Agrimony

1. Description
2. Origin
3. Uses
4. Culture
5. Sources
6. Thanks to ...

Description

This perennial herb is slightly aromatic, and grows up to 150 cm high. Stems are cylindrical and slightly rough, bearing only a few branches. Leaves are downy, green and made up of serrated leaflets arranged in large and small alternate pairs. Flowers are numerous, small and yellow borne on long spikes.

Origin

Europe: The tall flowering stalks of agrimony are eye catching and have given this herb the nickname "church steeples". Agrimony was used historically as a medicinal plant but today its use is limited. It is cultivated occasionally on a limited scale for use in tea and as a medicinal plant. The leaves and stems can be used to make a good quality yellow dye. Fresh agrimony contains a glucoside alkaloid, a nicotinic acid amide, trace of essential oil and organic acids, ursolic acid, a derivative of "-amyrin, agrimonolide, palmitic acid, stearic acid, ceryl alcohol, and phyosterols.

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Uses of Agrimony and claims

• Culinary: used as an herbal tea; added to mead and beer
  
• Medicinal:
  
  • Internally: has been used in folk medicine to treat injuries, diarrhea, coughs, and skin problems
    
  • Externally: liver and gall conditions, gout, snakebite, blood diseases, fever, throat inflammations, asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism ... etc.
    
• Industrial: produces a good quality yellow dye

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Culture

• Propagation: Agrimony can be easily propagated from seed and root divisions. Seeds should be stratified for a period of 6 weeks. Seeds germinate in 14-24 days.
• Cultivation: Agrimony is a perennial plant. Space plants 30 cm apart.
• Soil Type: It is tolerant of a wide range of soil types and can grow in light shade or full sun if soil is kept moist.
  
• Harvest: Agrimony plants are cut when they are flowering, avoid any flower spikes that have started to develop sharp burs.

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Sources

• Bremness, L. 1994. Herbs. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. London.
• Keville, K. 1994. Herbs an illustrated encyclopedia. New York.
  
• Kowalchik, C. and W. H. Hylton Eds. 1998. Rodale's illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Rodale Press.
• Small, E. 1997. Culinary Herbs. National Research Council of Canada. Ottawa.
  

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Thanks to.......

This demonstration garden was a result of the efforts of Dr. Alan McKeown, Vegetable Scientist, University of Guelph and was made possible with grants from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the Tobacco Diversification Program

For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca

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