Cleavers (galium aparine)
Synopsis of cleavers
Cleavers (Galium aparine), also known as goosegrass, bedstraw, or catchweed, is a wild herbaceous plant recognized for its slender, sprawling stems and sticky, bristled leaves that cling to clothing and other plants. Native to Europe, Asia, and North America, cleavers has long been valued in folk and traditional herbal medicine for its powerful lymphatic, diuretic, and detoxifying properties.
The herb is rich in iridoid glycosides, flavonoids (such as quercetin and luteolin), tannins, and coumarins, which contribute to its medicinal effects. Cleavers is particularly known for its action on the lymphatic system, helping to stimulate lymphatic drainage, reduce glandular swelling, and support immune response. It is often used to relieve enlarged lymph nodes, edema, and skin eruptions linked to sluggish elimination pathways.
As a mild diuretic, cleavers supports urinary tract health by promoting urine flow and toxin elimination, making it a useful herb for urinary tract infections, bladder inflammation, and kidney detoxification. It is also mildly cooling and anti-inflammatory, and is sometimes included in internal formulas or external washes for acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
In modern herbalism, cleavers is frequently incorporated into spring cleansing protocols and used in combination with herbs like red clover, burdock, and dandelion to support full-body detoxification and skin clarity. It is typically consumed as a tea, tincture, or fresh juice, with the fresh plant considered most potent.
Historical Use
Cleavers has a long history in European folk medicine, where it was traditionally used as a spring tonic to purify the blood and clear skin conditions after winter. Herbalists in the Middle Ages and Renaissance valued it for reducing “clogged humors,” swollen glands, and fevers, often linking its sticky texture to its ability to “cling” to waste in the body and help carry it out.
In Anglo-Saxon and Celtic traditions, cleavers was made into herbal poultices, salves, and decoctions to soothe burns, skin ulcers, swollen breasts during lactation, and wounds. It was also used internally as a cooling remedy for fevers, urinary tract discomfort, and digestive irritation.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a similar species (Galium verum or related Rubiaceae family members) was used to cool heat and dampness, supporting lymphatic and urinary systems and clearing skin conditions rooted in internal inflammation.
Cleavers was also employed as a practical plant: the dried stems were used to stuff mattresses (hence the name bedstraw), and the seeds were lightly roasted and brewed as a coffee substitute.
Today, cleavers is widely used by Western herbalists as a gentle yet effective herb for lymphatic cleansing, skin health, and urinary tract support, carrying forward centuries of empirical use and adapting to modern wellness needs.
Cleavers is used for these health conditions
Bladder Infection (Traditional)
Bruises (healing) (Traditional)
Cuts (Traditional)
Edema (Traditional)
Gall Bladder (sluggish or removed) (Traditional)
Glands (swollen lymph) (Traditional)
Inflammation (Traditional)
Kidney Infection (Traditional)
Kidney Stones (Traditional)
Liver Detoxification (Traditional)
Lymph Nodes or Glands (swollen) (Traditional)
Rashes and Hives (Traditional)
Scratches and Abrasions (Traditional)
Wounds and Sores (Traditional)
cleavers is used to support these body systems
Bladder (Traditional)
Digestive System (Traditional)
Gastrointestinal Tract (Traditional)
Immune System (Traditional)
Intestinal System (Traditional)
Kidneys (Traditional)
Liver (Traditional)
Lymphatics (Traditional)
Skin (Traditional)
Urinary System (Traditional)
