People Used to Sleep With This Under Their Pillow — Here’s The Herb Behind the Legend
You may have had a brush with agrimony without knowing it if you came away covered with spiky cockleburs attached to your clothing. Found throughout Europe and North America, this attractive plant is traditionally used to promote sleep, ease migraine headaches, soothe digestive complaints, and more. In the past, people would sleep with agrimony leaves under their pillow to ward off nightmares and insomnia, and promote deep, restful sleep. As it turns out, agrimony is rich in volatile oils and flavonoids — especially apigenin, which interacts with GABA receptors in your brain and creates a sedative effect on your nervous system. So the next time you are in nature, keep an eye out for this sunny plant at woodland edges, stream banks, and other semi-shaded locations — especially during the summertime when the flowers emerge, making it easy to spot. In this post we’ll explore several uses for agrimony, along with identification tips and an easy recipe so that you can harness the medicinal properties of this often overlooked wild plant.
Photo Credit: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0
Basic Identification
A pretty plant with stems of tiny yellow flowers, agrimony is a perennial with a rough stem covered with soft hairs. It grows to a height of 2 feet (0.6 meters) and has serrated, pinnate leaves — which are large at the base (7 inches/17.5 cm) and become smaller towards the top of the stem. The roots are woody rhizomes. The flowers have a sweet, apricot-like scent and are cup-shaped with five sepals and five rounded petals with 5-20 stamens. Agrimony blooms from June to September. The fruit are small hooked bristles called cockleburs that help to spread the seeds when they attach to animals (or your clothing).
Where Does It Grow?
Native to Europe, agrimony is now found across North America.
Edible Uses
The leaves can be used for tea, while the fresh flowers enhance the flavor of home-brewed beer or wine.
Recipes: Agrimony Tea
Ingredients: One or two teaspoons of powdered agrimony leaves or 3 teaspoons of crushed fresh
leaves, one cup boiling water, raw honey to taste, if desired.
Instructions: Steep the agrimony leaves in boiling water for 5
to 10 minutes. Cool and strain. Take one cup, three times daily.
Medicinal Uses
The leaves and seeds are medicinal with astringent, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
Here are my top 3 uses for agrimony:
Migraines. Make an herbal poultice of agrimony leaves and apply to the head to alleviate migraines. It can also be used at night to encourage deep sleep.
Eye infections and conjunctivitis. Use as an eye wash to help clear infections. Mix equal parts agrimony tea and boiled, then cooled water.
Skin and wound care. An excellent plant to include in your herbal medicine kit, agrimony helps to stop excessive bleeding by forming clots. It’s also astringent, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory. The tea can be used as a wash for wounds and other skin issues. You can make a poultice with the fresh leaves and apply directly to the skin as well. See our All-Purpose (First Aid) Salve in the apothecary for a potent, readily available alternative.
But that’s not all. Discover the full healing potential of agrimony with my book, The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies: The Healing Power of Plant Medicine. This essential guide offers detailed harvesting advice with full-color photos for agrimony and many other easily accessible plants. Learn how to craft your own tinctures, salves, decoctions, infusions, and more at home with this herbal resource. Go deeper and harness the natural power of plant medicine — order your copy today!
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Safety
Do not use agrimony if taking anti-coagulants or blood pressure medications. Some people are allergic and can develop a rash while using it. Avoid during pregnancy or if you are nursing.
Nature Has the Remedies. I’ll Teach You How to Harness Them.
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