Meadowsweet, aka Filipendula ulmaria, has a long history among those who doctor or assist in healing, including Mom’s through the ages. Part of the beauty this stately shrub brings to the stage is an ability to help the body detoxify and alkalize, soothe and tone, and perhaps most especially relieve pain.
Mom’s love Meadowsweet for themselves. It’s a terrific partner for all manner of digestive complaints and can be quite useful for a variety of women’s complaints, too.
Moms love Meadowsweet for their children, too. That’s part of what makes this herb so special; Meadowsweet is quite safe for treating childhood illnesses ranging from simple upset tummy to viral and bacterial infections to colds/flus symptoms to chickenpox and measles. Meadowsweet is versatile.
Historically, we’ve got evidence of Meadowsweet being used not only as a medicine, as evidenced by a variety of writers including Dioscoredes, Galen, and Culpepper, but also as being important in rituals. Meadowsweet is one of the herbs cherished by Druids of old, having been discovered in Druidic burial mounds dating from the Bronze Age in modern Wales.
Another of Meadowsweet’s names, Bridewort, elevates it above more common strewing herbs. Meadowsweet has long been used to strew the church and bridal chambers for marriage rights. It was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth in the Victorian era as both a strewing herb and a soothing tea.
It’s been long used as a bittering and flavoring herb in meads, which is where the common name was likely derived. Meadowsweet has also been known as Meadsweet or Meadwort, a nod to its common use in Meads and Metheglin for medicinal and recreational purposes. It was so common even Chaucer mentioned Meadowsweet in The Knight’s Tale, wherein Meadowsweet is included as one of the essential ingredients in making a truly good Honey-ale or Mead.
Meadowsweet’s place in history and folklore was not limited just to the British Isles. You’ll find Meadowsweet’s name scattered across Europe’s folk stories and traditions, ranging from the modern UK all the way to Russia. In all cases, Meadowsweet is linked with Magic, Maidens, Fertility, and Healing and Detoxifying. It has been said that where Meadowsweet grows, no evil can stand; This Queen of the Meadow rules with a powerful yet gentle touch.
Meadowsweet Magic
Queen of the damp and fertile places, Meadowsweet shows us how to handle challenges that would otherwise bog us down with grace and beauty. She stands 4-5 feet (1.5 m) tall, towering over many of the surrounding plants in her favored rolling meadows, ditches, and damp areas. Her presence is truly Regal, and the scent of her flowers is a joyful mix of Heaven and Grace.
There, she thrives, transforming the excess water around her into exactly the right balance to draw to herself a variety of pollinators. Meadowsweet is beloved by pollinators including a variety of butterflies, moths, and bees. They drink deeply of her nectar and carry her pollen back home to share her wealth with their own people. Meadowsweet’s magic is that of both transformation and generosity.
Meadowsweet’s gift of transformation is one we can draw on ourselves, just like the butterflies, who enjoy her leaves as caterpillars and her nectar as butterflies. She offers us some insight into how to balance the more damp, emotional and stuck in our lives with a cool-headed courage and warm heart when we need to make changes. How?
Her leaves are a strong, dark green on top and silvery on the bottom. There are two sides to every story, Meadowsweet reminds us. Our best bet is to listen to both and find the places where we can integrate the best of both into our own story. That is one of Meadowsweet’s transformation secrets. Meadowsweet’s magic is about finding balance amid the buzz.
When Meadowsweet has come into your life, expect a renewal or healing of some kind. Meadowsweet knows how to balance fever with cooling, damp with drying, desire with passion. She can show you how to drive out the toxic in your life and make space for the calm and powerful that is inherently you. Meadowsweet’s magic is all about recovering the most sacred, most powerful most regal available and using it to grow healthy and strong with power and grace.
Meadowsweet is ruled by Venus and her element is Air. She reduces Kapha, feeds Pitta, and balances Vata.
Resources
- Breverton’s Complete Herbal (affiliate link)
- Backyard Medicine by Julie Brunton-Seal and Matthew Seal (affiliate link)
- Icelandic Herbs and Their Medicinal Uses by Anna Rosa Robertsdottir (affiliate link)
- The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer by Jeff Carpenter and Melanie Carpenter (affiliate link)
- Meet a Plant: Meadowsweet
