Agrimonia eupatoria, or more commonly known as agrimony, church steeple, or cockleburs.
In the language of flowers, sending them symbolizes gratitude. Their role in folk medicine for millennia might have something to do with this. (Disclaimer- not medical advice, though it's non-toxic, don't go eating to replace your meds, k?)
A powerful coagulant, it was given to heal wounds and stop internal bleeding, skin diseases, snake bites, sore throats, diarrhea, and the list goes on so I'll cut it short. There was a medieval remedy for internal hemorrhaging that involved agrimony, human blood (menstrual- whole n'other post on suppressed sacred feminine and what the holy grail probably was for realzzz), and pounded frogs, soooo- level 4 Patrons might get a new frog print sans the smoosh.
I digress.
Having so many uses, it was also thought to be kind of magical, so giving it to someone that was thought to have fallen under a hex made total sense. It is said to ward off negativity, and lots of wildcrafters and homeopathy practitioners use it today. It's part of the infamous Bach flower remedy, and it's used as a yellow dye.
Oh, and another name for agrimony? Fairy's wand. Put it under someone's pillow and they won't wake until it is removed. If only, right?
The flowers have a rich, spicy scent, and afterward their seed pods turn into those little spiky burrs that stick to errything, you know what I'm talking about? You know.
Want to grow some? Native to Europe (eupatoria) but it grows pretty much everywhere. A perennial with sunny, yellow blooms, it can tolerate dry and alkaline soil.
Zones 6-9
Well drained, Full Sun, Tolerates part shade
If propagating by seed, germination can be tricky and take 1-3 weeks, transplant outside as soon as seedlings are visible. It can be invasive and take over, so keep an eye on it if you don't want too much of it.
tip- I like to use the little biodegradable seedling starter/transplant pots.
It keeps the roots in check for a while.
Speaking of roots, there's so much more history and folklore on agrimony, but that's for you to google or hmu to chit chat in DMs. The next Patron only post over on Patreon
has a zip file filled with agrimony watercolor design elements (png & jpg) and printable thank you card goodies.
Whatever your ailment, gratitude is damn good medicine.
Thanks for stopping by,
D. Renée
