Meadowsweet: Applications, Treatments, Health Benefits

Already the ancient Greeks and the Celtic Druids knew how to appreciate the very old, aromatic fragrant medicinal plant meadowsweet very much. Today, its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects for health are being rediscovered more and more.

Occurrence and cultivation of meadowsweet

The name is not associated with pretty girls, as you might think, but refers to the sweet smell of mowed meadows caused by meadowsweet, which used to be called Mede. Meadowsweet (Latin Filipendula ulmaria) is a tall-growing perennial of the rose family. The name is not associated with pretty girls, as one might think, but refers to the sweet smell of mowed meadows caused by meadowsweet, which used to be called Mede. The English name “Meadow Sweet” also points to this connection. Another explanation of the name derives from the addition of meadowsweet flowers to the mead of the Germanic tribes. Meadowsweet is popularly called meadow queen because of its tall growth of up to two meters and is a herbaceous plant whose leaves resemble elm leaves. The very small, white flowers give off an intense, sweet smell, especially in the evening, reminiscent of honey, vanilla and almond. Meadowsweet grows in large parts of Central Europe in moist, rarely mowed meadows, along stream banks and ditches on nutrient-rich loam or humus soils. The flowering period lasts from June to August. For medicinal purposes and in the kitchen, primarily the flowers and leaves of the plant are used.

Effect and application

Meadowsweet is used in fine cuisine, as an aromatic fragrant plant, and in natural and herbal medicine. While meadowsweet is not common in German cuisine, it is quite appreciated in Belgian and French culinary arts. The flowers of the perennial are welcome in the kitchen to flavor dishes and drinks, as the flowers dipped in liquid release their fragrance very well. In the times of the English Queen Elizabeth I, meadowsweet was added to beer, while later it was also added to wine to improve its taste. A bottle of white wine is left to stand for about two weeks with flowers and leaves added, stirred again and again, and then strained. In this way, a very special aroma is created in a wine that, in small doses, is useful for colds and rheumatic pains. Meadowsweet flowers add a pleasant taste of almonds and honey to fruit salads, fruit dishes and desserts. It can also be used to refine honey or unwhipped cream. Fresh meadowsweet flowers with a little lemon juice in water make a delicious refreshing drink. Meadowsweet salt can find its use as a spice in fine cuisine. As a fragrant plant, meadowsweet can be used well to improve indoor air. In earlier times, flowers and stems were sprinkled on the wooden floors of rooms and later swept out again. More practical is certainly the admixture of meadowsweet in scented potpourris, since even the dried parts of the plant continue to give off their fragrance for a long time. As a medicinal plant, meadowsweet can be used internally and externally in tea, wine, as a tincture and in poultices. The best known is probably the use of meadowsweet tea, which not only tastes good, but can also have beneficial effects on colds. The effect is enhanced when the tea is drunk with meadowsweet honey. As a natural herbal painkiller, poultices with warm meadowsweet decoction relieve joint pain and rheumatic complaints. Painful joints can be relieved with meadowsweet tincture rubbed on. Commercially, meadowsweet is available as a perennial for your own garden and as a dried herb, processed as a tea, herbal extract and tincture.

Importance for health, treatment and prevention.

Meadowsweet contains salicylic acid, flavonoids, tannins and essential oils as its active health components. The essential oils contained in meadowsweet can be used positively in aromatherapy. Meadowsweet owes its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and blood-thinning effects, among other things, to the ingredient salicylic acid, which today is known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) synthetically produced in well-known painkillers. People who are allergic to ASA should therefore not use meadowsweet. The salicylic acid in the plant itself helps to defend against pathogens, i.e. fungi, bacteria and viruses.The flavonoids contained in meadowsweet also have antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. The tannins in meadowsweet have a dehydrating, astringent, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. Tannins also act as antioxidants to protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals, oxygen compounds that are present in excessive numbers in the body cause the so-called “oxidative stress“. Unhealthy lifestyle, inflammation in the body and environmental toxins cause this oxidative stress, which meadowsweet can counteract with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Used internally, meadowsweet has many anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects due to its vital ingredients. Since meadowsweet also has diaphoretic effects, an incipient cold can be favorably influenced with a sweating cure. Meadowsweet can also be useful for headaches and migraines. Meadowsweet also alleviates stomach and intestinal complaints such as diarrhea or heartburn. Due to the tannins it contains, meadowsweet can help to dehydrate the body, has a diuretic effect and thus supports bladder function. By increasing the amount of urine, meadowsweet applications are also helpful in gout and rheumatic diseases. Applied externally, meadowsweet’s anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory effects come into play in joint ailments. Meadowsweet has therefore rightly been valued as a medicinal plant by the ancient Greeks and the Celtic Druids, and modern man can also benefit from its positive effects.