“She will write him a letter to tell him
How cool and wet her garden is this July,
How beautiful the alchemilla is,
A strange citrus, petal-less froth above
The green nearly-circles of the fanned leaves.
They are the shape of its other name –
Lady’s Mantle – an outspread cloak, pleats
Stitched with pearls of dew, scallop-edged;
Designed for wrapping and unwrapping,
A honey-scented aphrodisiac.
Alchemilla is after alchemy –
The magic water it breathes through its leaves
Part of the ancient recipe for melting
Metals into gold”
– from The Lady’s Mantle Letter, Linda France
Other Names
Lion’s foot, bear’s foot, dew cup, nine hooks, great sanicle, a woman’s best friend, nine monks, breakstone, piercestone, fair with tears, water carrier, water chalice flower, ever-dew, Mary’s mantle, Our Lady’s mantle.
Parts Used
Aerial parts and the root
Lady’s mantle is a really attractive member of the Rosaceae family, found in the wild and widely cultivated in gardens. It is a hardy perennial with distinctive pale-green leaves and tiny, lacy green-yellow flowers, which give decorative ground cover in the garden for many weeks over spring and summer. It could be described as an understated or demure plant, but as Mrs Grieve said in her Modern Herbal “the rich form of its foliage and the beautiful shape of its clustering blossoms make it worthy of notice.”
The name ‘Alchemilla’ comes from the Arabic word ‘alkemelych’ meaning alchemy as it was a favourite of the medieval alchemists who considered it magical. In their search for the philosopher’s stone, the mystical way of turning baser metals into gold, they collected the pearly drops that form and sparkle on the leaves of lady’s mantle, which they called ‘water from heaven’. The dew drops, which are actually exuded from the plant itself, were thought to extract the subtle healing and magical virtues from the leaf and were used in many an alchemist’s potion.
Lady’s mantle was also considered to have magical virtues in other traditions. In Eastern Europe it was thought to protect from or ward off storms if it was burned on the fire and its smoke drifted into the sky. It could also ward off evil spirits and protect farmers from natural disasters if it was hung in windows or doors. According to Scandanavian folklore, a woman would place lady’s mantle under her pillow so she could dream of her future children and if she wore it in her hair in bed with her husband, she would definitely conceive.
In the Middle Ages, lady’s mantle was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and, as its name suggests, the scalloped-edge leaves were thought to resemble Mary’s cloak. In healing, the plant has a strong affinity with women and the female reproductive system. It was highly valued as a wound healer to staunch bleeding and women believed the dew drops would enhance their beauty if they washed their faces in them and that it would be attract love. According to Culpeper lady’s mantle was ruled by Venus and he said,
“Lady’s Mantle is very proper for inflamed wounds and to stay bleeding, vomitings, fluxes of all sorts, bruises by falls and ruptures. It is one of the most singular wound herbs and therefore prized and praised, used in all wounds inward and outward, to drink a decoction and wash the wounds thereof, or dip a cloth wet with the herb into the wound which wonderfully drieth up all humidity of the sores and abateth all inflammations thereof. It quickly healeth green wounds, not suffering any corruption to remain behind and cureth old sores, though fistulas and hollow”.
It must have been highly valued for its ability to reduce bleeding as well as infections as these would have been dangerous and even life- threatening in those days. It also provided other benfits for women; William Salmon (1644–1713) was an English apothecary and a writer of medical texts who called himself a Professor of Physick. He wrote, “It is amazing how Lady’s Mantle can restore the integrity of torn, ruptured or separated tissue as seen in hernias or perforated membranes.”
Elizabeth Blackwell (1707–1758) was apparently the first woman to write a herbal. To raise funds to release her husband from debtors’ prison, she produced her hand drawn, engraved and coloured ‘Curious Herbal’ in 1735. She said about lady’s mantle, “The leaves applyed outwardly are accounted good for lank flagging breasts.” John Hill, the apothecary and botanist wrote in 1740, “The good women in the North of England apply the leaves to their breasts to make them recover their form after they have been swelled with milk.” It was traditionally used to promote fertility. Culpeper recommended drinking distilled lady’s mantle water for 20 days to encourage conception.
Andrés Laguna de Segovia (1499–1559), a Spanish physician, pharmacologist and botanist who translated Dioscorides’ Materia Medica recommended two preparations of lady’s mantle. Firstly, the root, powdered and mixed with red wine, for internal and external wounds, and secondly an infusion of the aerial parts for greenstick fractures and broken bones in babies and young children. When taken daily for 15 days, lady’s mantle was said to reverse sterility due to “slipperiness” of the womb and the astringent and tighenting properties of the infusion was so highly thought of that it was “a thousand times sold” to women wanting to appear to be virgins; no wonder ladys mantle was considered a herb of the Virgin Mary!
Herbal Remedy
The whole plant of lady’s mantle makes a remedy which lives up to its old name ‘woman’s best friend’. It contains ellagitannins, salicylic acid, saponins, phenolic compounds, volatile oils, bitters, phytosterols and flavonoids. Its astringent tannins help to dry up excess secretions including catarrh, diarrhoea or bleeding from any cause. It is a highly popular herb for reducing heavy periods, particularly useful for prolonged bleeding due to fibroids and around the menopause. As a uterine stimulant, it can also stimulate menstrual flow and bring on delayed periods. It is thought to have a progesterogenic action and can be used to ease period pains and regulate periods as well as enhance fertility. Taken a few days prior to birth, it can stimulate contractions during the birth as well as help prevent post-partum bleeding.
Lady’s mantle has a toning and strengthening effect on pelvic floor muscles and has been used to help prevent miscarriage. It is recommended after trauma such as a termination, miscarriage and after childbirth to aid recovery both emotionally and physically. It promotes normal involution of the uterus after childbirth and reduces risk of prolapse. It also helps the breasts to regain their tone after breast-feeding. It can be thought of for treating fibroids, cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease, poycystic ovaries, infertility, endometriosis, post-partum bleeding, prolapse and genito-urinary infections. It helps to regulate vaginal secretions.
The astringent properties attributed to the tannins particularly in the fresh root, are excellent for problems in the digestive tract. The whole plant can be used to tone and strengthen the mucous membranes throughout the gut and is well worth using to treat gastric and duodenal ulcers, diarrhoea, gastro-enteritis and colitis with bleeding. It is often used with good effect for diarrhoea in children. It can be used to tighten junctions in the gut wall and reduce leaky gut syndrome. The salicylic acid helps by reducing pain and inflammation in the digestive and reproductive systems.
There is a lot more to this plant, however. The whole plant contains flavonoids called catechins which have antiviral actions, the phenolic compounds and flavonoids have antioxidant and possible anticancer properties particularly in relation to oestrogen-dependent tumours such as in the breast, cervix and ovaries. The salicylates have an anti-inflammatory effect and its vasoactive compounds may account for its ability to reduce blood pressure and its cardiotonic effects, possibly aided by its diuretic properties which help relieve fluid retention. It also has thyroid balancing actions helping to regulate metabolism, and the antioxidant tannins and phenols have a hepato-protective effect, protecting the liver from damage from toxins such as alcohol and drugs.
Externally, the fresh root and leaves make an excellent wound healer to stop bleeding and promote healing. This is attributed to its astringent, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. You can use lady’s mantle as a douche or lotion for vaginal discharge, irritation and infections such as Trichomonas and Candida after antibiotic treatment when vaginal flora has been disturbed. An infusion makes a good skin lotion for rashes, eczema, pimples, acne, itching, inflamed cuts and wounds, sores and insect bites, an eyewash for inflammatory eye problems such as conjunctivitis and a mouthwash or gargle for bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, sore throats and laryngitis.
In the past lady’s mantle and especially the ‘dew’ on the leaves was highly valued as a beauty aid to reduce wrinkles. It is possible that the polyphenols which include tannins in lady’s mantle help to reduce the impact of aging on the skin. As we age, there is a loss of elastin, a protein in the dermis of the skin. The dermis is the inner layer of the skin which supports and protects the skin and is made of collagen, elastic tissue, blood vessels, nerve endings, hair follicles and sebaceous glands. The tannins in lady’s mantle may inhibit elastase, an enzyme that breaks down elastin and causes degeneration of elastic fibers, and in this way it can reduce the effect of aging and the appearance of wrinkles.
Flower Essence
The uses of lady’s mantle as a flower essence continue along the same theme of alchemy and women. The alchemist’s ‘philosopher’s stone’ is that which can never be lost or dissolved, something eternal, the mystical experience of the divine within one’s own soul. Lady’s mantle is a remedy for those women who wish to be more in touch with the divine female power within them, and for those who seek the inspiration or protection of Mary or the goddess within. It is particularly recommended for those who feel alienated from women or from their feminine side, perhaps because of negative experiences during childhood with women who had authority in their lives.
Being an alchemic plant, lady’s mantle helps to dissolve away those earthbound or superfluous elements which are concealing the ‘stone’ within. It aids transitions in life, helping to move away from the past, and release the ties that bind. It is particularly useful during times of change that may bring fear or heartache, such as childbirth, moving home, the break-up of a relationship or a bereavement.
Growing
Lady’s mantle can be propagated in spring or autumn by root division. It will grow in poor, slightly acidic soil, and likes full sun or partial shade.
Cautions
Avoid during pregnancy except in last 10 days to prevent excessive postpartum bleeding. It is possibly unsafe in patients using anticoagulants (e.g. warfarin) due to its theoretical use as a coagulant and for patients with iron deficiency anaemia because the tannins may reduce absorption of iron supplements.
This is an extract from Healing with Flowers: The Power of Floral Medicine, a revised and expanded edition of The Complete Floral Healer. Healing with Flowers tells the story of the mythological and historical origins of flowers in healing and medicine and reminds us of their significance which is as powerful today as it was in ancient times. Available from the online shop for £29.99 + P&P.
