Filipendula ulmaria, commonly known as
meadowsweet[1] or
mead wort,
[2] is a
perennial herb in the family
Rosaceae that grows in damp
meadows. It is native throughout most of
Europe and
Western Asia (Near east and Middle east). It has been introduced and naturalised in North America.
Meadowsweet has also been referred to as
Queen of the Meadow,
[1] Pride of the Meadow,
Meadow-Wort,
Meadow Queen,
Lady of the Meadow,
Dollof,
Meadsweet, and
Bridewort.
Description[edit]
The stems are 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) 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.
[3]
Filipendula is a perennial herb growing to 70 cm high. The flowers are small and numerous, they show 5
sepals and 5
petalswith 7 to 20 stamens.
[4]
Meadowsweet leaves are commonly galled by the bright orange-rust fungus
Triphragmium ulmariae, which creates swellings and distortions on the stalk and/or midrib.
Distribution[edit]
Habitat[edit]
Common in damp areas and dominant in fens and wet woods.
[5][6]
Herbal and pharmacological[edit]
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 negligible quantities in
homeopathic preparations. Dried, the flowers are used in
potpourri. It is also a frequently used spice in Scandinavian varieties of
mead.
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,
[7] 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.
Wild meadowsweet in Wharfedale, near
Conistone, North Yorkshire, England
History and etymology[edit]
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 (both to give warmth underfoot and to overcome smells and infections), it was a favorite of
Elizabeth I of England. She desired it above all other herbs in her chambers.
[citation needed]
The name
ulmaria means "elmlike", possibly in reference to its individual leaves which resemble those of the
elm (
Ulmus). 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.
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