Cudweed
Scientific names: Gnaphalium uliginosum, Filaginella uliginosa
Family: Asteraceae/Compositae
Alternate names: Brown Cudweed, Chaffweed, Cotton Dawes, Cotton Weed, Cotonnière des Fanges, Dwarf Cotton, Dysentery Weed, Everlasting, Gnaphale, Gnaphale des Fanges, Gnaphale des Marais, Gnaphale des Mares, Gnaphale des Vases, Immortelle des Vases, Live Everlasting, Low Cudweed, Marsh Cudweed, Mountain Everlasting, Mouse Ear, Petty Cotton, Sumpf-Ruhrkraut, Sumpnoppa, Wartwort
Actions: Anticancer, Antidiabetes, Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal
Background
Cudweed is an herb. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicine.
People use cudweed for conditions such as high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, diarrhea, gut infections, and many others, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Don't confuse cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum) with cat's foot (Antennaria dioica), which is also known as cudweed. Also, don't confuse cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum) with Pilosella officinarum; both are sometimes called mouse ear.
People use cudweed for conditions such as high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, diarrhea, gut infections, and many others, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Don't confuse cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum) with cat's foot (Antennaria dioica), which is also known as cudweed. Also, don't confuse cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum) with Pilosella officinarum; both are sometimes called mouse ear.
Safety Safety definitions
It is not known if cudweed is safe or what the potential side effects might be.
Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Cudweed may cause an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to the Asteraceae/Compositae plant family. Members of this family include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many others. If you have allergies, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking cudweed.
Diabetes: Cudweed might lower blood sugar. There is a chance that cudweed might interfere with blood sugar control and might lower blood sugar too much. If you have diabetes and use cudweed, monitor your blood sugar carefully.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of cudweed during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Cudweed may cause an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to the Asteraceae/Compositae plant family. Members of this family include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many others. If you have allergies, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking cudweed.
Diabetes: Cudweed might lower blood sugar. There is a chance that cudweed might interfere with blood sugar control and might lower blood sugar too much. If you have diabetes and use cudweed, monitor your blood sugar carefully.
Effectiveness
NatMed Pro rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.
Insufficient evidence Effectiveness definitions
- Aphrodisiac.
- Blood clots.
- Constipation or hemorrhoids, when used as an enema.
- Cough, tonsillitis.
- Depression, sleep problems, anxiety.
- Diarrhea, gut infections.
- Diseases of the mouth or throat, when used as a gargle or rinse.
- High blood pressure.
- Stomach ulcers.
- Wounds, ulcers, burns, or head lice, when used topically.
Dosing & administration
The appropriate dose of cudweed depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for cudweed. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
Interactions with pharmaceuticals
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Cudweed might lower blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking cudweed along with diabetes medications might cause blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Interactions with herbs & supplements
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar: Cudweed might lower blood sugar. Using it with other herbs or supplements that also have this effect might lower blood sugar too much. Other herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar include alpha-lipoic acid, bitter melon, chromium, devil's claw, fenugreek, garlic, guar gum, horse chestnut, Panax ginseng, psyllium, Siberian ginseng, and others. Don't use cudweed with any of these.
Interactions with foods
There are no known interactions with foods.
Action
There isn't enough information to know how cudweed might work.
vital.ly has licensed monographs from TRC Healthcare.
This monograph was last reviewed on 17/10/2023 11:00:00. Monographs are reviewed and/or updated multiple times per month and at least once per year.
Natural Medicines disclaims any responsibility related to medical consequences of using any medical product. Effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this monograph is accurate at the time it was published. Consumers and medical professionals who consult this monograph are cautioned that any medical or product related decision is the sole responsibility of the consumer and/or the health care professional. A legal License Agreement sets limitations on downloading, storing, or printing content from this Database. No reproduction of this monograph or any content from this Database is permitted without written permission from the publisher. It is unlawful to download, store, or distribute content from this site.
Natural Medicines rates safety based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Likely Safe, Possibly Safe, Possibly Unsafe, Likely Unsafe, Unsafe, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate. For more information about Natural Medicines’ Safety Rating System, click here.
The Natural Medicines Effectiveness Ratings are assigned for specific indications. A product might be rated "Possibly Effective" for one condition, but be rated "Likely Ineffective" for another condition, depending on the evidence. For more info click here.
