Health Benefits
Respiratory Tract
Oral health
Digestive system
Cancer
Heart health
Kidney stones and diuretic
Skin Health
Chronic Fatigue
Antioxidant Benefits
Respiratory Tract
The German Commission E recommends using knotgrass herb for treating respiratory catarrh (mucous), as an expectorant for coughs, colds and bronchitis, and for alleviating inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat.
Oral health
Knotgrass can also be used against gingivitis. It contains many antimicrobial compounds. It is well known that gingivitis is a bacterially-elicited inflammation of the marginal gingiva, and as such a study was recently done on the effectiveness of knotgrass extract against gingivitis. The antibacterial and antiinflammatory effects of the extract were evaluated over a two-week period and the results showed that Mexican Sanguinaria extract in oral rinse significantly decreased gingivitis within two weeks (no brushing was allowed during the study). A significant increase in dental plaque was also observed.
Digestive system
Internally the herb is used in tincture or tea form as a remedy for many ailments associated with gastrointestinal system, such as diarrhea, ulcerative colitis and hemorrhoids.
Cancer
When it comes to finding a treatment for cancer, researchers have turned increasingly to nature. More and more herbs are being evaluated for their anti-cancer properties and their ability ti inhibit cancer cell proliferation.
One study published in 2011 looked at the anti-cancer effects of the herb on breast cancer cells. The results were extremely promising. The researchers found that an extract of Polygonum aviculare had powerful inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation while it also induced the death of cancer cells by a process known as apoptosis.
The researchers concluded that the phenolic compounds found in the herb exerted a strong antioxidant and anti-tumor effect and may have a wide range of medicinal uses.
Heart health
Knotgrass contains silica and flavonoids which are known to improve the health of the bloods vessels. It helps regulate the blood circulation and reduce stress from the hearth, a constantly busy organ, and thereby helping prevent atherosclerosis and heart stroke.
Kidney stones and diuretic
Knotgrass is also a useful natural remedy against kidney stones. Kidney stones or nephrolithiasis is a fairly common and extremely painful urinary tract condition that can lead to significant complications.
A recent study published in May 2018 set out to evaluate the effectiveness of knotgrass on kidney stones. At the end of the study, the researchers concluded that the treatment had a significant effect helping to both prevent and treat the condition.
Knotgrass is also a diuretic and anti-inflammatory. It induces urination, thus helping the body detoxify and aiding the healing of inflammation of the bladder and kidneys, as well as helping with the pain associated with gout and arthritis.
To increase the effect of the herb to treat ailments related to the urinary tract, it is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of water daily (including herbal teas).
Skin Health
As well as its internal uses, knotgrass may also be applied topically to help boost your skin’s health and appearance and to treat various common skin infections. Knotgrass contains various flavonoids with powerful antioxidant actions. The herb can help with general skin health by making it look stronger, firmer and younger. It may also help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of aging.
Chronic Fatigue
According to research, common knotgrass has the potential to combat chronic fatigue as well as some of the common symptoms of fatigue such as depression and chronic pain.
Because of its known anti-inflammatory properties, researchers speculated that the herb could alleviate fatigue symptoms and set out to test the theory on mice. After feeding extracts of the herb to the mice, scientists were able to conclude that treatment with the herb was effective in reducing fatigue because of its ability to suppress neuroinflammation.
Antioxidant Benefits
Getting plenty of antioxidants into the system form dietary sources is essential to good health. Antioxidants like those found in knotgrass can protect the body from disease and even reverse the damage done to the cells by free radicals that we encounter on a daily basis. Antioxidants can protect us from a number of serious illnesses and perform an anti-aging function that can help us internally and also improve our external appearance.