Oh so pretty meadowsweet

Meadowsweet, Filidepedula ulmaria, is nearing the end of its seaon for flowering. It's pretty frothy creamy blooms have an old fashioned almond scent. It grows well in a corner of my garden. In the wild it grows on damp riverbanks and meadows and is native to Europe and West Asia. It grows to around 1m tall and dies down in winter.

It is also known as Queen of the Meadow and Meadwort, as it was traditionally used in flavouring mead. It was one of the most sacred Druidic herbs and the leaves were used in Elizabethan times the leaves for strewing. There is evidence from archaeological sites that it was used as a medicinal herb thousands of years ago.

The flowers are used medicinally and it was discovered they were a good source of salicylates, which aspirin is based on, before they were found in willow. As meadowsweet has all its constituents to balance the anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions, it lacks the blood thinning properties of aspirin and does not irritate the stomach.

How can we use meadowsweet medicinally?

🌿Internally and topically for joint pain and gout, due to its antiinflammatory, diuretic, antispasmodic and analgesic actions as it is considered to be soothing and supportive of the kidneys.

🌿Due to its affinity with the kidneys, it is also indicated for cystitis and when there are kidney stones.

🌿It has mucoprotective, astringent so along with its antiinflammtory and antimicrobial properties it may be on the list when you have upset tummy with diarrhea or acid stomach.

🌿When you have a fever or a cold you may think of taking meadowsweet as a hot tea to sweat out the fever.

Or you could choose to grow it just to have this pretty plant in your flowerbeds.

Meadowsweet in flower