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A little less obvious of a useful weed IMO. Rabbit Uses as always are at the end ☺️

Cleavers (Galium aparine)

AKA clivers, bedstraw, goosegrass, catchweed, stickyweed, sticky bob, stickybud, stickyback, robin-run-the-hedge, sticky willy, sticky willow, stickyjack, stickeljack, grip grass and velcro plant

General description
The most repetitive information I kept coming across when researching cleavers is how magnificent it is at cleaning out the lymphatic system. How wonderful it is to get it cleared out and running at full capacity.
Cleavers are known to work in a clearing and purifying way on the lymphatic system, helping to clean and drain the body of toxins. The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that help rid the body of waste and toxins and moves a fluid containing powerful infection fighting white blood cells throughout the body. And it is this quality that make them a perfect spring tonic. Cleavers will aid in helping shed all that winter build up of waste and stagnation that you may not have been able to shift, along with bloating and an excess build up of fluid and skin eruptions. (https://brigitannamcneill.com/2017/03/14/spring-cleavers/)
The plants growth is supposed to be an indicator of fertile soil as well…just a little tidbit 😉

Cleavers Medicinal Summary
* alterative
* antispasmodic
* antiphlogistic (anti-inflammatory)
* aperient (laxative)
* detoxificant
* diaphoretic
* diuretic (relieves excess water)
* depurative
* febrifuge (Fever reducer/antipyretic)
* lymphagogue (lymph production/flow)
* astringent, high tannins
* vulnerary (wound healer)
* tonsillitis
* eczema
* anemia
* supportive in UTI’s
* wounds and burns (poultice)
* swollen glands or sore throat (used for children)
* affinity to tongue, throat, neck and ears
* helps clear away debris after antibiotic use
* cancer fighting tendencies
* male prostate issues
* burning or suppressed urine
* Deer Medicine for the Nerves (irritated nervous system or irritated with little things in life)
* not to use if diabetic
* bitter, cool
The Cleavers plant contains organic acids, flavonoids, tannins, fatty acids, glycoside asperuloside, gallotannic acid and citric acid.

Medicinal Background/Info
The plant is bursting with medicinal properties: antispasmodic; antiphlogistic; aperient; astringent; detoxificant; diaphoretic; diuretic; depurative; vulnerary; a noted lymphatic and urinary tract cleanser; refigerant; febrifuge; laxative; lowers blood pressure; slimming and tonic.
The juice has stronger diuretic and laxative properties than infusions. It was once a common feature of cures for obesity and dropsy.
Cleavers herb health benefits include a historical herbal medicine use for cleansing and purifying the blood, kidneys and to stimulate the lymphatic system. It has also been use to help treat edema, or swelling of the extremities. It has also been used to help with urinary tract infections
By way of a note on human consumption: because of the high tannin content, cleavers in any consumable form, make a powerful astringent and amongst its active components, it contains coumarins which thin the blood and asperuloside which can be converted into prostaglandins that stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels.

Action and Medicinal Uses:
Internally:
* Lymphadenitis (especially reduction of enlarged cervical lymph nodes).
* Skin eruptions such as dry eczema and psoriasis.
* Dysuria.
* Slightly hypotensive and anti-inflammatory, it is effective in generalised oedema.
* Cazin found that it improves the circulation in older people.
externally:
* Burns and abrasions. The juice or a strong infusion is styptic and cooling: tradition holds it to be effective in reducing wens & carbuncles.
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.

Recipes/Uses/Ideas
Cleavers Infused Water
Harvest the aerial parts before flowering. Rinse under water and gently pat dry with a paper towel. Then slice a few stalks and add to a glass of water. Place in fridge and leave overnight to infuse. Strain and drink. The cold infusion acts as a lymphatic tonic and flavours the water quite nicely too.

Cleavers Green Juice
Juice is my favorite way to take them and also the most potent as we are ingesting the life blood of the plant which is an incredible gift. It does require the use of a juicer but if you don’t have one you could whizz it in the blender with some water and then strain, though I haven’t tried it this way. I juice a big handful of cleavers with some apple, fennel, lemon, ginger and celery. This makes a delicious cleansing and revitalizing drink for bright Spring mornings.

Cleavers Vinegar
Make your Cleavers into a delicious green vinegar by lightly packing a jar with them then covering in un-pasteurized apple cider vinegar. Cap with a plastic not metal lid (vinegar corrodes metal) and allow to infuse for three weeks before straining and rebottling. This makes a lovely spring salad dressing with a drizzle of olive oil.

Cleavers Coffee (coffee substitute)
To make the coffee substitute, you just need to collect and dry the seeds.
1. Carefully cut the top of the plant into a paper bag.
2. Shake gently to remove spines and leaves.
3. Separate the seeds out, and allow to dry for 2-3 hours before roasting.
4. Roast them gently in a medium hot, dry skillet to get the essence which is very similar to coffee. (Homesteading Hippie)

Cleavers Herbal Tea
Simply collect the leaves, wash gently to remove dirt or bugs and steep 1 cup of leaves in ½ gallon hot water for 10 minutes. Strain to remove spines. Sweeten to taste, and enjoy throughout the day. (Homesteading Hippie)

Cleavers Harvesting Tips:
• The leaves may cause contact dermatitis in some, so wear gloves when you harvest.
• Cleavers is a very sticky plant and may stick to your shoes, pants, or even your shirt. Be careful to remove all parts of the plant to avoid possible irritation.
• Be mindful of a look-a-like plant, Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum), which can get poisonous in large doses. Always double check with a field guide before you consume any wild plant! (Homesteading Hippie)

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TINCTURES AND TONICS
There are several ways you can extract the benefits from herbs and other plants.
These are:

Infusion: An infusion is when you steep plants in water or oil to glean their beneficial properties. One of the most common infusions is tea, which most of us are accustomed to drinking.
-How To Make Infusions
A good general rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of herb to 1 cup of water – of course, this may vary depending on your personal tastes, and how strong or weak you prefer your infusion to be.

Decoction: This is boiling an herb or vegetable in water, so the water then contains the soluble constituents of the plant being boiled. This is a great method for hardier plants that won’t ‘give up the goods’ with gentler methods
– How To Make Decoctions:
Use about 1 teaspoon of herbs and one cup of cold water. Put your herbs and water into a pot, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let it simmer from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on how hardy the plant is. Strain the liquid, then drink or use it in your culinary recipes.

Tincture: A solution of alcohol or alcohol and water, along with the plant that you’re using for medicinal benefits. Tinctures usually take longer to make, anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months to fully saturate the liquid with the plant medicine (think of vanilla extract, for example).
– How To Make Tinctures
Tinctures are surprisingly easy to make! Instructions are below.
What you need:
* Herb of choice
* 40% vodka (in glass bottle)
* 1 glass jar
* Parchment paper
* Masking tape for labelling
* Cheesecloth or nut milk bag
How to Make Tinctures:
* Fill up glass jar with herb halfway.
* Add vodka so that level of the liquid is at least two inches above the herb. Note: If you are using dried herbs, you might have to add more vodka at a later time.
* Place parchment paper between the lid and jar. (This is done to prevent the rubber seal from dissolving.)
* Seal jar tightly.
* Label jar with date, percentage alcohol, herbs, and method used.
* Shake two times per day for one month.
* After a month squeeze out the menstrum (the resulting liquid) using cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.

Maceration: Softening by soaking in a liquid. Maceration is generally used for very delicate plants and the liquid is usually cold or barely heated. Often, macerat
– How To Make Macerations
Many macerations are made using oils to gently extract the plant power. Put your herbs and oil into a small jar. You can let them infuse anywhere from an hour to a few weeks. But typically you can macerate any fruit just by adding a bit of sugar and a liquid (water, oil, drinking alcohol) and letting it set…the sugar and liquid will gently start to break down the fruit. Easy….tada!

Poultices and washes made from cleavers were traditionally used to treat a variety of skin ailments, light wounds and burns. As a pulp, it has been used to relieve poisonous bites and stings. To make a poultice, the entire plant is used, and applied directly to the affected area.

Rabbit Uses

Cleavers: Wound healing (internal and external), mild laxative, urinary infections.
Cleavers is a vulnerably herb. You can feed bunny all parts of the plant, it may be an acquired taste but once your bunnies gets used to it, they eat it with relish! This plant performs an astringent action. Astringent herbs react with tissues to produce a protective layer that can help heal wounds, arrest bleeding and prevent infection. Cleavers is also well known for being a mild laxative so if bunny is getting backed up, push this herb. It is also a diuretic, and may help eliminate bladderstones. Diuretics are used to rid the body of extra fluid or salt. This plant also has tonic properties. A herbal tonic is used to help restore, tone and invigorate systems in the body or to promote general health and well-being.

Caution⚠️⚠️⚠️. Be aware of feeding this plant to long furred bunnies as the fruits and leaves can get caught in their fur..the leaf and seeds are sticky..the seeds are round with almost a Velcro like covering.

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