Agrimony

Agrimonia eupatoria L.

Church Steeples, Cocklebur, Philanthropos, Stickwort

Rose Family

Rosaceae

A beautiful plant, with spikes of small yellow flowers (church steeples) and fruit with hooked bristles at the top (cocklebur), agrimony grows wild drunk roads, fields and forests. Although the plant has narcotic properties, tradition dictates that when placed under the head of a village, Agrimony induce a deep sleep that lasted until he retired.

Folklore aside, agrimony has a long history of medicinal use. The English poet Michael Drayton once hailed as a "cure-all" and through the ages seemed to be the panacea The ancient Greeks used agrimony to treat eye diseases, and was made to treat the chest diarrhea and disorders of the gallbladder, liver and kidneys.