Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Herbal Aspirin

Family: Rosaceae; (includes Rose, Almond, Apple, Raspberry, Cherry)

Genus and Species: Filipendula Ulmaria, formerly Spiraea Ulmaria

Also known as: Spiraea, Bridewort, Queen-of-the-meadow

Parts used: Leaves and flower tops

It’s a rare medicine cabinet that doesn’t contain aspirin, but it’s even rarer to find anyone who knows we owe the word “aspirin” to the beautiful. aromatic meadowsweet.

Original Air Freshener

During the Middle Ages, meadowsweet’s delicate almond fragrance made it a popular air freshener, or “strewing herb.” It was scattered around homes at a time when people rarely bathed and when farm animals often shared human living quarters. Later, this herb’s sweet aroma and lovely blossoms earned it a place in bridal bouquets, hence the name bridewort. Later herbalists recommended meadowsweet to treat fevers, arthritis, “falling sickness” (epilepsy). and respiratory ailments.

Colonists introduced the plant into North America, and the 19th-century Eclectics considered it “an excellent astringent - in diarrhea. [It] is less offensive to the stomach than other agents of its kind.” They also prescribed it for menstrual cramps and vaginal discharges.

From Salicin to Aspirin

In 1839, a German chemist discovered meadowsweet flower buds contained salicin, the same chemical isolated from white willow bark I 1 years earlier. Salicin has powerful paine relieving (analgesic), fever-reducing, and anti-inflammatory properties. Unfortunately, salicin (and its close chemical relatives, notably salicylic acid) also causes potentially haze ardous side effects: stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea, stomach bleeding, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and at high doses even respiratory paralysis and death.

Chemists began tinkering with salicylic acid, hoping to pree serve its benefits while minimizing its hazards, In 1853, German chemists working with an extract of meadowsweet synthesized acetylsalicylic acid. The new drug still had salicylic acid’s side effects but was much more potent. To name the new drug, they took the a from acetyl-the chemical they added to the extract-and spirin from meadowsweet’s Latin name, Spiraea, and came up with aspirin. News of aspirin’s development was published in an obscure German medical journal and forgotten for almost 50 years.

Bayer Does It Better

Then in the late 1890s, a German chemist, Felix Hoffman, bee came upset that his father’s rheumatoid arthritis medication brought him so little relief. Hoffman worked at the Fredrich Bayer pharmaceutical company, and he began combing the journals for leads to a better arthritis treatment. He came upon the old reports of aspirin and prepared the drug. His father improved significantly after taking it. At first, Bayer officials were not interested in Hoffman’s arthritis remedy, but eventually they saw its potential, and in 1899 they introduced acetylsalicylic acid in Europe and North America under the brand name Aspirin.

Aspirin quickly became the household drug of choice for a broad range of everyday medical needs. But in one of the earliest u.s. trademark-protection battles, Bayer lost its trademark to aspirin. The court ruled the word had passed into general usage.

Contemporary herbalists recommend meadowsweet for colds and flu, nausea, heartburn and other digestive upsets, muscle aches, dropsy (congestive heart failure), and childhood diarrhea.

Meadowsweet gave us aspirin, but don’t expect the herb to do everything aspirin does.

Pain Relief - Meadowsweet does not pack aspirin’s painrelieving, fever-reducing, and anti-inflammatory punch. The herb is low in salicylate, and even strong infusions may not reduce fever or relieve pain. Tinctures provide more salicylate and greater pain relief.

On the other hand, meadowsweet is less likely to cause aspirin’s major side effect, stomach upset. In fact, recent European studies show the herb actually protects experimental animals from aspirin-induced stomach ulcers, a finding that supports the Eclectic observation that meadowsweet is gentle to the stomach.

If you’d rather take an herbal preparation than a pill, try meadowsweet for headache, arthritis, menstrual cramps, low-grade fever, and other pains and inflammations, especially if aspirin upsets your stomach. It might help.

Diarrhea - A European study showed meadowsweet effective against one of the bacteria that cause diarrhea (Shigella dysenteriae), lending some credence to its traditional use for this condition.

Intriguing Possibilities - Aspirin helps prevent the internal blood clots that trigger heart attack. Meadowsweet’s effect on heart disease, if any, has not been researched, but it seems re2sonable to presume the herb may have a similar effect.

One study showed salicin reduces blood sugar (glucose) levels, suggesting possible value in the management of diabetes.

Rx for Meadowsweet

For a pleasantly astringent infusion, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day.

In a tincture, take ‘h to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day. Meadowsweet should not be given to children under age 2 or children under 16 suffering fevers from colds, flu, or chicken pox. For other children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

Recent European animal studies suggest meadowsweet may stimulate uterine contractions. The herb has no history of use as a menstruation promoter, but aspirin has been associated with an increased risk of birth defects, so pregnant women should not use it.

In children under 16 suffering fevers from colds, flu, or chicken pox, aspirin is associated with Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal condition. Meadowsweet has never been associated with Reye’s syndrome, but because it’s related to aspirin, parents should not give it to children with fevers caused by those illnesses.

Other Cautions

The Food and Drug Administration lists meadowsweet as an herb of “undefined safety.” For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who do not have ulcers or gastritis and are not taking other medications containing aspirin or salicylates, meadowsweet is considered safe in amounts typically recommended.

If meadowsweet causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or ringing in the ears, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Queen-of-the-Meadow

Meadowsweet is a perennial with stems that reach 2 to 6 feet. It has elm-like leaves and large drooping clusters of small coiled white or pink flowers, which bloom throughout summer and have a fragrant, sweet almond aroma. It stands taller and has more striking flowers than most other meadow plants, hence its name queen-of-the-meadow.

Meadowsweet grows wild from Newfoundland to Ohio in marshes, along stream-banks, and in moist forests and meadows. It is best propagated from cuttings of its creeping, perennial, underground stem (rhizome). Meadowsweet does best in rich, moist, well-drained soil under partial shade. Harvest the leaves and flower tops when the plant is in bloom.