Cleavers Galium aparine
- Common Names
- Cleavers , Clivers, Goose Grass, Catchweed, Sweet Woodruff
- Botanical Name
- Galium aparine
- Family
- RUBIACEAE
Medicinal Uses & Benefits of Cleavers
How to Use|
Side Effects |
Plant & Garden|
- Medicinal Uses: * Eczema
* Hair
* Hypertension
* Kidney
* Pet
* Psoriasis
* Skin Care
- Properties: * Appetite Depressant * Astringent * Depurative * Diuretic * Refrigerant * Tonic * Vulnerary
- Parts Used: Dried aerial parts and fresh expressed juice
- Constituents: coumarins,iridoid glycosides (asperuloside, acumin),tannins,citric acid,gallotannic acid
How to Use: Cleavers
Cleavers has been used to treat
urinary infections in cats(FLUTD)
Herbalists have long regarded cleavers as a valuable lymphatic tonic and diuretic. The lymph system is the body's mechanism to wash tissues of toxins, passing them back into the bloodstream to be cleansed by the liver and kidneys. This cleansing action makes cleavers useful in treating conditions like psoriasis and arthritis, which benefit from purifying the blood. Cleavers is a reliable diuretic used to help clean gravel and urinary stones and to treat urinary infections. 1In cats, these actions make cleavers a safe long-term aid in the treatment of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), and the herb may also be useful for chronic low-grade kidney inflammation.2 In studies cleavers extract lowered blood pressure without slowing heart rate or having any health-threatening side effects. 3,4
Cleavers is a coffee relative, and the roasted seeds are used as a coffee substitute. The young leaves can be eaten like spinach.
Preparation Methods & Dosage :Herbal tea or 1/2 teaspoon of a liquid extract three times a day
Cleavers Remedies
Cleavers Side Effects: Cleavers is considered a safe herb
Plant Description
Atlas des plantes de France. 1891
The bristle-covered fruit will latch onto (cleave)animals who brush by, hence one of its names, catchweed. Geese love it, so the name goosegrass. Native to North America and found in all the lower 48 states and Alaska.
Regional Traditions :North America *
History and Traditions & Folklore
It is under the dominion of the Moon. The juice of the herb and the seed together taken in wine, helpeth those bitten with an adder, by preserving the heart from the venom. It is familiarly taken in broth, to keep them lean and lank that are apt to grow fat.
Nicholas Culpeper, 1653
Works Cited- Mabey, Richard. "The New Age Herbalist",(1988)
- Tillford, Gregory. "Herbs for Pets", 2001, BowTie Press
- Duke, James A., Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook(2000)
- Mountain Rose Herbs
Looking for Aroma Therapy? Visit Annies Aroma Therapy
Looking for something you can read offline? Join our mailing list and get a free copy of Methods for Using Herbs. This free handbook includes instructions on how to make basic herbal preparations at home. It covers making herbal teas, herb infused oils and balms, tinctures, and more.