Re: Meadowsweet Tea

Hi Sabrina

The normal quantity to make a tea from dried herb is 2tsps per large mug of boiling water. That quantity would be fine for a small china teapot or cafatiere and you would get two mug/cupfuls out of it. Remember to leave it to brew for ten minutes before you drink it and strain it before you do. You can also use a cafatiere, which is sometimes easier.

If you have bought the dried herb from a health food store, did you ask when it was harvested? If it is more than 12 months old, it may not have all the active ingredients in it. You can usually tell by smelling it and seeing how much colour there is left in the dry herb. Meadowsweet has a distinctive smell and taste. If there is little smell/flavour left, you might want to double the amount you use. The therapeutic dose is to make a tea three times a day.

There are massive amounts of meadowsweet flowering near water courses or in ditches at the moment in the UK, so you may be able to wildcraft your own herb.

If you have an allergy to aspirin, you should not use meadowsweet, because it contains the precursor for salycylic acid.

You can mix meadowsweet with other herbs although it is quite pleasant on its own, especially if you have an upset stomach. It is a bit like drinking fragrant green water. You could add chamomile to it, if so, I would reduce the amount you use from 2tsp to 1tsp and add 1tsp of the other herb. If you have an inflammatory problem, the most useful herb might well be yarrow, which is also available at the moment.

You could also try soothing the inflamed area with an elderflower oil either warmed or cool. Meadowsweet oil and yarrow oil can also be applied externally.

You might also want to be thinking what could have caused the inflammation - whether it is damage to the joint/area, arthritis or gout. If so, there may be other herbs it would be helpful to take to help your liver. Have you seen a medical herbalist about your problem? You might find that helpful. If you are in the uk, you can find your nearest medical herbalist by searching on the National Institute of Medical Herbalist site.

I realise that I've given you far more information than you asked for, but I hope you find it helpful.

Best wishes

Sarah