Symptom → Plant Sources
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) as a tool for helping with Inflammation (general)
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
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3 sources supporting Meadowsweet for Inflammation (general). Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's anti-inflammatory action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) extract showed anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo, providing scientific evidence for its traditional antipyretic, analgesic and antirheumatic use.
Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet) flower extract showed antihyperalgesic activity in a rat model of inflammation, validating the traditional use of meadowsweet for inflammatory pain.
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) is used in folk medicine for antirheumatic, antipyretic and anti-ulcer properties. Lyophilised flower infusions and isolated flavonoids (spiraeoside) and the tannin tellimagrandin II showed antioxidant (DPPH, FRAP) and anti-inflammatory activity (inhibition of eicosanoid biosynthesis in human platelets), and the infusions preserved gastric mucosal integrity in an ethanol-induced gastric injury model in rats, supporting the traditional use.
Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet) is widely used in phytotherapy against inflammatory diseases. An in vitro gastrointestinal biotransformation model showed glycosylated flavonoids (rutin, spiraeoside) decrease while aglycones (quercetin, apigenin, naringenin, kaempferol) increase in the colon; both the genuine and metabolised extracts inhibited COX-1 more than COX-2, indicating the anti-inflammatory activity arises from an additive/synergistic effect of constituents and gut-microbiota metabolites.