Filipendula ulmaria

Filipendula ulmaria, commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia (Near East and Middle East). It has been introduced and naturalised in North America. Meadowsweet has also been referred to as queen of the meadow, pride of the meadow, meadow-wort, meadow queen, lady of the meadow, dollof, meadsweet, and bridewort.

Description

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 50-125 cm tall and 30-60 cm wide. The stems are erect and reddish. The leaves are dark green above and silvery underneath. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk. The leaves are elm like. There are 5 pairs of larger leaflets. There are teeth along the edge. The flowers are small and creamy white. They have a sweet smell. They are in dense groups.

Edible Uses

All parts of the plant are edible. The root is cooked and eaten. Young leaves are cooked and used as a flavouring in soups. Young leaves, flowers, and roots can be brewed into a tea, and dried leaves are used as a flavouring and sweetener in herb teas. The flowers are used to flavour alcoholic beverages and stewed fruits — added to wine or beer, they are said to produce a very heady brew. They are also made into a syrup for use in cooling drinks and fruit salads.

Traditional Uses

The roots are eaten as a staple. The flowers and leaves are used to flavour beers, wines and stewed fruit. The flowers are also made into syrup. It can be used for drinks, fruit salad or topping for ice cream. The young leaves, flowers and roots are brewed into tea. Caution: It should not be used by people sensitive to aspirin.

Medicinal Uses

Meadowsweet has a long history of herbal use and was one of the three most sacred herbs of the Druids. The leaves and flowering stems are alterative, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, stomachic, and tonic. The plant is harvested in July when in flower and can be dried for later use. The flower head contains salicylic acid, from which aspirin is synthesised. Unlike isolated aspirin — which can cause gastric ulceration at high doses — the combination of constituents in meadowsweet protects the stomach and intestinal lining while still delivering anti-inflammatory benefits. It is considered nearly specific in treating children's diarrhoea and is a valuable stomachic for hyperacidity, heartburn, gastritis, and peptic ulcers, being one of the most effective plant remedies for these conditions. It is also used in treating afflictions of the blood and has been shown effective against the organisms responsible for diphtheria, dysentery, and pneumonia. This remedy should not be given to people who are hypersensitive to aspirin. A strong decoction of the boiled root, applied externally, is said to treat sores and ulcers. A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh root. The German Commission E Monographs approve meadowsweet for cough, bronchitis, fever, and cold.

Distribution

A temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It will grow in Arctic Russia. It does best in moist places. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andorra, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Estonia, Europe, Finland, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mongolia, North Africa, North America, Norway, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Slovenia, Sweded, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seed. They need a temperature above 10-13°C to germinate but need a treatment of cold before then. Plants can be grown by division or by root cuttings.

Propagation

Sow seed in autumn in a cold frame, or in spring at a germination temperature of 10–13°C. Prick seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle and plant out in summer if sufficiently established, otherwise overwinter in a cold frame and plant out in late spring. Divide in autumn or winter — larger clumps can go directly into permanent positions, while smaller ones are better potted on in a cold frame until rooting well, then planted out in spring.

Other Uses

A brown dye is obtained from the roots. A yellow dye is obtained from the plant tops. An essential oil from the flower buds is used in perfumery. The whole plant, particularly the leaves, was historically used as a strewing herb, filling rooms with an almond-like fragrance. Both flowers and leaves are used in pot-pourri, retaining their scent for several months, with the dried flowers becoming more pleasant with age.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 10 Filipendula species. It was from this plant that aspirin was first isolated.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Angervaks, Brestovolistni oslad, Cayar kralicesi, Dropwort, Labaznik, Mjodurt, Tavolga, Viinarohi

References (31)

• Abbet, C., et al, 2014, Ethnobotanical survey on wild alpine food plants in Lower and Central Valais (Switzerland). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 151 (2014) 624–634
• Aipeisova S.A., et al, 2019, Wild useful herbs of Aktobe Region (Western Kazakhstan). Ukrainian Journal of Ecology, 9(3), 329-331
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 475
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 170
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 440

More from Rosaceae

Rubus pensilvanicus

Pennsylvania Blackberry, Yankee blackberry

Rubus pergratus

Upland Blackberry

Rubus permixtus

Thicket Dewberry

Rubus persicus

Rubus peruvianus

Rubus philadelphicus

Philadelphia Blackberry