Filipendula ulmaria, commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial
herb in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout
most of Europe and Western Asia. It has been introduced and naturalised in North
America. Juncus subnodulosus-Cirsium palustre
fen-meadow and Purple moor grass and rush pastures BAP habitat plant
associations of Western Europe consistently include this plant.
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
The stems are 1–2 m tall, erect and furrowed, reddish to sometimes purple.
The leaves are dark-green on the upper side and whitish and downy underneath,
much divided, interruptedly pinnate, having a few large serrate leaflets and
small intermediate ones. Terminal leaflets are large, 4–8 cm long, and
three- to five-lobed. Meadowsweet has delicate, graceful,
creamy-white flowers clustered close together in irregularly-branched cymes,
having a very strong, sweet smell. They flower from early summer to early autumn
and are visited by various types of insects, in particular Musca flies.
Meadowsweet leaves are commonly galled by the bright orange-rust fungus
Triphragmium ulmariae, which creates swellings and distortions on the stalk
and/or midrib. Herbal and pharmacological
The whole herb possesses a pleasant taste and flavour, the green parts
having a similar aromatic character to the flowers, leading to the use of the
plant as a strewing herb, strewn on floors to give the rooms a pleasant
aroma, and its use to flavour wine, beer, and many vinegars. The flowers can
be added to stewed fruit and jams, giving them a subtle almond flavor. It
has many medicinal properties. The whole plant is a traditional remedy for an
acidic stomach, and the fresh root is often used in infinitesimal quantities
in homeopathic preparations. Dried, the flowers are used in potpourri. It is
also a frequently used spice in Scandinavian varieties of mead.
Chemical constituents include salicylic acid, flavone glycosides, essential
oils, and tannins. In 1897, Felix Hoffmann created a
synthetically altered version of salicin, derived from the species, which
caused less digestive upset than pure salicylic acid. The new drug, formally
acetylsalicylic acid, was named aspirin by Hoffman's employer Bayer AG after the
old botanical name for meadowsweet, Spiraea ulmaria. This gave rise to the
class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
This plant contains the chemicals used to make aspirin. A small section of
root, when peeled and crushed smells like Germolene, and when chewed is a
good natural remedy for relieving headaches. A natural black dye can be
obtained from the roots by using a copper mordant.
About one in five people with asthma has Samter's triad, in which aspirin induces
asthma symptoms. Therefore, asthmatics should be aware of the possibility that
meadowsweet, with its similar biochemistry, will also induce symptoms
of asthma. Filipendula ulmaria flowers or herb have
been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea for treatment
of rheumatism, gout, infections, and fever.
History and etymology White-flowered meadowsweet has been
found with the cremated remains of three people and at least one animal in a
Bronze Age cairn at Fan Foel, Carmarthenshire. Similar finds have also
been found inside a Beaker from Ashgrove, Fife, and a vessel from North
Mains, Strathallan. These could indicate honey-based mead or flavoured ale, or
might suggest the plant placed on the grave as a scented flower.
In Welsh Mythology, Gwydion and Math created a woman out of oak blossom,
broom, and meadowsweet and named her Blodeuwedd.
It is known by many other names, and in Chaucer's The Knight's Tale it is known
as Meadwort and was one of the ingredients in a drink called "save." It
was also known as Bridewort, because it was strewn in churches for festivals and
weddings, and often made into bridal garlands. In Europe, it took its name
"queen of the meadow" for the way it can dominate a low-lying, damp meadow. In
the 16th century, when it was customary to strew floors with rushes and herbs,
it was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. She desired it above all other herbs in
her chambers. The name ulmaria means "elmlike",
possibly in reference to its individual leaves which resemble those of the elm.
Like slippery elm bark, the plant contains salicylic acid, which has long
been used as a painkiller, and this may be the source of the name. However, the
generic name, Filipendula, comes from filum, meaning "thread" and pendulus,
meaning "hanging." This is said to describe the root tubers that hang
characteristically on the genus, on fibrous roots.
Popular culture A 2007 episode of the TV Series
Supernatural featured Meadowsweet as a component of a pagan ritual.
References Neltje Blanchan. Wild Flowers: An Aid to
Knowledge of our Wild Flowers and their Insect Visitors. Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation. External links
Purple Sage Medicinal Herbs, entry for Meadowsweet