Meadowsweet

Distribution Great Britain, northern Siberia, eastern Mongolia to Asia Minor, throughout Europe with the exception of the far south.

The plant is a 50 to 150 cm tall perennial with long-stemmed, odd-pinnate leaves and small, creamy white, sweetly scented flowers. It flowers from June to August.

Meadowsweet contains methyl esters of salicylic acid. This was isolated from the plant for the first time in 1853 by Karl Jacob Löwig and named spiric acid, in accordance with its origin from Spiraea ulmaria. This spiric acid, i.e. salicylic acid, was used in gram doses to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The molecule was later chemically modified to increase the effect and improve tolerability. In 1897, the Bayer company succeeded in synthesizing acetylsalicylic acid, known as Aspirin®. A stands for acetyl and spir for spicylic acid, the former name for salicylic acid.

The dried flowers, stems and leaves (meadowsweet herb - Filipendulae ulmariae herba) are used, especially the flowers: Spiraeae ulmariae flos.

1. Wenigmann M. (2017) Phytotherapy medicinal drugs, phytopharmaceuticals, application. Urban & Fischer, pp. 150-151
2. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/maedesuess.php