Cleavers Plant

Venus saturn moon element.

Cleavers plant. A slender taproot produces the weak square procumbent or climbing prickly stem that grows from 2 to 6 feet long. Cleavers is an annual plant found in moist or grassy places and along riverbanks and fences in canada the eastern half of the u s and the pacific coast. Citation needed making a tea with the dried leaves is most common. Cleavers is a common annual weed native to hedgerows scrub and arable land which can spread to gardens on the fur of animals and clothing of passers by.

Madder s cousin goose grass catchweed parts used. Cleavers galium aparine are tenacious annuals growing in dense mats in loamy nitrogen rich meadows forests thickets and along seashores in the temperate climates of europe northern africa asia and north america with its square shaped stem and sticky hairs they manage to stick to whatever passes them by earning them memorable nicknames like velcro plant grip grass and. Other names that cleavers are known as include sticky willy stickybud stickyweed kisses and clivers. Galium aparine commonly known as cleavers is an herbaceous annual plant from the rubiaceae family of flowering plants which also includes gardenia and noni the plant is native to wide region of europe north africa and asia from britain and the canary islands to japan.

The following information is based on historical uses found in herbal lore. In particular cleavers are in the bedstraw family. Cleavers is also used as a lymphatic system aid as it assists the lymph nodes in cleaning out toxins. The history of cleavers considered a noxious weed.

The hooks on its fruits attach to animals and us to help disperse its seeds. Cleavers is a climbing plant using the hooks on its stems to aid its scrambling progress. This plant is also known as biddy bid clivers goosegrass or sticky willy. Cleavers galium aparine there are young cleavers shoots coming up now in july.

To make a poultice the entire plant is used and applied directly to the affected area. There are upwards of 3 000 species in the rubiaceae family. It is considered a diuretic so one should keep well hydrated if using this herb. The cleavers plant has a long history of use often utilized by herbalists as one of the primary blood and lymph system cleansing herbs.

Cleavers have long straggling stems and small star shaped white to greenish white flowers that have a smell similar to honey. How to identify covered in tiny hooks the sticky nature of cleavers is enough to identify it easily. Cleavers is a scrambling. Although seedlings usually appear singly rather than en masse like many other common weeds the numerous and easily distributed seeds mean the weed can quickly establish in gardens if not controlled promptly.

It can be brewed hot or cold.