← The ApothecaryFabaceaerootFact-checked 24 October 2026

Spiny restharrow

Ononis spinosa

Also calledRestharrow root (English) · Hauhechelwurzel (German) · Bugrane, Arrête-boeuf (French) · Gatuña (Spanish) · Kayişkiran (Turkish)

A thorny European legume whose root has been drunk as a tea to increase urine since at least Dioscorides, who said it broke stones. The EMA accepts it as a traditional herbal medicine for flushing the urinary tract in minor complaints; there are no clinical trials.

What it is used for

Urinary tract infections
Traditional
EMA traditional-use indication: to increase the amount of urine and flush the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints. The HMPC found no clinical studies, so well-established use could not be supported. A doctor should be seen if fever, painful urination, spasm or blood in the urine appear.^1,2
Kidney stones
Traditional
Dioscorides, Pliny and Mattioli recorded it for breaking or expelling stones, and Commission E (as cited by the HMPC) listed irrigation therapy for the prevention and treatment of kidney gravel. The EMA monograph does not include this indication, and no trials exist.²
Gout
Traditional
Folk medicine also uses the root for gout and rheumatic complaints (Wichtl, as cited by the HMPC); untested.²

How it is prepared

infusion

Boiling water poured over the coarsely powdered dried root, steeped 20–30 minutes and strained (as described in the EMA assessment report). Taken with plenty of fluid.

EMA monograph (2014): 2–3 g comminuted root in 150 ml boiling water, up to 3–4 times daily, maximum 12 g a day; adolescents over 12 and adults.

Urinary tract infections

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Avoid
Breastfeeding: Avoid
Children: EMA: not recommended under 12 years (no adequate data).

Do not use if

Conditions where reduced fluid intake is recommended, e.g. severe heart or kidney disease (EMA)
Hypersensitivity to the root

Side effects

None known (EMA monograph)

Toxicity

No adverse toxic effects reported in the literature, but genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity have not been adequately tested; EMA did not recommend a list entry for that reason. EMA does not recommend use in pregnancy or breastfeeding for lack of data.

In the healing traditions

Ancient Greek medicine
Ononis
Said to increase urine and break stones.
Dioscorides, as cited in the EMA assessment report
European folk medicine
Hauhechel / Restharrow
Root tea as a diuretic for bladder and kidney complaints, gravel, gout, rheumatism and skin disorders; a standard ingredient of German and Czech 'bladder and kidney' tea blends.
German, Austrian, Polish and Czechoslovak pharmacopoeias, 19th–20th centuries
Middle Eastern
Kayişkiran
In Turkey Ononis species are folk remedies used as diuretic, antiseptic and antimicrobial aids.

Active compounds

ononin and formononetin: isoflavones; ononin is the 7-O-glucoside of formononetin
genistein, biochanin A glycosides: further isoflavones, in small amounts
α-onocerin (onocol): triterpene, about 4 mg per g of root
essential oil (0.02–0.2%): mainly trans-anethole

History

Dioscorides, Pliny, Mattioli and Lonicerus all recorded the root as a diuretic that expels stones. It entered the Pharmacopoea Germanica of 1884 and later German, Austrian, Polish and Czechoslovak pharmacopoeias, and single-herb teas have been sold in Poland for more than 20 years.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.