Also known as clivers or cleavers because it clings to your clothes, Galium aparine is, according to Mrs M Grieve (in A Modern Herbal 1931), a herb of which geese are extremely fond. Humans too have eaten it as a vegetable, particularly in early spring when other green edible leaves are in short supply.

Goosegrass is a member of the Rubiaceae, as is the coffee-tree Coffea arabica.

The seeds of goosegrass can be dried and lightly roasted for use as a coffee substitute but I have not tried this! Its medicinal uses have included the treatment of skin conditions, bladder stones, obesity and insomnia, but the use that endures to this day is as a ‘lymphatic cleanser’. It is a herb we would include in the prescription when there are swollen glands, especially in the neck. Since swollen lymph glands are usually indicative of infection, we would rarely use this herb alone - more likely it would be combined with an antimicrobial remedy such as Echinacea, marigold, thyme or wild indigo (a North American plant).

Caroline Wheeler
Medical Herbalist

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