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Filipendula ulmaria

It is commonly known as meadowsweet. Its stems are 1–2 m 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. A peculiarity of this flower is that the scent of the leaves is quite different from that of the flowers.

It is native to Europe, which grows easily in wet places. Generally it grows in ditches and the banks of streams and rivers. It is widely found in Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, temperate Asia and Mongolia.

It contains ascorbic acid, chalcones, condensed tannins, coumarin, flavonoids spiraeoside, rutin, hyperoside, and avicularin, heparin plant, hydrolyzable tannins, mucilage, phenolic acids, phenolic glycosides (including spiraein, monotropin, and gaultherin), phenylcarboxylic acids, salicin, salicylates, spiraeoside, tannins, and vanillin. Its volatile oil contains salicylaldehyde, ethylsalicylate, methylsalicylate, and methoxybenzaldehyde.

It is covered by Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India as well as German Homoeopathic Pharmacopeia. Shoots with flower are used for preparation of mother tincture.

The leaves and flowering stems are alterative, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, stomachic and tonic. It is a valuable medicine in diarrhoea, imparting to the bowels some degree of nourishment, as well as of astringency. According to some reports this drug is effective in stomach disturbance, heartburn, acidity, pain in abdomen etc. It is also believed to be very effective against the pathogens that cause diphtheria, both amebic and bacillary dysenteries, and pneumonia.

Recommended Dose: Q. Maximum recommended dose 3ml in three divided doses/day. Over dose causes gastric distress.

Caution: Should be avoided during pregnancy and lactation.

References:

1. Andrew Chevallier, The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, 1st Edition, 1996, Dorling Kindersley, London.
2. P. N. Varma, Indu Vaid, Encyclopaedia of Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia, Updated edition 2007, B. Jain Publishers, New Delhi
3. Stenberg, J. A., Witzell, J., and Ericson, L. Tall herb herbivory resistance reflects historic exposure to leaf beetles in a boreal archipelago age-gradient. Oecologia  2-25-2006;16502319
4. Sroka, Z., Cisowski, W., Seredynska, M., and Luczkiewicz, M. Phenolic extracts from meadowsweet and hawthorn flowers have antioxidative properties. Z Naturforsch [C] 2001;56(9-10):739-744. 11724378
5. Thieme, H. [Isolation of a new phenolic glycoside from the blossoms of Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim]. Pharmazie 1966;21(2):123. 5982978
6. Poukens-Renwart, P., Tits, M., Wauters, J. N., and Angenot, L. Densitometric evaluation of spiraeoside after derivatization in flowers of Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. J Pharm Biomed Anal  1992;10(10-12):1085-1088. 1298367
7. Mrs. Margaret Grieve, A Modern Herb, ISBN: 0486227987 & 0486227995. Source: https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/corkw100.html