Saturday, October 17, 2015

Seedy Saturdays- Cowslip



Happy Saturday Everyone!  This week is all about cowslip.

Cowslip is an herb that flowers and is native to most of Europe and Asia.  The leaves have been used in a number of different cultures in their cooking.  They have been used as a salad green in Spanish cooking, and the flowers were used to flavor wine and vinegars. 


It Is an early bloomer that has played a big role in the lives of the Celtic druids, as a part of their pharmacy and mythology.  It was likely used in magical potions to help the other herbal constituents to be increasingly absorbed.   Medicinal parts of the plant were also recommended  by Hildegard von Bingen, a German Benectine nun, for topical use, but the leaves were eaten as food as well.  In folk medicine, gout and rheumatism were treated with cowslip, as well as it being a sedative.  Today, it is mostly used as tinctures or dry extracts.  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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