Motherwort is found worldwide, spread by its use as an herbal remedy. The flowers are pink to lilac in colour, often with furry lower lips. Cultivated since ancient times, this member of the mint family has its natural habitat beside roadsides, in vacant fields, waste ground, rubbish dumps and other disturbed areas. Motherwort was first used by the Greeks to soothe the anxiety of pregnant women. This use continued throughout medieval times for general women's complaints, giving the herb its common name. The botanical name, Leonurus cardiaca also comes from the Greek for lion and heart, referring to its historical use also for calming palpitations and arrythmias. This herb has also been associated with longevity. An old legend states that there was once a town whose spring ran through a patch of Motherwort. All the local townspeople got their daily drinking water from that spring , and all of them lived to be over 100 years old! Its association with longevity is widespread throughout Europe and Asia. On the Isle of Man, it was believed that he best day to acquire the plant's roots for medicinal or magical purposes was on St. John’s Eve (23 June). but that they should not be asked for directly, lest its powers for cures or charms be diminished (although it was permissible to hint that you need the plant).