AGRIMONY
Agrimonia eupatoria
Common name: Agrimony
Latin name: Agrimonia eupatoria
Other names: Church Steeples, Burr Marigold, Common Agrimony, Harvest Lice Liverwort, Philanthropos, Rat’s Tail, White Tansy, Sticklewort, Stickwort
Family: Rosaceae
Habitat: Agrimony is native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It can usually be found in woods and fields.
Description: Agrimony is a perennial herbaceous plant. It has a long, black root and cylindrical, slightly branched stem, covered with soft hairs. Leaves are pinnate, oblong-oval and toothed. Flowers are small and numerous, produced in terminal spikes, with five, egg-shaped petals. Each flower has a small bract at the base.
Parts used: Aerial parts
Useful components: Coumarins, flavonoids, essential oil, polysaccharides, tannins, vitamin C, volatile oil
Medicinal use: Agrimony has long been used as a medicinal herb. It was traditionally considered to be an excellent blood purifier and a delicious spring tonic. It helped especially in cases of colds, fevers and diarrhea. It also had a reputation of being very helpful in treatments of liver complaints. Agrimony is a powerful astringent, and it is usually used as a throat gargle to relieve the throat pains and to decrease inflammations. Used externally, Agrimony can help in cases of sores, ulcers, skin eruptions, pimples and blemishes etc.
Safety: Some herbs could react with certain medication. Therefore it is advisable to contact your doctor/herbalist before consumption of any herb.