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| ...one of my botanical sketches from days gone by... |
Here in my realm of the world, and quite possibly yours, the botanical Galium aparine is just beginning its vernal reemergence from Gaia's belly, so I'm returning to my Materia medica to share this beloved plant with you...
Meet Galium aparine – Cleavers, Clivers, Goosegrass…
Family: Rubiaceae – Madder Family
Galium aparine is naturalized throughout much of the world, and is considered native to a wide region as well, including Europe, North Africa, Asia and possibly North America. I look at its botanical origins and sense that this gutsy little plant holds great mystery and power. That alone inspires curiosity and a desire to experience this ubiquitous plant.
And ubiquitous is a fitting description of this plant’s behavior, as it’s considered a noxious weed by many, everywhere it grows. I can relate to this, as the plant has made itself quite at home in some of my garden beds, yet, I welcome it all the same,
Cleavers is an annual with straggly, reaching stems that grow along the ground, over other plants, and anything else within its reach. Their has tiny hooked hairs on its stems and leaves which attach to, well, virtually anything in their environment. The square stems can reach three feet, and longer, and the leaves are simple, narrowly oblanceolate (lanceolate) to linear, and grow in whorls of six to eight. The wee, clustered, star-shaped, white/greenish flowers blossom from early spring into summer, and produce globular fruits – you might call them burrs – that, like the stems and leaves, are covered with those little hairy hooks, which cling to clothing, hair, animal fur, pretty much whatever, helping this brilliant plant spread its seed.
Harvest: Aerial parts. Spring to summer.
Taste: Mildly bitter and sweet, and salty
Humors: Cool and neutral-to-dry.
Actions: Alterative, anti-inflammatory (renal specific), astringent, diuretic, lymphatic, tonic.
Constituents: caffeine, chlorophyll, citric acid, coumarins, flavinoids, plant acids (caffeic, gallic, salicylic, p-coumaric, p-hydroxybenzoix, rubichloric), tannins, and others.
Contraindications: Apparently, contact with the live plant can cause a contact dermatitis in some people. Otherwise it seems to be innately safe.
Uses:
Internal
As a gentle lymphatic tonic, it has a long history of use as a tea, though tincture is used as well.
The conventional western action classification of diuretic tells us that it can be helpful in treating renal challenges. But that’s rather broad and vague, don't you think? Henriette Kress sites a specific use of cleavers for recurring urinary infections. I find it helpful when I engage a salt binge that would otherwise result in that thick feeling of water retention, a cup or two of tea, or dropper doses of tincture in a glass or two of water does the trick to both prevent and treat the effects of fluid retention. How do I know? My rings - back when I wore them daily - would slip off easily. And, yeah, this is one of those examples where the root cause is known, engaged anyway (that’s that pesky free will we’re all familiar with) and where treating the symptom is perfectly acceptable to me. ::nods::
David Hoffman mentions cleavers as a support to the respiratory system, specifically, “If pulmonary congestion is occurring due to heart problems,” and he mentions other specific diuretic herbs too. This inspires me to wonder if this herb might not offer support for congestive heart, as both preventative and as a treatment.
He also sites its use for a range of lymphatic challenges, stating its support for “swollen glands (lymphadenitis) anywhere in the body, especially tonsillitis and adenoid trouble.”
With respect to skin conditions, David Hoffman also offers, “All the diuretics potentially help the skin by an inner cleansing process. Especially important are cleavers, (couch grass and dandelion). An important point is that some diuretics act as diaphoretics when drunk hot.” Also, “cleavers is helpful in skin conditions, especially dry types, such as psoriasis.”
Matt Wood presents cleavers as an herb with an affinity with the nervous system, which fits beautifully with my own perception of the plant’s visual signature. I observe it, and I see the nervous system (as well as the lymphatic system). He writes, “Cleavers is a ‘deer medicine’, a category in Native American herbalism associated with the nerves. It is beneficial in ‘gatherings of the nerves’ and inflammation of the nerve endings (neurofibrositis). It is indicated for oversensitivity of the nerve endings, tickling and itchy skin. It is a specific in Dupuytren’s contracture and Morton’s neuroma, when the tendons tighten up under the middle fingers or toes.” He also sites cleavers as specific to “Infectious Mononucleosis, lymphatic swellings under and behind the ears; edema, swelling of the hands and feet; bladder infections with fever, heat, and straining; non-specific cystitis, cloudy urine; fibrocystic breasts with many cysts, fibrous tissue; inflamed prostate; epilepsy; cancer.”
Susun Weed writes, “Dropperful doses of this tincture relieve PMS, ease tender breasts, and encourage the lymphatic system to work harder, thus relieving edema. Its antispasmodic actions are concentrated in the mucus surfaces of the urinary and digestive systems, make it an ideal ally for those dealing with IC and IBS.”
David Winston says, “Galium increases the elimination of uric acid, making it useful for treating gout or gouty arthritis (use it with Parsley and Celery seed), it inhibits the formation of kidney stones and in my experience it is one of the best remedies for irritation or inflammation of the vas deferens or spermatic cord in men. I also use it with herbs such as Kava or Hydrangea for testicular pain.”
External
Washes, poultices, mashes are used for treating skin irritation, burns, bites and stings. David Winston adds that poultice and ointments were “traditionally used in the UK for treating boils, abscesses, bedsores and acute mastitis.”
Dance with Galium aparine – Cleavers…
Make these things and more!
Ignite your imagination, intuition, and inspiration to nurture a meaningful relationship with this ubiquitous and generous botanical!
Make a cool water infusion with this plant, leaving it several hours/overnight on your kitchen counter to strain and sip. It's quite tasty and refreshing. Some folks compare the flavor to cucumber water, and while I can perceive the comparison, it tastes like delicious cleavers water to me. This is one of the first things I do when cleavers grows tall enough to start trimming in early spring (IE: just a few inches). I make a cool-infused water with the fresh plant trimmings. I go out to the places she grows with my quart jar, usually in early morning (but do it whenever you’re inspired). I fill the jar with plant matter, cover it will tepid water, and leave it on my kitchen counter for at least four hours… then I strain it and begin sipping this cool, refreshing springtime tonic water.
Cook the young aerial parts as you would any springtime green. I’m not crazy about it on its own, but do love it as an addition to spring tonic soups.
Collect the fruit (the burrs) and gently heat them in the oven, shaking the pan and checking frequently to prevent scorching, to both dry and roast them, and then brew them like coffee. It’s a worthy labor of love. It actually contains some caffeine too. Henriette Kress says, “I have used a combination method with some success: first dry them, using a food dryer (solar, electric, oven, whatever), put them in a bag with a few smooth stones or marbles and shake them for while. This will knock off most if the spines. Rinse them off, drain them, and roast them in a dry kettle over low to medium heat. Cool and grind. Use as coffee or mix with equal part roasted ground dandelion root.”
Infused Vinegar – for a tonic Food supplement.
Tincture – Herbalists have differing opinions about the preference and efficacy of using a tincture of Fresh Plant Matter (FPM) or Dry Plant Matter (DPM), so – like some other herbs - play, experience and see what you discover. I’ve used both, but tend to prefer making the tincture with the fresh stuff and saving the dry for teas.
Like its fragrant cousin (as I call it), Galium album, which also makes itself very comfortable around my little acre, Galium album has a long history for being used for stuffing mattresses and pillows. And, by the way, they’ve been used interchangeably for medicinal purposes by some herbalists, so if you have G. album, but not G. aparine, don’t be shy about using what’s growing around you.
Make an oil infusion of cleavers to use as is, in balms, lotions and soaps to support many skin conditions. While I typically use infused oil of violet leaf on its own for a breast massage balm, I have added cleavers to the mix, for its gentle support in decongesting and stimulating the lymph must be absorbed through the skin, and used in targeted areas can’t hurt, and can only help, don’t you think?
Because it clings to itself, it’s used to create a mesh filter through which milk is strained, a practice of Greek shepherds noted by Dioscorides, and a practice still honored in Sweden. This use of cleavers, discovered while expanding my research of this plant, inspires me to consider similar straining uses. I mean, it’s brilliant, isn’t it?
Some Usual Applications
Tea/Infused water/ales and other fermented beverages
Addition to green powders
Infused vinegar
Infused oil
Balms, ointments, lotions, soaps
Steam
Bathing/washing
Bath salts
Poultices/compresses
Pillow (or mattress) mix
Herbal Bead, for a lovely green from this abundant and generous plant)
Spiritual healing
resources:
David Hoffman, Medical Herbalism, and healthy.net/Health/Article/Diuretics/1479
David Winston
Henriette Kress, Practical Herbs, and henriettes-herb.com
Matt Wood, The Earthwise Herbal, A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants
Susun Weed, susunweed.com
Wikipedia for botany bits
Personal notes from multiple sources
Personal experience
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