Meadowsweet

Known as Queen of the Meadow, Bridewort and Meadwort, meadowsweet is an Old World member of the rose family renowned for its highly fragrant flower clusters.

For centuries, the flowers have been woven into bridal garlands and given as offerings to the dead. It has been used to flavor vinegars, beer and a honey-wine called mead. The flowers and leaves were a popular strewing material cast upon the floor to mask unpleasant odors associated with poor sanitation. 

In the late 1800s, a German chemist synthesized acetylsalicylic acid from the herb, which was later marketed by his employer, Bayer AG, under the name "aspirin.” Today, meadowsweet is used in tea blends and to prepare topical ointments and salves.