Tormentil

Potentilla erecta

In the old days, the root of the tormentil was simmered, dried and ground into flour. The flour was used as a medicine for stomach pain; the diarrhea that reindeer suffered from was also cured with it. In order to lower fever, stock made from the root of the tormentil was added to a person’s bath water. The tannin of the plant prevents infections.

The tormentil is the most common species of the cinquefoils in the Nordic countries. It has only four petals. The thick root may weigh up to half a kilogram. The tormentil thrives on shores and in meadows, marshes and forests that are dominated by broadleaf deciduous trees. The plant is rare in Northern Finland, where it can mainly be found on the edges of green marshes.