Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet: description, medicinal properties and use

Meadowsweet, also known by the popular names meadowsweet, whitehead, wet raspberry and honeyberry, is a perennial subshrub from the Rosaceae family. The plant is anchored in the soil with the help of a strong rhizome and can reach a height of up to 1 m.

The leaves of the meadowsweet are alternate, pinnately dissected. Their large and small segments alternate with each other, have distinct feathery venation, crenate or serrate edges, and are silvery pubescent on the underside. Small white flowers with numerous stamens are collected in paniculate inflorescences at the ends of the shoots. Meadowsweet blooms from June to August. The plant is found along ditches and stream banks, usually marshy. Wet meadows are favorite places for thickets of meadowsweet, which is recognized from afar by its tall flowering shoots.

The flowering herb Meadowsweet, mainly flowers and rhizomes, is used as medicinal raw materials. The pharmaceutical name for meadowsweet flowers is Spiraeae flos (formerly: Flores Spiraeae), meadowsweet grass is Spiraeae herba (formerly: Herba Spiraeae). The upper part of the plant is collected when the flowers have fully bloomed, tied into bunches and hung to dry. To collect the falling flowers, a cloth is spread below. The drying temperature should not exceed 40 °C.

Meadowsweet contains some essential oil, flavone glycosides, tannins, mucilage and salicylic acid compounds. Tea from meadowsweet is used against gout and rheumatism, and its urinary and diaphoretic effects are used in the so-called blood purification course. The value of this medicinal plant is disputed by doctors.

Homeopathy uses the homeopathic medicine Spiraea ulmaria, which is prepared from fresh rhizomes. This is a good remedy for chronic and acute articular rheumatism, and also works well for sciatica. The treatment uses the original tincture and the first two dilutions (D1 and D2); take 5-10 (up to 15) drops from two to several times a day.

In folk medicine, meadowsweet is valued as a proven remedy for dropsy, rheumatism and gout. Meadowsweet tea can be prepared by pouring 1-2 teaspoons of crushed dried flowers into 1/4 liter of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes, then strain. Optimal dosage: 1 cup of tea 2 times a day in small sips. In some cases, this tea manages to bring down a high fever.

However, it is worth considering that an overdose of meadowsweet can lead to stomach disease and cause nausea. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the correct dosage and consult a specialist before using this plant for medicinal purposes.

Thus, meadowsweet is a useful medicinal plant that has found wide use in folk and alternative medicine. However, it is necessary to follow the correct dosage and monitor possible side effects.