Herb: Bridewort


Latin name: Spiraea salicifolia


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Medicinal use of Bridewort:

The roots have been used in the treatment of coughs and chest colds. Immature seeds have been used in the treatment of diarrhoea with blood.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
180 cm
(6 feet)

Flowering:
June to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Wet boggy places in the mountains of N. Japan. More or less naturalized in woods in Wales and N. England.

Edible parts of Bridewort:

Young leaves - cooked. Rich in vitamin C.

Other uses of the herb:

A soil stabilizer for river and lakeside banks. Plants are frequently planted in hedges.

Propagation of Bridewort:

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame if possible. It is likely to require stratification before it germinates, so stored seed should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as you receive it. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a light sandy soil a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, 15cm long, October/November in an outdoor frame. Another report says that September is a good time to do this. Division of suckers in early spring. They can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.

Cultivation of the herb:

Wet boggy places in the mountains of N. Japan. More or less naturalized in woods in Wales and N. England.

Known hazards of Spiraea salicifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.