When I'm in a feverish state

My testimony

I’m very rarely ill. No doubt partly due to the fact that I’m “bathed” in hydrolats and essential oils and that I live in the countryside, in a protected environment. But almost every time I go to Paris for a few days for trade shows, I catch a cold or the beginnings of a “flu”. To help me combat febrile states in these urban environments, I call on meadowsweet!

My tip

Whenever I feel feverish (headache, burning eyes, aching muscles), I take meadowsweet hydrosol. I try to drink a tablespoon of it in a glass almost every hour for the first day. I don’t find meadowsweet very pleasant to drink, perhaps because it’s astringent and leaves my mouth dry. I prefer to dilute it in fruit juice (preferably squeezed) rather than water. I combine this anti-inflammatory hydrosol with savory hydrosol, as an anti-infective and to boost immunity a little. I take a tablespoon 3 times a day (with the meadowsweet hydrosol at those times).
The combination of these two hydrolats usually brings the condition to a rapid halt. If it doesn’t after 24 hours, I use essential oils. On the first day, I massage my thorax every 2 hours with 2 drops of bay laurel essential oil and 2 drops of thujanol thyme essential oil diluted in 5-6 drops of vegetable oil. From the next day or two, when things are better, I space out the applications, making 3 a day for 4-5 days.

What does phytotherapy say?

Meadowsweet can be considered a veritable plant aspirin. It lowers fever and facilitates perspiration (diaphoretic). Its anti-inflammatory properties are also useful for headaches, toothache and aches and pains associated with the flu. It also has diuretic and anti-edematous properties and neutralizes gastric acidity, relieving heartburn and stomach ulcers (Samardzic et al., 2018; Barnaulov and Denisenko, 1980; Katanic et al., 2016 and 2018). It was long believed that salicylic acid alone was responsible for meadowsweet’s anti-inflammatory action. Today, it’s thought to be a combination of components acting in synergy. As is often the case, a plant is more than the sum of its parts!

Did you know?

Meadowsweet is also indicated for stomach aches, ulcers and gastric reflux, illustrating the superiority of total plant extracts over isolated active ingredients. The plant behind aspirin protects the gastric mucosa where isolated molecules create undesirable effects!

I use hydrolats SAFELY

Although there are no known side effects from prolonged use of meadowsweet, it is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for people allergic to aspirin. It can be used by children. However, the tip presented with the essential oils is not suitable for children under 7.

FILIPENDULA ULMARIA Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet is a perennial plant, 1 m to 1.5 m high, with a haughty habit that gives it its French name. Very common in Europe in damp biotopes, meadows and along watercourses, it has clusters of yellowish-white flowers, which are highly fragrant and melliferous. The plant was
was used in the Middle Ages to treat malignant fevers and, in the 19th century, gave its name to aspirin, thanks to the acetylsalicylic acid
the acetylsalicylic acid it contains (a for acetyl and spir from spirea ulmaria, its old Latin name). Meadowsweet’s salicylates and other derivatives have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in the treatment of toothache, joint pain, headaches and fever, as well as diuretic, anticoagulant, digestive and anti-ulcer properties, and to soothe gastric reflux.