Cleavers
Parts Usually Used
The entire herb
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Cleavers is a scrambling annual plant; a tender taproot produces the weak, square, procumbent or climbing, prickly, four-angled stems have hooked bristles on the angles; stem grows from 2-6 feet long supported by other vegetation. The rough, oblong-lanceolate to almost linear leaves occur in whorls of 6 or 8 around the stem. The tiny, tubular, white or greenish-white flowers (arranged as the Maltese cross) grow in cymes on long, axillary peduncles in upper leaf axils from May to September.
The fruit (following after the blossoms) consists of two joined, bristly, globular, one-seeded carpels. The entire plant is covered with tiny bristly, spines. Another variety: Called cleaver’s vine (Galium verum) is also known as Lady;s bedstraw, Maid’s hair, and Cheese rennet. (Of the same genus (Galium) but a different plant. Also Galium odoratum.
Where Found
Found in moist or grassy places, thickets, moist shady woodland, waste places and along riverbanks and fences in Canada, the eastern half of the United States, and the Pacific coast. Dense, tangled masses of cleavers can be seen clinging to surrounding vegetation in most hedgerows.
Medicinal Properties
Antispasmodic, mild astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, vulnerary, refrigerant, aperient, alterative, tonic
Biochemical Information
A glycosides, asperuloside, coumarins, tannins, citric acid
Legends, Myths and Stories
A popular herb in folk medicines throughout the centuries, cleavers or goosegrass is a vigorously growing weed that twines through hedges or garden shrubberies producing long sticky stems. The young shoots are some of the first weeds to appear in spring and make an excellent cleansing tonic, a remedy widely used in central Europe and the Balkans. Also cooked as a vegetable, like spinach.
A medical herbalist reported the case of an overweight woman who took daily infusions of cleavers. During the first month nothing happened, but on the fifth week she began slowly losing weight, and at the end of 6 months her weight was down to normal. She had lost a total of 32 lbs. and has not put them back on again. The root makes a permanent red dye.
Uses
Historically, herbalists employed cleavers (*Galium aparine*), known in traditional Chinese medicine as Chu-yang-yang, for both internal and external applications. Practitioners traditionally prepared teas and infusions from the plant for gastrointestinal catarrh, irritations of the mucous membranes, tonsillitis, urinary tract complaints, arthritis, jaundice, and dropsy. Folk traditions also utilized infusions to stimulate the kidneys, promote the elimination of excess fluid, and assist with kidney stones.
The fresh juice was historically administered for scurvy, while ancient traditions valued the herb for addressing obesity and purifying the blood. In European folk medicine, preparations of the plant were applied topically for wounds, sores, psoriasis, boils, cysts, swellings, and snakebites, as well as to staunch bleeding. Topical preparations, including washes and salves made from the juice, dried herb, or crushed leaves, were also favored as cosmetic aids to clear the complexion, fade freckles, and serve as a scalp tonic for dandruff.
In ancient Greece, the matted stems were historically fashioned into rough sieves for straining milk.
Warning
This herb may be used freely. But it should be taken for only 2 weeks at a time, and then skip 1-2 weeks. Juice may cause contact dermatitis.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , West Nyack, NY, 1987.
, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988). The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.
The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974