Clivers Root Galium aparine
LATIN NAME: Galium aparine
COMMON NAME: Cleavers
Cleavers is the plant that grabs your sleeve as you walk the hedgerow. The slender, scrambling, square-stemmed plant climbs through the bushes by the fine, hooked bristles on its stems and leaves, and the whorls of the narrow leaves give it a fine, neat, whorled look. The tiny, white, star-like flowers open in the small clusters through the spring, and the round, bristly fruits follow, clinging to the passing coats and fur. It is a fine, vigorous, easy annual of the hedgerow, the woodland edge and the waste ground. It is a plant of the cool, damp, rich ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Cleavers has carved a quiet but solid place in the plant science, and the plant has been studied for the fine, hooked bristles that make it cling so well. Plant scientists have looked at the whorled leaves and the square stems, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the climbing wild plants and the hedgerow flora. The tiny, white, star-like flowers and the bristly fruits have also made it a fine subject of the studies of the seed-dispersal, since the round fruits ride along on the fur and the clothing. The young, tender stems have a long record of use in the old spring drinks and the pot-herbs of the region.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Cleavers earns its keep in the hedgerow and the garden both. The tiny, white flowers feed the small flies and the beetles through the spring, and the bristly, clinging fruits are one of the fine, curious examples of the hitchhiking seeds. The young, tender stems and leaves have a long record of use in the old ways of the region, and the plant has been written up in the botanical papers for the hooked bristles and the clinging fruits. It is a fine, vigorous, generous plant of the hedgerow and the woodland edge, and it is an easy, undemanding grower of the cool, damp garden.
Cleavers is one of the great climbing weeds of the hedgerow, and the fine, hooked bristles on the square stems and the whorled leaves are the trick that lets it climb so well. The tiny, white, star-like flowers are easy to miss, but the bristly, clinging fruits make sure the plant travels.
To grow the cleavers from seed, sow the bristly seeds into pots of moist, free-draining soil, covering them thinly, keep them in a cool, bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings come through within a few weeks and grow on fast into fine, scrambling stems. In a cool, damp, rich spot with something to climb, the tiny, white, star-like flowers will be there through the spring.
Other Names: Goosegrass, Amor De Hortelano, Barweed, Catchweed, Cleavers, Cleavers Goosegrass, Cleever, Clivers, Eriffe, Everlasting Friendship, Gia Mara, Goosebill, Goosegrass, Grateron, Grip Grass, Hashishat Al Af'A, Hayriffe, Hayruff, Hedge Clivers, Hedgeheriff, Kaz Yogurtotu, Loveman, Mutton Chops, Robin-run-in-the-Grass, Scratweed, Sticky-willy, Stickywilly, Zhu Yang Yang,
Properties: Cleavers is edible and medicinal, it has been used for centuries as an alternative medicine by indigenous peoples on many continents. It is edible raw though said to be unpalatable, mainly used as a pot-herb or as an addition to soups. Using the plant as a vegetable has a slimming effect on the body. Cleavers seed is one of the best coffee substitutes, it merely needs to be dried and lightly roasted and has much the same flavor as coffee. Cleavers has a long history of use as an alternative medicine and is still used widely by modern herbalists. It is used both internally and externally in the treatment of a wide range of ailments. The dried or fresh herb is alterative, anti-inflammatory, antiphlogistic, aperient, astringent, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, tonic and vulnerary. A valuable diuretic, it is often taken to treat skin problems such as seborrhea, eczema and psoriasis, and as a general detoxifying agent in serious illnesses such as cancer. The plant contains organic acids, flavonoids, tannins, fatty acids, glycoside asperuloside, gallotannic acid and citric acid. It has a mild laxative effect and stimulates the lymphatic system and has shown benefit in skin related problems. The fresh plant or juice is used as a medicinal poultice for wounds, ulcers and many other skin problems. An infusion of the herb has shown of benefit in the treatment of glandular fever, tonsilitis, hepatitis and cystitis. The infusion is also used to treat liver, bladder and urinary problems. The plant contains the valuable constituent asperuloside, a substance that is converted into prostaglandins by the body. Prostaglandins are hormone-like compounds that stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels. Much more scientific research is being done on the plant it is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry.
Folklore
Used as a love medicine by one tribe, the infusion of plant was used as a bath by women to be successful in love. Also used as a hair tonic, said to be good for the hair, making it grow long. Several Native American Tribes used an infusion of the plant for gonorrhea. A red dye is obtained from a decoction of the root, it is said to dye bones red. It was also believed to remove freckles. Gerard writes of Cleavers as a marvelous remedy for the bites of snakes, spiders and all venomous creatures. A thick matt of the stems, when used as a sieve for filtering milk, was said to give healing properties to the milk and is still used in Sweden for that purpose.