don't use madder if you're pregnant or breast-feeding because lucidin, found in madder, may cause mutations and cancer.
• Be aware that madder may stain your contact lenses.

What the research shows

Researchers haven't tested madder on people so they don't know if it has medicinal value.

however,they suspect the herb may harm DNA. for this reason,medical experts strongly discourage its use.

Other names for madder : -

Other names for madder include dyer's-madder, garance, krapp, madder root, and robbia

Products containing madder are sold under such names as Nephrubin, Rubia Teep, Rubicin, and Uralyt.