Silverweed

Potentilla anserina

Potentilla anserina, Argentina anserina, Common Silverweed, Silverweed Cinquefoil, mouse grass, ladder grass, geese flower, geese leg etc.

Special Precautions of Silverweed

This medicinal plant increases irritation of stomach mucosa, it is not recommended for those with a sensitive stomach.

Constituents

The major components of interest in potentilla species are tannins of the ellagic-acid type, with monomeric and dimeric ellagitannins, similar to those found in green tea. The herb also contains antioxidant flavonoids (quercetin and myricetin glycosides) and proanthocyanidins. Another group of components of silverweed that are being investigated is the long and medium-chain polyprenols; they accumulate in the leaves of Potentilla anserina at a concentration of up to 0.3% fresh weight. They appear to have antiviral activity.

Health Benefits and Uses of Silverweed

• An infusion of silverweed is used for gastrorrhagia or intestinal bleeding, diarrhea, gastro-enteritis, as well as for hemorrhoid in form of a hip-bath, for menstrual cramps, external and internal bleedings, white discharge, stomach pains, anemia, arthritis, gynecological problems, belly aches, uterus pains, stomach cramps, eczema, gingivitis, lachrymation, osteoporosis, kidney stone, burned or frozen wounds, colon or uterus cancer, seborrhea dermatitis, skin ulcer, irregular period.
• Silverweed tea is used for colon infection: boil 2 spoonfuls of drug in 1 l of water for 10 minutes; strain it in 15 minutes and drink 50 ml every 2 hours. Both plants can be combined with milfoil.
• Old herbal remedies included Silverweed root extracts for treating epilepsy and for various gastric disorders including diarrhoea. Its leaves used to be put in to shoes to absorb sweat.
• A strong infusion of silverweed, if used as a lotion, will check the bleeding of piles, the ordinary infusion (1 oz. to a pint of boiling water) being meanwhile taken as a medicine.
• The same infusion, sweetened with honey, constitutes an excellent gargle for sore throat. A tablespoonful of the powdered herb may also be taken every three hours.
• It is also an excellent remedy for cramps in the stomach, heart, and abdomen. In addition to the infusion taken internally, it is advisable to apply it to the affected parts by compresses.
• A tablespoonful of the herb, boiled in a cup of milk, has been recommended as an effective remedy in tetanus, or lockjaw. The tea should be drunk as hot as possible.
• The dried and powdered leaves have been successfully administered in ague (an acute ailment that causes shivering or alternating chills and fever), the more astringent roots have been given in powder in doses of a scruple (about 1.3 grams) and upwards.
• As a diuretic, silverweed has been considered useful in gravel (fine urinary stones). Ettmueller extolled it as a specific in jaundice. Of the fresh plant, 3 oz. or more may be taken three or four times daily.
• The decoction has been used for ulcers in the mouth, relaxation of the uvula, spongy gums, and for fixing loose teeth, also for toothache and preserving the gums from scurvy.
• A distilled water of the herb was in earlier days much in vogue as a cosmetic for removing freckles, spots and pimples, and for restoring the complexion when sunburnt.
• Silverweed is also used in veterinary medicine

Reference

Grieve, M. (Maud). (1931). A modern herbal; the medicinal, culinary, cosmetic and economic properties, cultivation and folk-lore of herbs, grasses, fungi, shrubs, & trees with all their modern scientific uses. New York :Harcourt, Brace & company.