How To Soothe Your Headache Naturally With Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet

This herb is beneficial for headaches, achy, feverish colds, and general pain relief. As it also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, it can both reduce pain and inflammation in cases of arthritis and rheumatism. Meadowsweet was the key headache-busting ingredient from which aspirin was synthesized. Bayer Pharmaceuticals used dried meadowsweet leaves for its original methyl salicylic acid formulation.

Meadowsweet tea
Drinking meadowsweet tea is a great way to receive the medicinal properties of the herb. Drink one to two cups a day when needed. Meadowsweet tea is often recommended when dealing with colds and the flu. It helps reduce the fever, as well as with headaches and coughs.

It’s easy to make a cup of meadowsweet tea. Just add one teaspoon of dried meadowsweet herbs to a cup of boiling water and let it steep for about 10 minutes. Once the steeping time is done, strain to remove the herbs. You can add lemon and/or honey, based on your taste.

The leaf of meadowsweet

Meadowsweet flower

How to dry meadowsweet:

Alternative 1 – hang them upside down :

1. Bundle the leaves and hang them upside down in a dark dry place.
2. Strip the leaves off the stem and store away from sunlight.
3. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Alternative 2 – dehydrator:

1. Lay each leaf out in the dehydrator.
2. Set your dehydrator to 115 degrees and dehydrate for 8 to 10 hours or until the leaves are completely dry. Remember to turn the leaves periodically so that mold doesn’t begin to grow due to trapped moisture.
3. Tear the leaves off the stems once dry.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Identification:
Oppositely paired oval, finely pleated leaflets with tiny pairs of leaves between & trifoliate end leaflets on a red stem.

Edibile Parts
Leaves, roots, buds, flowers and seeds.

Season
May – September

Side effects of Meadowsweet tea
All parts contain coumarin which is toxic if consumed in high dosage or on a regular basis. Normal moderate consumption does not pose a risk to health.
If you know that aspirin is not good for your health, be careful when drinking meadowsweet tea as meadowsweet is one of the ingredients of aspirin, it might affect you to some extent. Meadowsweet tea might not be good for you if you’ve got internal bleeding problems. The herb might cancel the effects of prescribed blood thinners, therefore causing more harm than helping you. Also, don’t drink meadowsweet tea if you’re pregnant, as it might cause miscarriages.