Lady's Mantle
A soft, pleated herb from European meadows, lady's mantle has been tucked into herb gardens and tea cups for centuries, valued more for its gentle, slightly astringent flavor than for any one dramatic use.
What It Is
Lady's mantle is a low-growing perennial native to Europe and the mountain regions of the Americas. The leaves are scalloped and velvety, and after rain they hold perfect beads of water on their surface, which is partly why medieval alchemists found the plant fascinating enough to name it after them.
The dried herb has a mild, green, slightly tannic taste. In European folk tradition it was commonly prepared as a tea and taken by women at various life stages, though today it appears in herb blends mostly for its flavor and its long history in the cottage garden.
What To Do
To make a simple tea, steep one teaspoon of the dried herb in eight ounces of hot water for about ten minutes, then strain. The flavor is gentle and grassy with a soft dryness at the finish. It blends quietly with mint, lemon balm, or raspberry leaf.
Beyond the cup, lady's mantle turns up in herbal salt blends and as a green addition to bath or sachet mixes. Store the dried herb in a sealed container away from light and heat, and it will hold its character for about a year.
