Meadowsweet

A rather tall (60 - 200cm) erect plant which likes wet places, including damp meadows, and produces a frothy, irregular mass of creamy flowers June - September. The leaves are toothed, with a downy, whiteish underneath, and the stems are often reddish.

The crushed flowers of meadowsweet have an aspirin-like scent, and during Elizabethan times was used as a strewing herb to improve the smell of homes, and to flavour wines and ales.

Formally used against Malaria, meadowsweet is now more commonly used as an infusion or tincture for treating stomach upsets associated with overeating or contaminated food. Soothing and calming to the digestive tract, meadowsweet helps reduce excess acidity, and is ideal for gastritis, indigestion, and heartburn. Its diuretic, anti-inflammatory properties help counter the pain of aching, arthritic joints or gout.

!Contains salicylic acid, from which acetylsalicylic acid was derived in the 1890s (which is much less irritating to the stomach lining than the former). It is therefore best avoided by anyone sensitive to Aspirin and Salicylates, and should be avoided if taking blood-thinning remedies such as Warfarin and Heparin!