Motherwort (Herb of Leonurus heterophyllus) was a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of various kinds of gynaecological diseases, which was considered as non-toxic medicine since ancient times. However, adverse effects such as kidney damage, uterus damage, allergy and diarrhea were frequently reported recently. This paper reviews the possible target site, toxic dosage, chemical substance and other related factors of these kidney damage caused by motherwort from both the clinic and animal experiment view.