Cleavers


Galium Aparine

Latin: Galium aparine

Also Known As: Goosegrass, Burweed, Goosebill, Clivers, Clives, Catchweed, Bed Straw, Little Sweethearts, Hayriff, Robin-Run-In-The-Hedge, Mutton Chops, Everlasting Friendship, Sticky Buds, Scratch-weed, Grip-grass, Eriffe, Hedgeheriff, Scratweed, Love-man, Barweed

Family: Rubiaceae

Habitat and Description: This sticky leaved, pernicious explorer rampages quite happily through gardens, hedgerows, roadsides, wooded areas... anywhere there are places it can clamber up. It will choke out other plants if you aren't careful, though is actually quite pretty when it flowers – tiny white stars that are easily missed unless you look closely. The seeds are small, round and hard and will stick to anything they come into contact with – animal fur (especially dogs and cats since they seem to love to bring half the plant back inside with them!) clothes, hair, skin... you name it, they will stick to it.

The lanceolate leaves are arranged in whorls around the central stem, which is quite grooved and will climb or sprawl according to what support is available. The flowers, as already mentioned, a very tiny, white stars and are rather inconspicuous unless you look closely. The whole fresh plant is a juicy green colour, really vibrant and vivid.

Parts Used: Aerial parts.

Constituents: Iridoids such as asperuloside and asperulosidic acid; polyphenolic acids including gallic and caffeic acids to name but a few; alkaloids; flavonoids; anthraquinone derivatives predominantly in the roots.

Planetary Influence: Moon

Associated Deities and Heroes: None found at present, though given the plant's ability to twine around, up and over pretty much anything, maybe snake deities, who knows!

Festival: Ostara. Some also say the Autumn Equinox, Mabon.

Constitution: hot and dry (though some disagree and reckon it is cool and dry. Personally it has always come across as cool and temperate to me.)

Actions and Indications: Cleavers are a well known lymphatic tonic, making them an excellent addition to medicines to treat skin eruptions and related conditions as well as to get the lymph system moving. It can be used to treat any problems causing swollen, congested glands – so add it to mixtures to treat colds that have caused swollen and painful lymph glands.

For the skin, the herb is fantastic for hormone ridden teenagers, as it is excellent for clearing acne prone skin. It can also be used to treat eruptive skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and boils, though it is best used as a fresh plant extract for this purpose. It is useful in the treatment of childhood diseases such as mumps and chicken pox.

It can also be added to prescriptions for those suffering from painful urinary tract infections, as the plant is a soothing, anti inflammatory diuretic, great for cystitis and related painful conditions such as urinary gravel (though I would recommend you see your local herbalist about this as well – not something that is really wise to try and treat on your own!) It can also be used to treat irritable bladder in all ages, and bed wetting in children.

Because it is so beneficial for the lymph system, cleavers can also be a useful adjunct to cancer treatment, although again I would strongly recommend you see your local herbalist instead of self medicating for this purpose. The herb seems to be specific particularly to breast and skin tumours.

Some herbalists also use the herb for liver congestion and its related problems of nausea and jaundice, as well as to treat hepatitis. It could probably also be used to treat cirrhosis as well by extension.

It has also been used by some herbalists for nerve problems, though I haven't used it for this myself so have no real stories to tell about it.

Topically, it can be used to make creams and washes to treat burns, skin infections and fresh wounds.

Cleavers is generally best used as a fresh plant extract, so pick it and tincture it fresh, or make a strong tea from it.

Spiritual and Energetic Uses: Cleavers are most useful for allowing a resting space before leaping back into frantic action again. It is used to bring a feeling of peace to the user, to help them take a deep breath and relax before starting a new plan of action. I suspect it would probably be good for those who tend to have too much forward moving action and who find it hard to slow down and take a breath every now and then. By contrast, it is not so good for those who are stuck in one place and find it hard to move. This makes sense really as the 'stuck in a rut' mentality can happen to those with a phlegmatic (cold and moist) temperament, so for this kind of person a more stimulating herb would be called for.

Magical Uses: With its long lasting reputation as a spring tonic, Cleavers can be used for spring festivals. I rather suspect they could probably also be used for purification rituals as well. I also have the feeling that this herb could be used in rituals held to mark a girl's menarche, the entry into adulthood. Because this plant sticks and binds, it can also be used for binding spells and rituals.

Folklore: The whole plant can be used as a pot herb in spring, or steamed and eaten as a vegetable. The seeds can be dried and roasted to make a coffee substitute (I must try this sometime – so far I haven't found anything that measures up to a good cup of coffee, but maybe I just haven't been willing to give up my caffeine addiction....) Apparently cleaver seed coffee tastes nearly as good as the real thing so maybe its worth a try sometime!

The Anglo-Saxon nickname of 'hedge-rife' referred to a taxgatherer or robber. The Greeks knew it as 'philanthropon', from its tendency to cling to things. The ancient Greeks used to make a makeshift sieve using cleavers, to filter milk through. It has also long been used for a similar purpose in Sweden, and in some parts is still used this way.

The roots apparently produce a reddish dye, and can even tint the colour of bird bones if they eat the roots.

Dose: Some give the dosage as 10mls per single dose, others say drop doses. Personally speaking, I would not use more than about 30mls of tincture in a week's prescription unless I was using it for acute illness. A tea can be made from one heaped teaspoon of the dried herb, best infused overnight in cold water, and drunk three times a day.

Contraindications: None known. Mrs Grieve mentions that the fresh juice should be used with caution by those with diabetes, as it can be a bit overly diuretic, though I have found no other information to verify this.