Time of another unique herb and this one is wonderful for many uses.
Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria Herb of the Week
Meadowsweet is a
member of the rose family and can easily be found growing wild along streams
and rivers, as well as damp woodlands.
It is a high altitude plant that can grow as high as 3,300 feet. It is native to Europe and Asia and was
successfully introduced and naturalized in North America. It has a tuberous root that is the key to its
scientific name. The name meadowsweet is
an Anglo Saxon name, which comes from the fact this herb was used to make mead,
and drink made from fermented honey.
Another strewing herb, tossed on the floor in the 16th
century to warm and scent the floors and keep infections at bay, this was a
favorite of Queen Elizabeth the I who preferred it in her bedroom. Gerard, an early herbalist, believed it
outranked all other strewing herbs because the scent was delightful and did not
cause headaches by being over powering. It was a traditional plant of druids
and was in the most sacred category along with mistletoe, watermint and
vervain.
The sap contained in the branches of Meadowsweet contains a
chemical called salicylic acid. Isolated
in 1853 by an Italian professor, Bayer formulated acetylsalicylic acid in 1899,
they called it aspirin after the old botanical name for Meadowsweet, Spirea
ulmaria. The herb is considered much
less harsh to the stomach than aspirin.
Meadowsweet is especially suited to headaches in which the
person has a hot head and feels a pounding sensation in the head. Meadowsweet
is cooling and it promotes circulation, which can relieve stagnant energy in
the head. Besides having the ability to relieve pain, meadowsweet is also
anti-inflammatory in nature. Taken daily as a tea or tincture it can help
relieve chronic arthritic pain and inflammation. Stomach aches and acid
reflux. My favorite herbs for stomach
aches and nausea are ginger, peppermint and meadowsweet. Meadowsweet shines as
an herb for stomach aches, nausea and poor digestion and is especially helpful
for those who find herbs like ginger to be too warming. Meadowsweet removes
stagnation (like when you eat a meal and it stays in your stomach too long) and
relieves discomfort in the stomach.
To Grow
This hardy perennial grows 2 to 4 feet in height with a
spread of 2 feet. Clusters of strong
scented creamy-white flowers in mid-summer.
The leaves are deeply veined and appear in groups of two to five. All meadowsweet variety are hardy in Zone
4.
The seed can be stratified, but is not required. To stratify the seed you need to to place
them in a situation where extreme cold will break down the seed coat and end
their period of dormancy. Placed in a
plastic bag filled with damp sphagam moss or a damp paper towel for a couple of
weeks usually does the trick. If in a
hurry, run the seeds over a nail file to break the seed coat before planting.
Sow prepared seed or plug trays in the autumn. Cover lightly with soil and winter outside
under glass (a cold frame would work perfectly.
Check from time to time and water as needed when dry. Germination should
take place in the spring. When the
seedlings are large enough to handle, plant out 12 inches apart into a prepared
location.
You can also propagate by division. The golden and variegate styles must be
propagated by division. In the fall, dig
up established plants and tease the plantlets apart; they separate easily. Replant in a prepared site or place in
pots. A soil of bark, peat and potting
soil works perfectly.
The plant prefers sun and semi shade and a moisture
retaining soil. If your soil drains
well, you will need to add rotten manure or vegetative compost and leaf mold
and plant in a more shaded area. Once a plant is established you will need to
lift and divide it every 3 to 4 years in the fall to keep it vibrant.
To Use
Gather young leaves for fresh or dry use before slower
appear in mid-summer. Pick flowers just
as they open and use fresh or dry.
Meadowsweet leaves and flowers can be made into an herbal
vinegar that is sweet and lovely for salad dressings. You can also make fritters with the flowers
or use them to flavor mead and beer or to make wine.
The whole plant is a traditional remedy for an acidic
stomach. The fresh root is used in
homeopathic preparations and is effective on its own in the treatment of diarrhea. The flowers, when made into a tea are a
comfort to flu victims.
A black dye can be obtained from the roots when used with a
copper mordant, while the flowers can produce a greenish-yellow dye and the
leaves and stems make a blue dye. One
can also use the dried leaves and flowers in potpourri.
A tea made with leaves and flowers will help the body of
excess fluid and alleviate heartburn. It
is also a treatment for feverish colds and mild diarrhea. It even works as a mild sedative and
painkiller. Use one teaspoonful of
dried flowers and/or leaf blend to each cup boiling water. Infuse for 10
minutes and drink warm. Add honey and cinnamon to improve taste and soothe sore
throats
To make a meadowsweet beer; boil 2 ounces each of
meadowsweet, betony, raspberry leaves and agrimony in two gallons of water for
about 15 minutes. Strain and add 2
pounds of white sugar, stirring to dissolve.
Bottle when nearly cool.
Add the leaves to soup for a unique and interesting
flavor. You can add the flowers to jams
and stewed fruit which lends a slight almond flavor.
RECIPES
Norfolk Punch
The recipe for Norfolk Punch was discovered in the
1970s in the Leet court records of Welle Manor in Upwell, Norfolk. It was
unearthed by Eric St John Foti. The non-alcoholic drink is believed to have
been created by Benedictine monks as a tonic, about 700 years ago. The Middle
Ages was a time when everyone relied upon the curative properties of herbs for
the relief of their ailments, including depression.
Today, the recipe is still made with natural spring water,
honey, and a mixture of the numerous original herbs and berries. Produced for
several years in Norfolk by the Original Norfolk Punch Company, the brand was
sold in 1994 to Orchid Drinks. As a result one cannot find the recipe to
reproduce here, but I am told it has 30 different herbs in it including Meadowsweet.
Meadowsweet Sorbet
Meadowsweet sorbet is a special treat.
Its relaxing flavor will have you oohing and ahhing with your loved ones.
4 handfuls of Meadowsweet flowers
½ pound brown caster sugar
3 juiced lemons
1 thinly grated lemon rind
3 cups of water
Directions:
Put sugar into water, stir and bring to a boil. Rapid
boil the sugar water for 10 minutes to produce a light syrup. Remove the pan
from the heat. Now add the juiced lemons and the thinly grated lemon rind.
Stir. Next add the Meadowsweet flowers. Stir. Allow to infuse until the syrup
is cool/cold. Strain the syrup through a muslin and freeze in a plastic
container overnight.
Now take out your frozen Meadowsweet syrup (it won’t be
that frozen), and blend with a hand-blender until smooth. Then put back in the
freezer for 24 hours. Take out and blend again, then freeze for a further 48
hours. Enjoy.
Meadowsweet
Elixir (From Rosemary Glasdstar)
2 cups meadowsweet flowers
2 cups vodka (50% is best)
½ cup (scant) glycerin
Directions:
Place
the meadowsweet flowers in a jar. Add the vodka and glycerin to the jar. Shake
well. Let this macerate for 4-6 weeks and check on it often. You may find that
as the flowers soak up the alcohol and glycerin, the liquid will no long cover
the herb.
To
remedy this you can take a clean stone or weight and use it to weigh down the
flowers below the liquid. If necessary, you can add a bit more alcohol to cover
the herb. I opened my jar frequently and pushed down the flowers and that
seemed to work just fine.
Once
you are done macerating the herb, it’s time to strain off the mixture. The
easiest way to do this is strain it through a cheese cloth which you then
squeeze the dickens out of until you get all the moisture from the flowers. Once
it is strained you can bottle and label it.
Meadowsweet
is safe for most people. However, it should be used with caution for the
following people
- children under 16 who have the flu or chickenpox symptoms (because
of the rare but serious Reye’s syndrome)
- people with asthma (may stimulate bronchial spasms)
- people who are allergic to aspirin
- As
with many herbs Meadowsweet should be avoided when pregnant or
breastfeeding.
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