Meadowsweet

Filipendula ulmaria

flower

Fragrant cream flower heads of a plant of the damp meadows of Europe and Asia, dried for tea; crushed, it smells of methyl salicylate, like willow.

Origin

Wet meadows of Europe

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

One tablespoon of dried flowering tops per cup, ten minutes in water that is hot but not boiling; the infusion is strained and drunk.

Did you know?

In 1899, Bayer synthesised acetylsalicylic acid, which was named aspirin after the plant's old botanical name, Spiraea ulmaria.