A while back I mentioned cleavers as a seasonal ingredient to my 'spring tonic tea' but I've been enjoying it as a refreshing, soothing medicine all on its own in the last couple of weeks, so I thought it was worth revisiting.
 | I think I listed 'sticky weed' and 'sticky willy' as alternative names for cleavers but I recently found that it has yet another moniker that it earned when being used for feeding geese and chickens; goose grass! The juice is traditionally used as a cleanser, flushing out the urinary system with its diuretic function as well as supporting the lymphatics, which is just what you need at this time of year; a fresh start and a boost to the immune system! You can make tea, juice it in a high speed blender or add it to smoothies but I've discovered that simply giving it a shake in a bottle of water and letting it sit for a while is a really easy way of producing a subtly refreshing morning drink. I think it tastes a bit like cucumber, Nik's not sure about that comparison but still enjoys it! It's also supposed to be a good treatment for skin conditions such as eczema and we've found the bright green sap useful for taking the itching out of his sunlight induced hives (yes, already, at this time of year, poor sensitive soul!). I've also used it successfully to soothe nettle stings when out on a (careless) forage! If you want to give it a go, simply roll up a handful and rub it between your flat palms until you extract the juice then apply it topically. Of course, if you've any history of plant allergies or hayfever please take care of yourself and use with caution! X |
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