Meadowsweet.

[Goatboy]

I'm just wondering if the hive mind can help me out?
Some of you know I make various flavoured spirits (we have an annual martini competion in the village ) and I like to try something new.
I was wondering about a meadowsweet gin. But I'm.wondering about safe amounts to use as I know it has various medicinal properties. Don't want the others keeling over ill. One of the chaps used some herbage (legal I should add) that had soporific qualities a couple of years back. We all got a bit sleepy in the garden - it wasn't too many martinis honest.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Toddy]

Well, you can, but these days I'm not so sure that we should.
It's a natural aspirin, and it's effective. I use it as such. A wee bit of the root will kill toothache pain, while the flourish eases a headache and an oil made from soaking roots in it acts as a topical analgesic.

It has a very long history of use in mead, beers, wines, etc., though.

Nowadays we know a lot of people don't do well with the salycins, so ca' canny.

I do know that if I soak the roots, or flourish in vodka, that it makes a very effective tincture.
My meadowsweet is still, just, in flower. You're a bitty further North so your local stuff might well still be full of flourish. I'd give it a go, but see before you do, take one wee spray and soak it in boiling water as for tea. Try sipping that and it'll give you a fair idea of the taste and potency.

I made sweet gale tincture one year, and took it along to a meet up to show off the ingredients in my anti midgie wipes. Josh saw it, asked what it was and I don't think I'd been clear about what it was, but he quaffed it, and then looked stunned. It took about a day for his tastebuds not to taste of it
Meadowsweet root's pretty much as strong.

M

 

[Goatboy]

Cheers M.
One of the reasons I'm being carefull is that as you know I have to take a fistfull of pills each day. (I rattle going down hill ).
One of then is warfarin. As a blood thinner I have to be carefull as to asprin and I'm not sure if meadowsweet will have the blood thinning effect that it does? A lot of folks think that plants wont affect them but it took a while to get my bloods in order as to warfarin 'cause of the bad tomatoe habit I have. (It messes with your INR count as to warfarin).
Bit like lettuce, most modern crops are safe but wilder and older strains have a soporific effect. One of the old ways to aid sleep was to eat before bed and there are tales of folk conking out in lettuce fields in years gone by.
Will take your advice and try a tea, have had before but only a little and wasn't paying much head to effects. I love the scent of meadowsweet and we have so much here that I want to put it to use. Lovely plant.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[cranmere]

The flowers don't contain much salicylates but it's worth telling people when you serve it because a few people are sensitive to that family of chemicals.