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Agrimonia eupatoria
| Common name: |
Agrimony |
Family: |
Rosaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Agrimonia odorata ((Gouan.)Mill.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Most of Europe, including Britain, south to N. Africa and east to Iran. |
| Habitat: |
Fields, stone walls, waste ground and roadside verges[7, 17], usually on alkaline soils[200], preferring sunny positions[165]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| A. procera[G,L]
A. repens[G,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Ackermennig [E], Agrimonia [E], Agrimony [H,E], Aprobojtorjan [E], Church Steeples [H], Churchsteeples [B,P], Cocklebur [H], Common Agrimony [H,L], Creeping Agrimony [P], Egrimony [E], Erba Da Andata [E], Eupatoire Des Anciens [E], Fragrant Agrimony [L], Garclive [E], Gewone Agrimonie [D], Ghafath [E], Kasikotu [E], Leverkruid [E], Odermennig [E], Philanthropos [H], Sticklewort [H], Stickwort [H], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Rosales. Rose family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Britain; Britain(Wales); China; Europe; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iraq; Italy; Lesotho; Netherlands; Portugal; Spain; Turkey; Ussr
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.45m . It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and flies.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires dry or moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Meadow, Hedgerow, In Walls, In East Wall.
Cultivar 'Sweet Scented': Meadow, Hedgerow, In Walls, In East Wall.
Edible Uses
Seed; Tea.
A refreshing tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves, flowers and
stems[2, 183]. It can be drunk hot or cold[183]. It was formerly very popular
either on its own or added to China tea, having a peculiar delicacy and
aroma[4].
Seed - dried and ground into a meal. A famine food, used when all else
fails[179]. This report could refer to A. pilosa. Ledeb. (q.v.).
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antiaphonic; Astringent; Bach; Blood purifier; Cholagogue; Diuretic; Hepatic; Skin; Tonic; Vulnerary.
Agrimony has long been used as a popular domestic herbal remedy[4]. An
astringent and mildly bitter herb, it is a helpful remedy for diarrhoea and a
gentle tonic for the digestion as a whole[254].
The whole plant is antiaphonic, astringent, blood purifier, cholagogue,
diuretic, tonic and vulnerary. It contains up to 5% tannin, which has a
strongly astringent effect[244]. When taken internally, an infusion of the
plant has a great reputation in the treatment of jaundice and other
complaints of the liver[4, 7, 9, 13, 14, 21, 165], it is also used to treat
diarrhoea and as a gargle for sore throats[244]. Externally, a strong
decoction is used to treat wounds, skin problems, haemorrhoids etc[4, 7, 238,
244]. The plant is harvested in late spring and early summer and can be dried
for later use[9].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it
are 'Mental torture' and 'Worry, concealed from others'[209]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Dye.
A yellow dye is obtained from the root[1, 24, 57] - from whole plant
according to other report,[4, 46] - and from the leaves according to
another[148]. Harvested in autumn[115], the yellow becomes deeper the later
that the plant is harvested[4].
Cultivation details
Easily grown in most soils[133, 200], preferring a calcareous soil[13].
Thrives in a dry lightly shaded position[14], though it prefers full
sun[238].
Plants usually self-sow quite freely when growing in a suitable
position[238]. The seeds are contained in burrs that can easily attach
themselves to clothing or animal's fur, thus transporting them to a new area
where they can germinate and grow[244].
The cultivar 'Sweet scented' is popular in France for making tea because the
whole plant is sweet scented and the flowers have a spicy apricot-like
fragrance[183].
Propagation
Seed - can be sown in spring or autumn, either in pots in a cold frame
or in situ. It usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 13°c[133], though
germination rates can be low, especially if the seed has been stored[244]. A
period of cold stratification helps but is not essential. When grown in pots,
prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them
out in late spring or early summer.
Division in autumn[200]. Very easy, the divisions can be planted straight
out into their permanent positions.
Scent
-
Root: Crushed
- The root has a spicy apricot-like fragrance
-
Flowers: Fresh
- The flowers have a spicy apricot-like fragrance
-
Leaves: Crushed
- The leaves of the cultivar 'Sweet Scented' are more strongly scented.
Cultivars
- 'Sweet Scented'
- This cultivar is popular in France for making tea because the whole plant is sweetly scented and the flowers have a spicy apricot-like fragrance[183].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Agrimonia odorata (a possible synonym).
References for Agrimonia procera (a possible synonym).
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
References for Agrimonia repens (a possible synonym).
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
References for agrimonia eupatoria (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[24] Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
[148] Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970
A pleasant little book about Greek herbs.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[209] Chancellor. P. M. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies C. W. Daniel Co. Ltd. 1985 ISBN 85207 002 0
Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Agrimonia+eupatoria
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