Meadowsweet.

Spiraea ulmaria.

Also see Hool, 1922: Meadowsweet.

Natural Order—Rosaceae.

Meadowsweet, or Queen-of-the-Meadow as it is sometimes called, is one of the common plants indigenous to Great Britain and Ireland, but also found growing in nearly all parts of Europe and in America. It is a wild plant, growing in ditches, around the sides of ponds, by road-sides, river-sides, in woods, and in swampy places. The root is red, thick, and flabby (I've found the root to be a short thin hollow tube with a few rootlets growing downwards ... shrug. -Henriette). The stem is round and angular, erect, firm, pale green, but sometimes purple and striated. The leaves are each composed of about three pairs of small leaves, which are set on each side of the mid-rib with the terminal one at the end. They are deep green on the upper side, and whitish underneath. The flowers are small and white, standing so close together that the whole cluster seems to form one large flower.

Medicinal Properties: Diuretic, slightly Stimulant, Astringent, Tonic, Antacid, Antiscorbutic, and Febrifuge.

It is a good tonic in cases of dyspepsia, dropsy, rheumatism, fevers, cramps, and all forms of bilious attacks, sour belchings, and stomach affections of every kind. Meadowsweet, when made into a strong tea (1½-ozs. to one pint of boiling water) and a small cupful given every two or three hours, will be found highly beneficial in all cases of fever, no matter of what kind. It is also useful in case of swelling after meals or vomiting before meals, bile or bilious attacks, and for round worms in either children or adults. It will also be found highly useful for indigestion, if it be combined with Wood Betony, Agrimony, Raspberry Leaves, Great Burnet, and Wood Avens, in equal parts, made into a tea to be taken either at or before meals. Use about a quarter-ounce of the mixed herbs for a pint of tea, sweeten and milk to taste. It restores the action of the liver, kidneys and bladder; renews and tones up the powers of all the digestive organs, restoring them to their normal condition. It promotes an appetite, strengthens the nerves and muscles, and gives a sense of general well-being.

Health from British Wild Herbs was written by Richard Lawrence Hool, N.A.M.H., in 1918.