Medicinal Plants : Potentilla anserina

Name

Silverweed

Biological Name

Potentilla anserina

Other Names

Cinquefoil, Silverweed, crampweed, goosegrass, goose tansy, moor grass, silver cinquefoil

Parts Used

The herb

Remedies For

Antispasmodic, astringent

Silverweed tea (made with water or milk) is an excellent remedy for diarrhea and is said to be good for dysentery. As an antispasmodic, it can also be used to relieve cramps; but it is generally mixed with balm leaves and German chamomile flowers to make a tea for that purpose. The tea is also useful as an external astringent for skin problems, mouth and throat sores, and similar complaints.

Description

Silverweed is a low perennial plant, varieties of which are found in dry fields, meadows, and pastures and also in marshy places all over North America and Europe. Its rootstock sends out slender, rooting runners and also produces a rosette of basal, pinnate leaves consisting of 13 to 21 oblong, serrate leaflets that are dark green on top and covered with silvery hairs beneath. The bright-yellow flowers grow singly on long peduncles from May to September.

Dosage

Decoction: Boil 2 tsp. herb in 1 cup water or milk.

Mixed Tea: Mix equal parts of silverweed, balm leaves, and German chamomile flowers. Steep 1 tsp. of the mixture in 1/2 cup water. Sweeten with honey. Take 1 to 1-1/2 cups a day, a mouthful at a time

Safety

No information available. Some herbs are known to react with your medication. Please consult your physician before starting on any herb.