Uses for Cleavers
I found a lovely mess of cleavers today! It’s amazing how quickly it wrapped my rose bush up in a cozy hug.
My plan is to dry it to make a salve for a friend to try when she gets a flare up of hot oozing skin rashes. Perhaps an experiment with batch alone and another paired with calendula for an added healing boost. Has anyone tried this?
I'm sure there are plenty of ways to use this herb. What are some of your ideas to use this beneficial herb?
Comments
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I found cleavers in my garden this year. I still need to figure out how I am going to use it because I didn't expect to see much anywhere this year.
I will be watching this thread.
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My daughter makes a tincture with it. https://www.peacehealth.org/medical-topics/id/hn-2070002#:~:text=by%20Scientific%20Studies)-,Cleavers%20is%20one%20of%20numerous%20plants%20considered%20in,to%20act%20as%20a%20diuretic.&text=1-,It%20was%20therefore%20used%20to%20relieve%20edema%20and%20to%20promote,swellings%2C%20jaundice%2C%20and%20wounds.
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I use it in a poultice mix I have made up of dried herbs. plantain, heal all, what ever I have on hand dried. Have stored together in a jar BUT DO NOT make into a powder till ready to use. I store together because I forget something or don't have the time to grab 6+ jars for a leave or 2 when in a emergency.
I have more dried earmarked for salves (that's a fall/winter project - to much to get done on the homestead in summer).
I have used it fresh in a salad.
Add to ice cubes with flowers makes your drinks taste ready good ( and healthy)
I put some in witch hazel with lavender, tea tree oil, lemon thyme or lemon grass, some times rosemary, sage or basil. Use as a bug spray to keep them off, but if you get bite gives cooling relief. Also but in Aloe but my family likes the witch hazel better.
It is a diuretic so don't eat/drink to much.
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I make cleavers tincture every year, and I use it quite a bit. It's good for urinary tract issues, including kidney stones, and for clearing lymph. It grows here in the spring but dies after just a few weeks when it starts getting hot. When I can get it fresh, I make tea with it for a spring tonic.
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@SherryA That's right! A tincture for moving lymph. That is what I had wanted to try. 👏
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I used mine fresh for a spring tonic tea just as @SherryA did and I also made it into a tincture for moving lymph.
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I also tincture it for lymph and infuse it in oil to use as is or in salves
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I found a little patch of it in our yard which was a blessing! Then a friend of mine from church let me forage in her yard and she had a large patch. I wound up with a ton of it so I turned it into a tincture to support my lymphatic system. I have been told you can juice them and make a succus but I haven't tried that. What I think is cool is how sturdy the stems are when together. Traditionally folks used them as a milk sieve and to curdle milk to make cheese and they were also used in bedding material . I think they are fun as well as medicinal :)
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I have those all over! My husband's grandmother told us that they were horrible weeds that just made a mess of everything. I didn't realize that they had such great value. Thank you all for sharing.
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They really are wonderful :). They are one of my favorite things to forage. Alot of people are surprised to hear how useful they are. I had no idea until a few years that so many have the incredible ebible and medicinal properties they do. Our culture seems to have some deep hatred for weeds. But so many of the weeds that we see all over are yards are just delicious and medicinal powerhouses.
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Was waiting for the home page to change over to the forums and noticed Scott's Sexton's article. Hmmm, that picture looks familiar. Really!!??? That P.I.T.A. sticky stuff is cleavers? We've got a ton of it. Off to find uses.
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Cleaver vinegar listed in recipes
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my one friend eats cleavers cooked in the spring. This article says you can eat the older fresh tips off the plant later
http://www.eattheweeds.com/galium-aparine-goosegrass-on-the-loose-2/
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Six Wild Greens Soup
With an abundance of wild green in the hedgerow at the moment, I felt compelled by my bones to make a tasty spring time wild greens soup.
Gathering an equal amount of cleavers, wood avens, dandelion, ramsons, lesser celandine, and ground elder I came up with this natty little wild greens recipe.
Wild Soup Recipe: Ingredients
- 300g of wild greens
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 large shallots
- 300ml soured cream
- 1 litre of vegetable stock
Wild Soup Recipe: Suggested Instructions
- Dice the potatoes and chop the shallots and fry together until shallots are translucent.
- Add the stock and bring to a simmering boil, then finely chop the wild greens and add to the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is cooked.
- Blend until smooth, then stir in the soured cream and serve.
Serves: 2
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And the cleaver root can be used to make a red dye. A natural red dye is hard to find so I have to try this
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Cleavers is an excellent medicinal plant. Astringent, Diuretic. Tonic. Antioxidant. Anti-inflammatory. Vulnerary. Lymphagogue. Alterative.
In addition to the medicinal uses, there is a species of Galium, G. verum, that is used to make cheese in place of rennet. Just grab a handful and swish it around in your heating milk until it starts to clabber. It will also give a bit of a yellow colour to the cheese. Its common name is Cheese Rennet.
The name Lady's Bedstraw comes from its use as a strewing herb in the Middle Ages or for stuffing pillows and mattresses. It smells quite sweet after it has dried, even though it doesn't have any scent when fresh.
If you have the time and patience, the seeds can be harvested, roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Galium is in the Rubiaceae family which is also the coffee family.
We have several Galium species in my area, including Sweet Woodruff, which has its claim to fame as an ingredient in May Wine. Cleavers is everywhere. So much so that it is listed as a noxious weed by the local Invasive Species Council, so you have to be careful where you harvest to make sure it is not sprayed.
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I have cleavers in abundance in my yard. I told my husband of some of its medicinal uses. However, he seems to be sensitive to it when he touches it, so I think it might not be a good idea for him to try it as a tea or otherwise internally.
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I was re-reading this thread. @bcabrobin, when you said to add to ice cubes with flowers to make your drinks taste ready good, did you mean once the cleavers flowers?
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So exciting to find this thread talking about cleavers! I had it pop up all over our new place this spring.😁
But I had no real idea of all the benefits. I'm especially excited to hear about the fact that it works well with the lymph system. Because I'm trying to overcome a sluggish lymph system currently and every little bit of help I can get I'll take.
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I want to try it in a tea; I hope that it will be helpful for my bad cough. I enjoyed the article on cleavers on this site.
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@torey I know this is an old thread, but I was just revisiting it and saw your note about using a species of cleavers in place of renet. Reminds me of using crab apples in place of pectin in canning. Isn't nature amazing?!
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@Merin Porter It certainly is! I know that some areas people live in might be a bit less hospitable (deserts for one), but most of us seem to live in areas of abundance if we just look around and see what has been provided for us.
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We are hoping to try to use Stinging Nettle to curdle milk for cheese. I understand that it is considered one of the choice plants to substitute for rennet.
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That's amazing! Herbal substiuites, who knew.
Well, obviously you all did.😄
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Cleavers showed up in my yard quite a few years back. I had never heard of it; I don't know if it grows up north or not, but it grows wildly here in Alabama. A couple of years ago, I learned that it could be used medicinally, but I have not yet made a tincture or anything else. Guess I'll have to find out how to do it.
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@MissPatricia Cleavers certainly grow up here. It is not a favorite of many farmers. Of course, I celebrate finding some. 😁
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