Agrimony

50g (1.75oz)

Medicinal Name: agrimonia eupatoria (Rosaceae)

Common names: Common Agrimony, Church Steeples, Sticklewort, Philanthropos

Properties: astringent, mild bitter, tonic, diuretic

Treatment: cystitis, diarrhea, kidney stones, sore throats, hoarseness, rheumatism, and osteoarthritis.

Agrimony is gentle and suitable for children. Agrimony has long been used by herbalists to heal wounds because it staunches bleeding and encourages clot formation. An astringent and mild bitter, it is also a helpful remedy for diarrhea and a gentle tonic for digestion as a whole. It is very useful in children’s diarrhea. Combined with other herbs such as cornsilk, it is a valuable remedy for cystitis and urinary incontinence, and has also been used for kidney stones, sore throats, hoarseness, rheumatism, and osteoarthritis.

Agrimony is also considered a very useful agent in skin eruptions and diseases of the blood, pimples, blotches, etc. A strong decoction of the root and leaves, sweetened with honey or sugar, has been taken successfully to cure scrofulous sores, being administered two or three times a day, in doses of a wineglassful, persistently for several months. The same decoction is also often employed in rural districts as an application to ulcers.

Agrimony dries and tightens the bowel lining. It should only be taken in the short term, as astringent herbs impair absorption of food. They are taken mixed with soothing, demulcent herbs, such as psyllium or marshmallow, for diarrhea.

Preparation: Make a decoction using 1 heaping tsp of one herb to 1 cup (225 ml) of water and simmer for 15–20 minutes. Take up to 3 cups (450 ml) a day, for no longer than 3 days.

Caution: Do not take for more than 3 days at a time and do not take again for 3 days. If there is no improvement, seek professional advice