Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) Research

Latin Name: Filipendula ulmaria

GENERAL

Natural Medicine (2015). Meadowsweet Monograph. Retrieved in May, 2017. Retrieved from www.naturalmedicines.com
Felix Hoffmann, employed by Bayer AG, created in 1897 a synthetic version of salicin, a key constituent of meadowsweet, that was anti-inflammatory but caused less digestive discomfort than salicylic acid, and named it aspirin after the original botanical name for meadowsweet, Spiraea ulmaria. From: Jack, D. B. (1997). One hundred years of aspirin. The Lancet, 350(9075), 437.
ACHS (2017). Course Material: Herb502: Meadowsweet Monograph. www.achs.edu

SAFETY

Those with asthma may also have Samter’s triad, in which they are also allergic to aspirin. Those allergic to aspirin will also likely be allergic to meadowsweet. From: Jenkins, C., Costello, J., & Hodge, L. (2004). Systematic review of prevalence of aspirin induced asthma and its implications for clinical practice. Bmj, 328(7437), 434.
Avoid with pregnancy; may stimulate uterine activity; avoid with lactation; avoid with children especially if they have fever related to a risk of Reye’s Syndrome (Natural Medicine, 2015).
Avoid long term use and large amounts due to tannin content (Petersen, 2016).
May cause skin rash, gastric upset, urinary acidity, nephrotoxicity, renal irritation, blood thinning, and tinnitus (Natural Medicine, 2015).
Possible drug interactions with aspirin, acetaminophen, blood thinners, antihistamines, salsalate, narcotics, and choline magnesium trisalicylate (Natural Medicine, 2015).

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

The herbs willow bark (Salix alba), meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), and their polyphenol compounds of apigenin, quercetin and salicylic acid showed anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. From: Drummond, E. M., Harbourne, N., Marete, E., Martyn, D., Jacquier, J. C., O’riordan, D., & Gibney, E. R. (2013). Inhibition of proinflammatory biomarkers in THP1 macrophages by polyphenols derived from chamomile, meadowsweet and willow bark. Phytotherapy Research, 27(4), 588-594.
Meadowsweet and dropwart extractes reduced inflammation and pain in a rat model. From: Samardžić, S., Tomić, M., Pecikoza, U., Stepanović-Petrović, R., & Maksimović, Z. (2016). Antihyperalgesic activity of Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. and Filipendula vulgaris Moench in a rat model of inflammation. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 193, 652-656.
Anti-inflammatory action of meadowsweet extracts was demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. From: Katanić, J., Boroja, T., Mihailović, V., Nikles, S., Pan, S. P., Rosić, G., … & Bauer, R. (2016). In vitro and in vivo assessment of meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) as anti-inflammatory agent. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 193, 627-636.

GASTROPROTECTIVE

Meadowsweet and dropwart showed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gastroprotective activities in vitro and in vivo. From: Samardžić, S., Arsenijević, J., Božić, D., Milenković, M., Tešević, V., & Maksimović, Z. (2018). Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective activity of Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. and Filipendula vulgaris Moench. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 213, 132-137.
Meadowsweet, okra, eyebright, marshmallow, and plantain were reviewed as botanicals for acid reflux. From: Olivier, R. (2014). Specific botanicals as an aid for acid reflux. Published on the web on Jan, 9.

ANTI-COAGULANT

Flowers and seeds from Filipendula ulmaria showed high anticoagulant activity in vitro. From: Liapina, L. A., & Koval’chuk, G. A. (1992). A comparative study of the action on the hemostatic system of extracts from the flowers and seeds of the meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim.). Izvestiia Akademii nauk. Seriia biologicheskaia/Rossiiskaia akademiia nauk, (4), 625-628.
Filipendula ulmaria contained heparin and showed anticoagulant and fibrinolytic properties with intramuscularly and intravenously administration in animals. From: Kudriashov, B. A., Liapina, L. A., & Azieva, L. D. (1989). The content of a heparin-like anticoagulant in the flowers of the meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria). Farmakologiia i toksikologiia, 53(4), 39-41.

HEPATOPROTECTIVE

Meadowsweet extract showed to surpass Carsil in hepatoprotective properties in vitro. From: Shilova, I. V., Zhavoronok, T. V., Souslov, N. I., Novozheeva, T. P., Mustafin, R. N., & Losseva, A. M. (2008). Hepatoprotective properties of fractions from meadowsweet extract during experimental toxic hepatitis. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 146(1), 49-51

PRESERVATIVE

Pullulan coatings with meadowsweet flower extract protected apples from mold during their storage. From: Gniewosz, M., Synowiec, A., Kraśniewska, K., Przybył, J. L., Bączek, K., & Węglarz, Z. (2014). The antimicrobial activity of pullulan film incorporated with meadowsweet flower extracts (Filipendulae ulmariae flos) on postharvest quality of apples. Food Control, 37, 351-361.

ANTIMICROBIAL

Phenolic constituents of the following plants showed in vitro antimicrobial activity: purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria.), willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium), cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), white birch (Betula pubescens), pine (Pinus sylvestris) and potato (Solanum tuberosum). From: Rauha, J. P., Remes, S., Heinonen, M., Hopia, A., Kähkönen, M., Kujala, T., … & Vuorela, P. (2000). Antimicrobial effects of Finnish plant extracts containing flavonoids and other phenolic compounds. International journal of food microbiology, 56(1), 3-12.

ANTI-CANCER

Meadowsweet extracts inhibited colorectal tumors in rats. From: Bespalov, V. G., Alexandrov, V. A., Semenov, A. L., Vysochina, G. I., Kostikova, V. A., & Baranenko, D. A. (2018). The inhibitory effect of Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. on colorectal carcinogenesis induced in rats by methylnitrosourea. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 227, 1-7.

SKIN

An extract using meadowsweet to reverse aging in skin and hair was developed. From: Scancarella, N., Reinhart, G., & Russ, J. (2005). U.S. Patent Application No. 11/070,631.
Meadowsweet and boldo extracts reduced bacteria that cause atopic dermatitis in 25 pet dogs with symptoms. From: Santoro, D., Ahrens, K., Vesny, R., Navarro, C., Gatto, H., & Marsella, R. (2017). Evaluation of the in vitro effect of Boldo and Meadowsweet plant extracts on the expression of antimicrobial peptides and inflammatory markers in canine keratinocytes. Research in veterinary science, 115, 255-262.

By: Kathy Sadowski

Updated: 10/21/18