Effect:
analgesic, diaphoretic, diuretic, haemostatic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, digestive, antibacterial, antitumor
Areas of application:
Colds, flu, rheumatism, gout, arthritis, kidney, high fever, aching limbs, joint pain, headache, as a sedative and painkiller, swollen legs and feet, indigestion, stomach ulcers, upset stomach, nausea, heartburn, Helicobacter pylori, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aeruginosa, as a disinfectant for wounds, skin diseases and infections, strengthens the immune system
Plant parts used:
Flowers, buds, leaves and roots
Collection time:
During flowering from June to September
To find:
Still relatively common on stream and river banks, in damp meadows and ditches. Grows well on the edges of garden ponds.
Ingredients:
Gaultherin, salicylic acid, essential oil, heliotropin, vanillin, terpenes, tannins, mucus, flavon glycosides
Other:
☕ Tea: 1 to 2 teaspoons of herb (use a little less for pure flowers) are poured with 1/4 liter of boiling water and steeped for 10 minutes. Drink 2 cups per day.
Meadowsweet is a perennial herb and grows up to 1.20 meters high. The flowers are cream, pastel yellow or white. They have a sweet almond-like scent. Meadowsweet blooms from June to August. The pinnate leaves are alternate and have 5 to 7 toothed pairs of leaf blades with a terminal tip. The plant is also known as the meadow queen because of its ability to conquer a low-lying meadow.
For headaches, meadowsweet is used in the same way as aspirin, it has the same indications.
🛑 Do not use if you have salicylate intolerance. Patients with apirin or sulfite hypersensitivity should not use meadowsweet. People with asthma should use the plant with caution. Pregnant or breastfeeding mothers should avoid meadowsweet. When using anticoagulant medications, NSAIDS or herbal remedies with blood-thinning properties, the plant should not be used. Excessive use can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.
The flowers taste sweet and are a healthy sugar substitute in drinks. Too much of it tastes a bit medicinal, you have to find the right dose.
In the kitchen, the buds and flowers are used to refine fruit compote, jams, vinegar, wine and beer. The flowers and fruits are used to flavor desserts, drinks, liqueurs and spirits. It is also great for syrup and flowers hung overnight in unwhipped cream give it a special aroma. However, this aroma is very intense and should only be used sparingly. Young leaves and shoots, raw or cooked, enrich salads and vegetable dishes as a seasoning. The leaves can also be used as a spice for stews. The roots can be added to soups or prepared as a cooked vegetable. The whole plant is often dried and used as a potpourri.
Meadowsweet contains heparin, an anticoagulant. The highest content is contained in the seeds, but the flowers can also be used.
At ritual festivals, the drink of the gods - mead (honey wine) - was prepared with meadowsweet.
This Celtic Druid plant was considered a protective and magical herb in many traditions.
When burned in smoke, it promotes intuition, dream awareness and new beginnings - including the transition from youth to adulthood.