Cleavers (Galium aparine) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Galium aparine
Family: Rubiaceae
Part used: Aerial Parts
Taste: Bitter, Salty
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Moist

On temperature, Culpeper (1653) reads it as warm. The app keeps cool, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it. On moisture, Culpeper (1653) reads it as dry. The app keeps moist, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally considered safe

While breastfeeding

Limited data; traditional use suggests compatibility in moderate amounts during lactation.

For children

Generally safe

Cautions

No significant contraindications; caution with kidney disease (high diuretic)

General contraindications

Generally considered safe

Stewardship

Cleavers grows as widespread spring weed; sustainable to harvest the tender tops in early season. Stewardship: the lymphatic ally grows beside the walking path — medicine is never far.

In the traditional record

Cleavers (Galium aparine) — referenced by Dioscorides in De Materia Medica (1st century CE) and detailed in Grieve's Modern Herbal as a long-standing lymphatic, alterative, and diuretic remedy in European folk tradition; commonly known as "goose grass" for its use as fodder for young geese.

Which herbs suit your body?

The same herb can calm one person and wire another. Our free assessment reads your pattern across temperature, moisture and tone, then matches herbs to it.

Take the free assessment Open Cleavers in the Apothecary

Teaching children at home? Eden's Table builds a full herbalism curriculum around plants like this one.

Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.