The Leech's Knowing

A Cup of Calm

Linden has long been honored as a gentle and relaxing herb.

Gerard in his Herball tells us that:

The floures are commended by divers against paine of the head proceeding of a cold cause, against dissinesse (dizziness?),the Apoplexie, and also the falling sicknesse, and not onely the floures,but the disstilled water thereof.

ArtMechanic [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Even today, a cup of linden flower tea is recommended for easing headaches and calming anxiety. It is also used to stave off panic attacks and to lower blood pressure.

Modern research is sparse, but it agrees that it seems effective against the swelling and stuffiness of head colds.

This site has some good information. Linden also seems to have some anti-spasmodic properties, which would support its use for indigestion.

Some research has been done to determine it helps protect against memory loss. This study suggests that it's effective for this purpose.

I generally try to keep the articles and videos that I link to clean and uncluttered, without a lot of information that is extraneous to my subject, but this gentleman is so informative and his voice is so calming that it was worth watching all the way through for his mention of linden.

Here's a good video featuring linden from LearningHerbs.com

 

If you would rather purchase your linden than forage it, Mountain Rose Herbs carries it.

I enjoy a cup of linden tea a couple of times a week and I will say two things about it. First, when it was recommended to me by an herbalist I trust, she told me that it was so delicately flavored that I might want to add something to it to make it taste like anything. I tried it and found that the flavor, while delicate, is delicious and I take mine with nothing, not even honey.
Do be aware that there is some question as to whether it causes heart damage. For that reason I limit my intake of it more than I might have.

So- we find that linden is considered to be a gentle and effective herb to soothe the mind and heart. Thanks for stopping by!

 

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