Mountain Laurel

• Overview
• Uses
• Side Effects
• Precautions
• Dosing

Mountain laurel is a plant. The fresh or dried leaves are used to make medicine.

People apply mountain laurel directly to the affected area to treat ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis), psoriasis, herpes, and syphilis.

How does it work?

Mountain laurel might change how sodium is used by cells throughout the body.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis).
• Psoriasis.
• Herpes.
• Syphilis.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of mountain laurel for these uses.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).

Mountain laurel is UNSAFE for people to take by mouth. It can cause many side effects such as pain, cold sweats, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness, dizziness, headache, fever, loss of vision, muscle weakness, serious heart and lung problems, death, and other severe side effects.

There isn't enough information to know if mountain laurel is safe when applied directly to the skin.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It's UNSAFE to take mountain laurel by mouth. There isn't enough information to know whether it is safe to apply mountain laurel to the skin. Don't use mountain laurel if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

The appropriate dose of mountain laurel 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 mountain laurel. 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.