The beautiful Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)Queen of the Meadow. After harvesting some Meadowsweet, I began the drying process.
If you do not have a drying rack or specific drying system, do not worry. It is simple to achieve with everyday and easy to source items.
Simply take a cardboard box and some parchment paper and you're ready to begin. In a warm and low humidity area is where plant drying is best done. (I do mine with this box system in my Polytunnel) but there are many areas to do it. Place a sheet on the cardboard and with the Meadowsweet or other plant material, place it on it leaving some space between each part.
Another method of drying by hanging the in a low humidity area that's warm
When you have placed the plant material on the parchment, I placed a further layer of parchment over the plant material, in this case the Meadowsweet. Without pressing it down, it just rests covering the plant material. This prevents the plant from turning brown due to too much direct sunlight zapping the chlorophyll from the plant.
Meadowsweet smells like almonds (and aspirin due to Salicylates, however they do not have the blood-thinning properties of aspirin). It was a very sacred herb to the Druids and used in medicine and shamanistic ceremonies by them.
It's uses and benefits range from treating joint and muscle pain due to it's anti-inflammatory properties. Also for fevers, colds and flu and even for aiding sleep due to it being a relaxant.
Originally, this plant helped to create aspirin in the 19th century and was formerly known as Spirea ulmaria. It is advised that anyone ALLERGIC TO ASPIRIN should AVOID taking this herb.
Enjoy exploring the uses and benefits of this herb. I made a delicious Meadowsweet cordial. Super yummy.
Grá,
🌱💚