Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)

In July Meadowsweet is in full bloom. It is part of the Rose family and the smell is very distinctive, sweetly fragrant. We love to make a lemonade with the flowers or mix it half/half with Water kefir, but we also use it as a herbal tea using the flowers and leaves.

The Druids are said to have considered it one of their most sacred herbs for use in rituals and medicine and it was a favourite of medieval herbalists too, being regularly used by folk healers and monastic communities alike. It was prized at this time as a strewing herb, one that was used to cover floors in medieval homes and churches to disguise unpleasant smells, reduce fleas and lice and help counter infections.

It is however most famous for its role in the development of aspirin, a drug named after its previous Latin name, Spiraea ulmaria. In the mid nineteenth century salicylic acid was isolated from meadowsweet which lead to the later creation of aspirin. Meadowsweet is a fine example of how nature soothes and heals. So where as aspirin can increase the chances of indigestion, GI bleeds and ulcers, meadowsweet can be used to heal these exact same conditions.

Meadowsweet is very much considered a specific for the digestive system, known as an ant-acid. It can help to balance both high and low stomach acid. It helps to tonify the mucus membranes in the stomach, gut and urinary system with the additional healing and anti-inflammatory action.

It is used to reduce inflammation and as a compress for swollen arthritic joints and gout. It can also be effective for fevers, the flu and headaches

Caution: Avoid this herb if you who are sensitive to salicylates/aspirin or if you are taking warfarin.