Spiny restharrow

the root of spiny restharrow (Ononidis radix)

Spiny restharrow (Ononis spinosa) is a thorny subshrub with pink pea-like flowers and hard, woody stems that end in spines. It grows in dry meadows, on pastures and on embankments, on limestone soil; stock dislike it precisely because of the spines.

The root is dug in autumn or early spring; it is long, hard and deep in the ground, so the digging is heavy work. It is washed, cut lengthways and dried at a low temperature. Dried, the root is brown, hard and almost without smell.

Restharrow is one of those plants where gathering in the wild is often replaced by buying the drug, because the root is so stubborn. In Ašič's collection it appears in the blends for the urinary tract.

Use and evidence

The EMA recognises traditional use to increase the amount of urine and flush the urinary tract in minor complaints. Claims about treating rheumatism, gout, stones or diseases of the skin are too broad. EMA 1, EMA 2.