Meadowsweet Elmweed.

Meadowsweet: properties, applications and benefits

Meadowsweet, or Spiraea salicifolia L., is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Rosaceae family. This plant can grow up to 120 cm in height, and it is distributed in many regions of the world, including the entire European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Western and Eastern Siberia and Central Asia. Meadowsweet grows in damp places, swamps, among bushes, in sparse forests, along the banks of rivers and lakes.

The leaves of the meadowsweet are pinnate, smooth above, white-tomentose below, and the flowers are numerous, white, collected in a large paniculate inflorescence. The plant blooms in June - July, and the seeds ripen in August - September. Meadowsweet has a decorative appearance, but is also used in cooking, medicine and other fields.

Meadowsweet in cooking
Fresh young leaves and roots of meadowsweet are used for food, for seasoning soups, salads and borscht. The plant also serves as food for wild animals and is suitable for tanning leather. Black and yellow dyes are obtained from meadowsweet. The flowers are used as a substitute for tea.

Meadowsweet in medicine
Meadowsweet is known for its medicinal properties. The roots, aerial parts and flowers of the plant are used as medicinal raw materials. Preparations from meadowsweet have a tonic, bactericidal, diuretic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, astringent, wound-healing, hemostatic, choleretic and anthelmintic effect, and enhance the liver’s ability to neutralize toxic metabolic products.

A decoction of the roots and flowers of meadowsweet is used for nervous disorders, hypertension, as an anthelmintic and to relieve spasms of internal organs. Preparations from the leaves and flowers of the plant are prescribed for colds, bronchial asthma, chronic cholecystitis and diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Tincture of leaves has a positive effect on trophic ulcers of the lower extremities, wounds and burns.

Meadowsweet: collection and use
Meadowsweet rhizome with roots. Meadowsweet is collected in the spring, before flowering, or in the autumn, after the leaves fall. Collect roots, aerial parts of the plant and flowers. The roots and above-ground parts of the plant are dried in the shade in a ventilated place, and the flowers are dried in the sun.

The use of meadowsweet in medicine should be under the supervision of a physician, as some drugs may have side effects. For example, if the dose of medications based on meadowsweet is exceeded, irritation of the gastrointestinal tract may occur, allergic reactions and other side effects may occur.

In other areas, meadowsweet is used as an ornamental plant to decorate gardens and parks, as well as in landscape design. In floriculture they are used to create bouquets and compositions.

In conclusion, Meadowsweet is a versatile and useful resource with many applications. However, before using for medical purposes, consultation with a specialist is necessary.