Meadowsweet and whitehead, larkspur and Volzhanka, Ivanov color and queen of meadows - this is an incomplete list of "folk" names of meadowsweet. This useful green plant with beautiful fragrant inflorescences has its own fabulous history of origin and a wide range of applications in modern medicine. It has unique medicinal properties and a small list of contraindications.
The myth of the origin and historical use of the meadowsweet
According to an old legend, meadowsweet first grew at the site of the fall of sea foam from the beautiful body of Aphrodite, who first came out of the sea onto land. In the place where the foam touched the ground, tall grasses appeared with fragrant white flowers. The birth of the Greek goddess of love and beauty took place on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
For the Celtic priests, the meadowsweet was one of the sacred plants. It was used in magical rites and for the treatment of a mass of ailments. They healed colds, diseases of the stomach, joints and muscles. Decoctions from the flowers of the meadowsweet were used for bites of poisonous snakes asantidotes. In the 16th century, the plant was described in detail by European botanists. Cooks have traditionally used all parts of the meadowsweet to flavor sweet dishes and various drinks. In Europe, grass and young shoots were used to make salads and various soups.
This plant is an excellent honey plant, so in southern European countries it is called "honey grass". Its smell and flowers attract bees, which then produce delicious, fragrant and healing meadowsweet honey. Dried and brewed meadowsweet flowers have long been used as a diaphoretic and restorative drink. For example, the Indians used the flower infusion of this plant to enhance energy. And in Russia, "mowing" tea was very popular: a mixture of meadowsweet with fireweed and other aromatic herbs. He helped restore lost physical strength and peace of mind.
Snuff blends were supplemented with dry meadowsweet flowers, giving them a sweet, honey scent. Wedding ceremonies were decorated with garlands of fresh meadowsweet flowers. Its scent has long been used to scent homes and clothing.
How to recognize the meadowsweet?
This is a perennial herbaceous plant up to one and a half meters high with a thick root. It belongs to the family Rosaceae and subfamily Rosaceae. The erect stem is firm with beautiful feathery leaves. The shape of the dark green plate and its edge resemble elm leaves, which is why the meadowsweet is called "elm-leaved". A plant blooms in the middlesummer. Flowers are collected in fluffy white-cream or yellowish panicles. They have a unique smell that can hardly be confused with another flavor. In autumn, the flowers become small, spiral-shaped fruits. Another European name for the meadowsweet is "the queen of the meadow". This name is due to the fact that this grass is rather aggressively developing new territories, displacing other plants. A photo of the meadowsweet will help you find it in the summer forbs.
Where does meadowsweet grow?
Meadowsweet is common throughout almost the entire Eurasian continent: from Scandinavia and Central Europe to the northwestern part of Asia. It grows mainly in wet meadows and along the edges of swampy forests, near rivers and lakes, as well as in lowland swamps and shady forests. Prefers loamy soils.
Time and methods of harvesting plants
Flowers, like leaves, are harvested in mid-summer at the stage of active flowering. At this time, the concentration of valuable and useful substances in the meadowsweet reaches its maximum. The inflorescences are dried in shaded rooms with a good supply of fresh air or in dryers, maintaining the temperature regime no higher than 40 ° C. Crushed leaves and fragrant panicles of inflorescences are stored in boxes or jars with tight lids for 1 year.
The roots of the meadowsweet are harvested in early spring or autumn, when the apical part is almost dry. It is dug up and washed in clean cold water, cut into the desired parts. Then lay out in one layer to dry. After drying, the roots can be stored in dry rooms for 3 years. They keep best in jars with lids or cloth bags.
Useful properties of meadowsweet
In traditional medicine, all parts of the plant are used - root, grass and flowers. Due to its unique properties, meadowsweet is used to make medicinal teas, decoctions and tinctures, powders and ointments.
- General strengthening property. Meadowsweet, due to the ascorbic acid contained in the plant, enhances the overall resistance of the body to viruses and infections.
- Pain-relieving and antipyretic properties. The composition of the meadowsweet contains salicylic acid, which copes with pain of various etiologies and fever. There is a version that it was from the leaves of this plant that salicin was isolated, which was then used to make aspirin by German chemists.
- Sweatshop. Meadowsweet enhances sweating, helping the body get rid of toxins, s alts and water during illness.
- Binding property. Meadowsweet has a local anti-inflammatory effect.
- Wound healing and antibacterial properties. Meadowsweet promotes accelerated tissue regeneration and suppression of the growth of harmful microorganisms.
- Antiseptic property. Meadowsweet disinfects wounds and delays the development of negative microflora.
- Sedative. This plant relieves or reduces emotional stress. Underthe influence of certain substances, the processes of activation and inhibition of the cerebral cortex are balanced.
- Diuretic. Meadowsweet mildly enhances kidney function.
- Anti-fungal. In its chemical composition, the herb has antifungal components.
- Hypoglycemic. Meadowsweet lowers blood sugar levels.
Indications for use
In medicine, meadowsweet is used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases of various systems and organs. For example, meadowsweet extract is used to treat wounds, burns and trophic ulcers. As an anti-inflammatory agent, a decoction of the meadowsweet is used for skin diseases. Rinses and lotions alleviate the patient's condition with periodontal disease, gingivitis and stomatitis. Flower tincture of meadowsweet reduces blood pressure and increases cerebral circulation, and also helps to thin the blood and dissolve blood clots in the vessels. For the treatment of diseases of the reproductive and urinary system, the meadowsweet is used fresh and dried.
Velm-leaved meadowsweet: contraindications
Meadowsweet is not recommended for low blood pressure, colitis and poor blood clotting. When using this herb in any form, you need to remember about its diaphoretic action and avoid hypothermia. The use of meadowsweet for the treatment of children and pregnant women should be started only after consulting a competent doctor. There is no single medical opinion regarding the safety of the meadowsweet.
Application in folkmedicine
Phytotherapists call meadowsweet a remedy for forty ailments. Its pharmacological action is multifaceted. It has a strong and long lasting effect. Taking into account the beneficial properties of meadowsweet and contraindications for use, it can be successfully used in the treatment of ailments of various organs and systems.
Decoction of the rhizomes of the meadowsweet is used for warm douches and enemas for gynecological diseases and diarrhea. Diseases of the joints, diseases of the thyroid gland, diabetes and malignant tumors are also treated by taking decoctions from this plant. Compresses from meadowsweet decoction heal and disinfect wounds. Ointments with the addition of meadowsweet have a healing, regenerating and soothing effect on various skin diseases. A decoction of the herb meadowsweet is used in the treatment of pneumonia, bronchitis and chronic respiratory diseases. A decoction of meadowsweet flowers relieves hangovers and helps to cope with the symptoms of ethanol poisoning. Crushed meadowsweet flowers are used to treat diaper rash, in particular, instead of talcum powder for babies.
Fragrant tea drink from meadowsweet flowers increases the amount of fluid excreted from the body. It is used for diseases of the urinary system, gout and hypertension. Meadowsweet is believed to be able to lower blood pressure by 40% in 20 minutes. This tea is indicated for stomach ailments, rheumatism and heart ailments to reduce pain.
The smell of the meadowsweet repels bloodsucking wellinsects. Exposed areas of the skin are rubbed with the flowers of the plant. They can be fresh or dried, but retain their scent.
Fortifying meadowsweet tea recipe
Monocomponent meadowsweet tea has a yellow or light brown color, the taste of the drink is sweetish with honey notes. One teaspoon of fragrant flowers of the meadowsweet is added to a glass of boiling water. The drink is consumed after 5 minutes of infusion. This tea has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, on the urinary organs and enhances overall immunity.
