FILIPENDULA ULMARIA

COMMON NAME : Meadowsweet

FAMILY :        Rosaceae  (Rose family)

HABITAT / GROWING :

Perennial european native

PARTS USED :  aerial parts.

TRADITIONAL & MODERN USE:

Sacred druid herb and favourite strewing herb in Tudor times. Once a favourite wedding herb, used in garlands

for the bride and posies for the bridesmaids. In the past, the root was ground and used as a substitute for flour.

It was roasted as a vegetable and drunk as a tea. It was also often added to wine and beer. During the 19th

century the salicylic component was the substance originally extracted to create aspirin. The plant’s natural

balancers mean that it does not have any of the side effects of the synthesized drug, such as gastric bleeding.

Traditionally meadowsweet was used as a gentle remedy for diarrhoea and as an analgesic in inflammatory

conditions and fever.

Used today to treat diarrhoea, especially in children, and excess acidity in the digestive system : indigestion,

ulcers, irritable bowel, gastritis. It is also used as an anti-inflammatory to treat conditions such as gout and

arthritis. Its diuretic properties are used to treat fluid retention and its ability to stimulate sweating (diaphoretic)

is useful in treating feverish colds and fevers.

CONSTITUENTS:

·        Main constituents : salicylaldehyde and methyl salicylate

·        Tannins

·        Vitamin C, magnesium, calcium and silica aid wound healing and repair of connective tissue.

The analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions are due to the salicylic components.