Galium aparine an ancient medicine, also known as cleavers, Lady’s bedstraw, goose grass catchweed, sticky weed, sticky willy. It’s in the coffee family. The roasted mature seeds actually make true coffee, complete with caffeine.
It has a strong affinity for the lymphatic system, kidneys and the nervous system. Cleavers have the ability to remove calcifications, concretions and cysts out of tissues (muscles, lymph, kidneys). So yes, it will help remove a kidney stone. It is most commonly used for lymphatic congestion.
The ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides wrote about the many ways cleavers were used back then. Oddly enough one peculiar use was as a sieve to strain impurities from milk.
Cleavers were also used as bedding when women gave birth. For centuries it was commonly thought to have been Mary’s bed when Christ was born, hence the name “Our Lady’s bedstraw”.
Among Native Americans it’s sometimes referred to as “deer medicine”. Deer often sleep in a patch of cleavers. It makes them smell less “deerish”. Twice I have seen fawns sleeping in cleavers.
In the pic cleavers are about 1.5 inches tall. I’ve seen them get about knee high. The leaves form a “whorl” around the stem. There are 6 to 9 leaves in each whorl. There are several subspecies of Galium aparine so they way it looks varies. One thing that doesn’t vary (aside from the whorls) is that the leaves and stems are covered with tiny hooked hairs, hence some of the above names.
I think it is a plant worth knowing…
It has a strong affinity for the lymphatic system, kidneys and the nervous system. Cleavers have the ability to remove calcifications, concretions and cysts out of tissues (muscles, lymph, kidneys). So yes, it will help remove a kidney stone. It is most commonly used for lymphatic congestion.
The ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides wrote about the many ways cleavers were used back then. Oddly enough one peculiar use was as a sieve to strain impurities from milk.
Cleavers were also used as bedding when women gave birth. For centuries it was commonly thought to have been Mary’s bed when Christ was born, hence the name “Our Lady’s bedstraw”.
Among Native Americans it’s sometimes referred to as “deer medicine”. Deer often sleep in a patch of cleavers. It makes them smell less “deerish”. Twice I have seen fawns sleeping in cleavers.
In the pic cleavers are about 1.5 inches tall. I’ve seen them get about knee high. The leaves form a “whorl” around the stem. There are 6 to 9 leaves in each whorl. There are several subspecies of Galium aparine so they way it looks varies. One thing that doesn’t vary (aside from the whorls) is that the leaves and stems are covered with tiny hooked hairs, hence some of the above names.
I think it is a plant worth knowing…
