iii: Herb of the Month
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) Marianne Hughes, with illustration by Hazel Brady Grieve (1931) comments that Meadowsweet, Watermint (Mentha aquatica), and Vervain (Verbena officinalis) were the three herbs 'held most sacred by the Druids'. Meadowsweet was certainly known in Celtic communities as a malaria and fever treatment. It is perhaps more widely known that the salicylic acid in Willow (Salix alba, Salix fragilis) has a long record of use in pain relief. In the 5th century, Hippocrates used powdered Willow bark and leaves to control headaches and general pain. However, it was 19th century research on Meadowsweet that led to the development of Aspirin, modelled on the herb's salicylic acid content. The drug company Bayer patented 'Aspirin' in 1899, basing it on the old Latin name for Meadowsweet— Spiraea ulmaria (Bruton-Seal and Seal, 2014).
Plant historians suggest our common name, Meadowsweet, has more to do with mead— the ancient, honeyed drink —than with meadows. In fact, Meadowsweet grows in marshes, streams, ditches, and moist woodland. 'Meadsweet' is an older name for the herb, and William Turner's herbal (1568) records it as 'medewurthe'— a term also used by Chaucer two centuries earlier (ibid.). This may have much to do with the fragrance of the flower. Barker (2011) relates that a woman in Sutherland gathered Meadowsweet flowers, placed them in a vase in her house, and the fragrance cured her terrible headaches. Grieve (1931) comments that 'a decoction of the root, in white wine, was formerly considered a specific in fevers'. This sounds delicious and certainly likely to distract from any fever! As a herbal remedy, Meadowsweet has a long lineage. According to Culpeper (1653): the flowers are alexipharmic [an antidote to poison] and sudorific [sweat inducing], and good in fevers, and all malignant distempers; they are likewise astringent, binding, and useful in fluxes of all sorts. An infusion of the fresh-gathered tops of this plant promotes sweating. As with many herbs, it is the complexity of Meadowsweet— its mucilage content and perhaps its fragrance too —that renders it most useful. More recently, the uses of Meadowsweet have extended from simply reducing fever towards pain-relief and the plant's broad range of soothing actions. As a painkiller, it does not burn the stomach as Aspirin can. Meadowsweet is also particularly effective for gastric reflux (heartburn), hyperacidity, and children's diarrhoea. The action of reducing acidity in the stomach appears to extend to the body in general, which is why Meadowsweet is effective in treating joint problems, including arthritis.
11
