Know your Herb

Latin Name: Galium aparine
Herb Class/Action: tonic, alterative, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, astringent 
Parts Used: aerial parts (leaves, stems, flowers)
Flavors: salty, astringent, sweet, mildly bitter
Energetics: Cooling, tonifying, moistening, cleansing
Traditional Benefits: lymphatic support, urinary system support, liver support, immune support, skin health support

As a gentle spring cleanser, cleavers supports lymphatic flow and the body’s natural elimination channels, helping to clear stagnation and cool excess heat.

Cleavers is the clingy friend that quite literally sticks with you. It’s tiny hooked hairs grab onto socks, fur, really anything it brushes by… allowing it to travel, sprawl, and spread wherever it pleases. In many ways, this behavior mirrors its medicinal gifts, as cleavers connects, mobilizes, and moves – especially within the lymphatic system. 

This fresh, cooling green herb has long been considered to be one of the best lymphatic allies of spring. As winter’s heaviness gives way to renewal, cleavers helps unstick any stagnation or congestion that has accumulated in the body by supporting the healthy flow of lymph and fluids through their natural elimination pathways. In traditional western herbalism, cleavers is also used to cool hot or inflamed tissues and moisten any internal dryness. 

Thanks to its juicy diuretic nature, cleavers is also beloved for urinary system support, gently encouraging steady flushing of fluids to maintain clear, comfortable urinary passages. Its alterative properties link it to the liver as well, making it a useful ally when you need a little extra help in the detox and drainage department. When the lymph, liver, and kidneys are all working in concert, the skin tends to reflect that harmony on the outside, which is why cleavers is sometimes included in skin-focused formulations.

Traditionally, cleavers is harvested in the spring and used fresh in cleansing juices, teas, and tinctures. As you collect it, its long, vibrant green strands bind and weave together, serving as a reminder of its connective nature and its close relationship with the rivers of the body.

Fun fact: cleavers belongs to the coffee family (Rubiaceae)! Its seeds were once roasted as a coffee substitute, and its clingy nature earned it plenty of old timey country names including “sticky willy”.