Gallium aparine, Cleavers

French = Gratterton, German = Klebelabkraut

Common names

Cleavers, Clivers, Goosegrass, Hedge burs, Sticky-willie, Cleaverwort, Coachweed. Gosling weed, Love-man, Stick-a-back, Sweethearts, Hayruff, Hayriffe, Erriffe, Burweed, Barweed, Goosebill, Hedgeheriffe, Grip grass, Catchweed, Catchgrass, Scratweed, Mutton chops, Robin-run-in-the-grass, Everlasting friendship, Clike, Click, Clitheren, Clithers.

History

Gerard recommends Cleavers as a marvellous remedy for the bites of snakes, spiders and all venomous creatures and, quoting Pliny, says: 'a pottage made of Clivers, a little mutton and oatmeal is good to cause lankness and keepe from fatnesse.' Culpeper recommended the herb for earache. Most of its popular names concern its clinging nature. The Anglo-Saxon 'hedgeherriff' means a tax gatherer or robber. The specific name of the plant, aparine, also refers to the plant's habit, being derived from the Greek aparo (to seize).

Medicinal uses

Mild diuretic, mild astringent, lymphatic, alterative, anti-inflammatory, aperient, tonic, antineoplastic (please see Glossary)

Benefits

Galium's alterative and diuretic actions make it an effective lymphatic tonic and it is used in the treatment of a wide range of problems involving the lymphatic system, including lymphadenitis, tonsillitis, glandular fever and enlarged adenoids. It is particularly useful in the treatment of toxic conditions associated with tissue oedema and water retention. There is a long tradition for the use of Galium in the treatment of ulcers and tumours, which may be due to lymphatic drainage. It is also used internally and topically to treat skin conditions, particularly dry conditions such as psoriasis. An infusion of the herb may be used as a hair rinse for dandruff or seborrhoea. It may also be applied to burns and abrasions.

Galium can be used to treat cystitis and other urinary conditions where there is pain, such as calculi, colic or strangury, where it is combined with demulcent herbs. The red dye galiosin is similar to the dye in Galium’s relative, Rubia tinctoria (madder); this has specific anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic effects on the urinary tract and may contribute to Rubia’s litholytic action in the urinary system (it stains the urine red). Galium is also reputed to help reduce blood pressure and to cool the body during fevers. The iridoid asperuloside is a mild laxative.

Other uses

Cleavers can be eaten as a vegetable, gently sweated in a pan like spinach. The juice is a popular spring tonic in Central Europe, the Balkans and elsewhere. In France, the crushed herb is applied as a poultice to sores and blisters. Geese are fond of this herb, also known as goosegrass, and it is often fed to poultry. The seeds can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Greek shepherds used the stems in the to make sieves for straining milk, and Linnaeus reported the same use being made of them in Sweden. The roots produce a red dye.

Warnings

No contraindications are known. It has been stated that diabetics should take the fresh juice with caution, although this is not supported by pharmacological data

References

Bartram, T. 1995 Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 1st edn.,Grace Publishers, Bournemouth.

Bremness, L. 1994 Herbs, Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Handbook, London.

BHMA 1983 British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, BHMA, Bournemouth.

Chevallier, A. 1996 The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, Dorling Kindersley, London.

Grieve, M. 1931 A Modern Herbal, (ed. C.F. Leyel 1985), London.

Hoffmann, D. 1990 The New Holistic Herbal, Second Edition, Element, Shaftesbury.

Hyperhealth 1996 Natural Health and Nutrition Databank, v.96.1 CD-ROM, ©In-Tele-Health, available from Healthworks, Leeds. ISBN 0-646-30942-0

Lust, J. 1990 The Herb Book, Bantam, London.

Mabey, R. (ed.) 1991 The Complete New Herbal, Penguin, London.

Mills, S.Y. 1993 The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine, Penguin, London (First published in 1991 as Out of the Earth, Arkana)

Mills, S.Y. 1993 The A-Z of Modern Herbalism, Diamond Books, London.

Ody, P. 1993 The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal, Dorling Kindersley, London.

Polunin, M. and Robbins, C. 1992 The Natural Pharmacy, Dorling Kindersley, London.

Vickery, R. 1995 A Dictionary of Plant Lore, Oxford University Press.

Weiss, R.F. 1991 Herbal Medicine, Beaconsfield Arcanum, Beaconsfield.

Wren, R.C. 1988 Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, C.W.Daniel, Saffron Walden.

Special thanks to www.purplesage.org.uk