The plant will remind you of Cleavers or Goosegrass that children stick on your back. The fresh leaves, bruised and applied to cuts and wounds, were said to have a healing effect, and formerly a strong decoction of the fresh herb was used as a cordial and stomachic. Here are tips on how to grow this plant in your back yard and how to use it seasonally. Sweet woodruff is a native plant from Europe, Africa, and Asia, but it grows throughout many regions of North America as well. Sweet woodruff is an herb. Liver and gallbladder conditions 9. The herb is native to Europe, parts of Asia and Northern Africa; sweet woodruff has also become naturalized in some parts of North America. In the Medieval era, the herb was said to provide soldiers with protection during battle and had medicinal value as a mild anesthetic. An often forgotten herb, sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) can be a valuable addition to the garden, particularly shade gardens. Journal of the Chemical Society (C). Steep one teaspoon of dried or fresh leaves in one cup of boiling water. Medicinal use: Sweet Woodruff is considered to be anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, diuretic, tonic and laxative. It can used for preparing herbal medicines that helps to relax and strengthen the nervous system. It is also used to calm patients with hysteria, restlessness or insomnia. The FDA has banned it for use in herbal remedies to be taken internally because it is quite dangerous, though the FDA specifically clears it for use when properly prepared as an additive to wine. During this same time-period, sweet woodruff was being made into wreaths for churches and used as a moth repellent to protect linens. Today, sweet woodruff is cultivated as a source of the drug coumarin. It owes its sweet smell to the odiferous agent coumarin, and is sometimes used as a flavoring agent due to its chemical content. In the Medieval era, the herb was said to provide soldiers with protection during battle and had medicinal value as a mild anesthetic. If you wish to try using sweet woodruff as a medicinal substance, always consult with your doctor first. Treatment of Cold and Chest Congestion. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicine, though medicinal use has tapered off in many countries around the world. During the Middle Ages, Sweet Woodruff was widely applied as a poultice for wounds and cuts and taken internally for digestive and liver problems. Journal of Ecology. Sweet woodruff is used for sweetening food, juice, jam, wines, beers, jelly, soft drinks, tea and ice cream etc. Apparently, people tend to use several drugs and medications without even knowing that the natural contents of such drugs is just right around their corner. © 2020 Global Food Book. See more ideas about Sweet woodruff, Woodruff, Plants under trees. 91: 579-583. Discover sweet woodruff's role in magick & folklore. In current day herbalism it is valued mainly for its tonic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory affect. Clusters of small star shaped white flowers. A decoction made from the leaves eases digestion, and the tea is used in treatment of liver disorders. Often used as a ground cover, Sweet Woodruff herb plants have whorled leaves and small vanilla-scented white flowers in spring. Sweet woodruff contains purpurin, anthraquinone and alizarin which makes it suitable for dyeing textiles, clothing and paintings. Its aromatic smell is as a result of coumarin, which is an odoriferous agent that is present in the plant that makes it a suitable for use as a flavouring agent. Sweet woodruff has been traditionally used to treat stomach disorders, gallbladder, heart, circulatory vessels, liver, lungs and urinary tract. Sweet woodruff was used in herbal medicine during the middle Ages for curing the wounds and cuts. Sweet woodruff is an herb. A part of its association with the season is the fact that it tends to bloom during May and June. However, it is noteworthy that taking this in large quantity can lead to … Besides, sweet woodruff can be added to medicines to boost their taste and flavor. The English botanist Nicholas Culpepper viewed sweet woodruff as a suitable filling for ladies’ mattresses. These perennials will spread out to form a low mat that, in conjunction with landscape mulch, will help to choke out weeds.They also are one of the plants that grow well under pine trees where many plants fail to thrive due to soil acidity. The intensity of the fragrance of sweet woodruff's foliage increases when dried, and its aromatic quality lasts for years. The bedstraw name comes from the fact that some people used it to fill mattresses because of its sweet smell. Burnett, A. R., Thomson, R. H., (1968), Naturally occurring quinines: Part XIII. It is widely cultivated for its flowers and its sweet-smelling foliage. 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