Meadowsweet

Filipendula ulmaria

F: Reine des Près / NL: Moeraspirea

PL: Wiązówka błotna

Also known in other languages as the “Queen of the Meadow” (Reine des Près), or as “nature’s aspirin”, Meadowsweet has always been highly esteemed in folk medicine. In Druid tradition, it was one of the three most sacred herbs, sharing the throne with Vervain and Valerian. The list of healing properties of Meadowsweet goes on and on in most herbal books. 

It is particularly known for its salycilate containing aspirin-like effects, relieving pain, inflammation and fevers. But the effects of meadowsweet have a much broader effect than the “aspirin” one can buy in drugstores and it does not present the usual side-effects aspirin-users experience. While concentrated aspirin tends to lead to gastric ulcers, depending on the dosage, meadowsweet infusion (or as tincture) seems to have a protective and healing effect on the protective layer of the stomach, being used to effectively treat gastric ulcers. This is a clear example of how the healing properties of a plant cannot be singled out to a particular substance - in the beautifully arranged plant alchemy every substance plays its essential role.

Meadowsweet is used in herbal medicine as astringent, antiseptic, tonic and it has cooling

and drying properties. It is used to treat diarrhoea, hyperacidity, heartburn, common cold, cough, bronchitis, headaches, arthritis and other painful conditions. Some herbalists use it also to reduce the symptoms of certain infectious conditions such as measles, chickenpox, diphtheria and pneumonia. For its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties it can also be used to alleviate cystitis, urethritis and other urinary ailments. It is said to “soften” hardenings such as kidney stones or hardened blood vessels.

Externally it can be used to heal wounds or skin inflammations. 

The flowering plant can be harvested and dried or tinctured for further use. 

Below you will find various enriching articles and a video on the wonders of meadowsweet:

Meadowsweet has a range of uses in herbal medicine: Napiers The Herbalists

Filipendula ulmaria - Great monograph by Herbal Medicine with Natasha Richardson

Meadowsweet: a natural aspirin - Herbologist.net

Meadowsweet: Queen of the meadow - Methow Valley Herbs

Meadowsweet elixir - LearningHerbs.com

Meadowsweet cordial - Wilde in the Woods

Meadowsweet ointment - Wilde in the Woods

In each seed, a new plant can come to life! I love giving seeds as presents.