Herb. No. 068 · Rosaceae
European wet meadows and ditch-banks.
Native · Europe
Native Also grown
OpenCautionplant
Meadowsweet
Filipendula ulmaria
Creamy meadow plumes that smell of almond and aspirin — a stomach-kinder willow analog.
Meadowsweet gave its old name (spiraea) to aspirin. It carries salicylates with tannins and a pleasant flavor, traditionally used when the gut is hot and the head aches. It is still an aspirin-family plant: bleeding, Reye's, and aspirin allergy apply.
Flavor
Almond, hay, and wintergreen honey — one of the finest meadow teas.
Parts used
Flowering tops · Leaf
In favor
- Delicious
- Often gentler on the stomach than bark salicylates
Against
- Aspirin family risks
- Not for children with viral fever