Galium aparine

Galium aparine, with common names including cleavers, clivers, catchweed, robin-run-the-hedge, goosegrass, and sticky willy, is an annual, herbaceous plant of the family Rubiaceae.

Description

An annual herb. The stems are bristly and sticky. They are square in cross section. It trails over other plants. It climbs by hooked bristles. The leaves are bristly and sprout from the stems in clusters of 6-8. The leaves do not have stalks. The flowers are small and white. The seed pods are bristly and have 2 round segments about 3 mm wide.

Edible Uses

The tender young shoot tips can be eaten raw or cooked as a pot-herb. They have a rather bitter flavour that some find unpalatable, and are best used in spring, where they make a useful addition to vegetable soups. Using this plant as a vegetable is said to have a slimming effect on the body. The roasted seed makes one of the better coffee substitutes — it simply needs to be dried and lightly roasted and closely resembles coffee in flavour. A decoction of the whole dried plant produces a drink comparable to tea.

Traditional Uses

The young shoots are boiled and eaten. They are added to salads. The ripe fruit (seeds) are roasted and ground and used as a coffee substitute. The dried plant is used as a tea. The stalks and leaves are rubbed between the hands and used as a fermenting agent for yoghurt.

Medicinal Uses

Goosegrass has a long history of domestic medicinal use and is widely used by modern herbalists. It is a valuable diuretic, often taken for skin conditions such as seborrhoea, eczema, and psoriasis, and as a general detoxifying agent in serious illnesses such as cancer. The whole plant, excluding the root, is alterative, antiphlogistic, aperient, astringent, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, tonic, and vulnerary. Harvested in May and June as it comes into flower, it can be used fresh or dried. It is applied both internally and externally for a wide range of ailments, including as a poultice for wounds, ulcers, and skin problems, and as a decoction for insomnia and where a strong diuretic is needed. It has shown benefit in treating glandular fever, ME, tonsillitis, hepatitis, and cystitis. The plant is often included in spring tonic drinks with other herbs. A tea made from the plant has traditionally been used internally and externally for cancer — one report suggests the juice may be more effective than a tea, though the treatment has never been proved or disproved. Both Asperuloside (a terpenoid) and Coumarin (a benzopyrone) occur in some species of Galium. Asperuloside can be converted into prostaglandins, which stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels, making the genus of significant interest to the pharmaceutical industry. A homeopathic remedy has also been made from the plant.

Known Hazards

For some people, contact with the plant can cause skin irritation. Although the plant's hairs are small, they can scratch more sensitive parts of the skin. Numerous such scratches can resemble a rash.

Distribution

It grows in temperate places. It grows in rich, moist soils and in forests. It grows in high rainfall areas. In Argentea it grows from sea level to 3,500 m above sea level. Tasmania Herbarium. In Sichuan.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia, Britain, Canada, Central Asia, Chile, China, Dominican Republic*, Europe*, Falklands, Haiti, Himalayas, India, Iran, Italy, Korea, Libya, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Norway, NW India, Pakistan, Scandinavia, Siberia, Slovenia, South America*, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Uruguay, USA, West Indies*,

Cultivation

Prefers a loose moist leafy soil in some shade. Plants tolerate dry soils, but they quickly become scorched when growing in full sun. They do not thrive in a hot climate. Another report says that plants succeed in most soils in full sun or heavy shade. A scrambling plant, the stems and leaves are covered with little hooked bristles by which it can adhere to other plants and climb into them. A good species to grow in the wild garden, it provides food for the larvae of many butterfly species.

Propagation

Seed is best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe in late summer. It can also be sown in spring, though germination may be very slow. Once established, the plant reproduces readily without assistance.

Other Uses

A red dye is obtained from the root, which when ingested can dye the bones red. The dried plant can be used as a tinder. Rubbing the plant on the hands removes pitch and tar. Stems layered 8cm or more thick can be used as a sieve for filtering liquids.

Notes

There are about 300-400 Galium species. There are 60 species in tropical America.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bur-weed, Catchweed, Cobansuzgeci, Cochna, Gaillet gratteron, Ierva catene, Khorti, Kleefkruid, Klengemaure, Lahndra, Lengua de gato, Pega pega, Pegadera, Pegajera, Ranwawa, Sticky willie, Wanwair, Wanwair booti, Yapiskan ot

References (44)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 229
• Biscotti, N. et al, 2018, The traditional food use of wild vegetables in Apulia (Italy) in the light of Italian ethnobotanical literature. Italian Botanist 5:1-24
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 484
• Boesi, A., 2014, Traditional knowledge of wild food plants in a few Tibetan communities. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 10:75
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 173

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