Meadow Health Dictionary

Spiraea ulmaria. N.O. Rosaceae.

Synonym: Bridewort, Dolloft, Queen-of-the-Meadow.

Habitat: Low-lying meadows, sides of ditches.

Features ? Stem strong, woody, reddish hue, three or four feet high. Leaves in large and small pairs, alternate, serrate ; end leaf has three leaflets with longer one in middle ; dark green on top surface, white and downy underneath. Flowers small, creamy white, clustered in large, dense cymes.

Part used ? Herb.

Action: Astringent, diuretic, aromatic, tonic.

The 1 ounce to 1 pint infusion is taken in wineglassful doses for strangury

and dropsy. It is especially useful in infantile diarrhea.

Meadowsweet is included in recipes for many herb beers, its pleasantly aromatic, tonic and diuretic qualities making it particularly suitable for this purpose.... meadowsweet

Meadowsweet tea is one of the many herbal teas with plenty of health benefits. It is made from the meadowsweet herb, which can be found in Europe and Western Asia. The plant, as well as the tea, helps you stay healthy. Find out more information about meadowsweet tea! About Meadowsweet Tea Meadowsweet tea’s main ingredient is meadowsweet, a perennial herb that grows in moist meadows. It is found in Europe and Western Asia; it has also been introduced and naturalized in North America. The stems are 1-2m tall, with dark-green leaves and delicate, white flowers called cymes, which grow in clusters. The flowers bloom from June to early September, and have a strong, sweet smell. The plant has a rich history. The flowers of the plant were found in a Bronze Age cairn in Carmarthenshire, along with the cremated remains of three people. They were also found inside a Beaker from Ashgrove, Fife, and a vessel from North Mains, Strathallan. In Chaucer’s “The Knight’s tale”, it is called Meadwort, representing one of the ingredients for a drink called “save”. Also, during the 16^th century, it was Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite herb for strewing the floors in her chambers. The plant can be used as a strewing herb, thanks to its strong, pleasant aroma, as well as to flavor wine, beer, and other vinegars. The flowers are used with jams, to give them a subtle almond flavor. How to prepare Meadowsweet Tea It isn’t difficult to make a cup of meadowsweet tea. Just add one teaspoon of dried meadowsweet herbs (usually the leaves of the plant) to a cup of boiling water and let it steep for about 10 minutes. Once the steeping time is done, strain to remove the herbs. You can add lemon and/or honey, based on your taste. Health Benefits of Meadowsweet Tea The meadowsweet tea comes with many health benefits, thanks to its main ingredient, the meadowsweet herb. The herb is known to include, among other substances, salicylic acid, essential oils, and tannins. The plant also contains the chemicals necessary to make aspirin, and from its roots you can obtain a natural black dye. The health benefits of the meadowsweet tea are just as important. First of all, it helps you with digestion. It protects the mucous membranes of the digestive tract by reducing excess acidity and easing nausea. It also helps with diarrhea. Meadowsweet teais often recommended when dealing with colds and the flu. It helps reduce the fever, as well as with headaches; it also treats coughs. Meadowsweet tea is used to treat heartburn, gastritis, peptic ulceration, and hyperacidity. It also helps relieve rheumatism-induced pain in muscles and joints. Side-effects of Meadowsweet Tea If you know that aspirin is not good for your health, be careful when drinking meadowsweet tea. As meadowsweet is one of the ingredients of aspirin, it might affect you to some extent. For example, in the case of about one out of five persons suffering from asthma, aspirin induced asthma symptoms. Those suffering from asthma need to keep in mind the fact that meadowsweet teamay induce asthma symptoms, as well. Meadowsweet tea might not be good for you if you’ve got internal bleeding problems. The herb might cancel the effects of prescribed blood thinners, therefore causing more harm than helping you. Also, don’t drink meadowsweet tea if you’re pregnant, as it might cause miscarriages. If you drink too much meadowsweet tea, you might get the following symptoms: blood in the stool, vomiting, or ringing in the ears; it might even lead to kidney problems. Plus, it is not recommended to drink more than six cups of tea a day, no matter the tea. If you drink too much, you’ll get headaches, dizziness, insomnia, irregular heartbeats, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. Meadowsweet tea is definitely good for your body! Having all these health benefits, you won’t regret including it in your daily diet. If you’re sure you won’t get any side effects, then you’re free to enjoy a cup of aromatic tea!... benefits of meadowsweet tea

Divination... meadow rue