Meadowsweet herb – Filipendula ulmaria

Description

Known as Queen of the Meadow, Bridewort and Meadwort, meadowsweet is an Old World member of the rose family renowned for its highly fragrant flower clusters.

For centuries, the flowers have been woven into bridal garlands and to flavor vinegars, beer and a honey wine called mead. The flowers and leaves were a popular strewing material cast upon the floor to mask unpleasant odors associated with poor sanitation. Reputedly, Queen Elizabeth fancied meadowsweet to scent her private chambers.

In the late 1800s, a German chemist synthesized acetylsalicylic acid from the herb, which was later marketed by his employer, Bayer AG, under the name “aspirin.? Today, meadowsweet is used in tea blends and to prepare topical ointments and salves.

Infuse in oil to make ointments, salves, creams, lotions and other products for hair and skin. Use in tea blends. May also be tinctured or encapsulated

safety Do not use this herb if you are allergic to aspirin. Consult your physician before using this herb if you have asthma or sulfite sensitivity. May increase the effect of antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.

Meadowsweet, also known as Queen of the Meadow, is a perennial, shrubby plant in the rose family that enjoys dappled shade in woodland settings and meadows. The flowers have long been used for decorative purposes, most notably for weaving into bridal bouquets, garlands and head wreaths, which is why the herb is sometimes called Bride Wort. Similarly, the use of the flowers to produce a honey wine known as mead has earned the plant the nickname of Mead Wort.

Meadowsweet has also made a significant contribution to modern medicine. Like white willow bark, the herb is a natural source of salicylic acid, the precursor of modern aspirin. The flowers also contain the anticoagulant compounds heparin, as well as rutin, spiraeoside, quercetin and kaempferol.