sweet woodruff

The sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), which grows in beech and spruce forests, is an unpretentious and fragile plant that can go unnoticed. It forms small stems or rhizomes, which branch out and spread through the forest bed. The stems are square in section and the leaves, lanceolate, are grouped in whorls in number from 6 to 9. Its pure white flowers are grouped in dense inflorescences and appear in spring.

The entire plant, when dried, emanates an intense, herbaceous smell, to which it owes its name. It should be collected just before it blooms, in May, and dried in a shady place, without sources of moisture. It is found in European humid forests, including the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Sea. In Germany it had been used to aromatize beers, wines -the Maiwein–, jams and even sausages.

It is known that in the Middle Ages, the crushed fresh leaves were applied to wounds and sores, and the decoction was used to soothe stomach pain. It has continued to be indicated as a diuretic and to prevent the formation of kidney stones.

The bouquets of the plant, once dry, are hung on the doors to perfume the rooms and, combined with sprigs of lavender, it can be useful for repel insects from inside from the house

In herbalists it is found in the form of a dry plant for infusion, in liquid extract and in alcoholic tincture.

Medicinal properties of the sweet woodruff

The part of the woodruff that is harvested for medicinal purposes are the leaves and flowering tops.

They contain coumarins, a glycoside –asperuloside–, tannins and bitter principles. Today it is not a very popular plant, although it was traditionally used for its diuretic effect.

Herbalists who still have it recommend it above all as stomach tonicto relieve gastrointestinal spasms, promote digestion and reduce the feeling of heaviness. It has the advantage that its taste is less bitter than that of other digestive plants.

Although less commonly, it is also used in the treatment of eye conditions, such as eyelid inflammation and conjunctivitis. It is applied in the form of eye drops or eye bath, combined if desired with cornflower.

Hepatoprotective properties are attributed to it and it is used to improve the hepatobiliary colic.

Woodruff can help appease mild nervous states and the insomnia if associated with plants that reinforce its action.

digestive infusion of woodruff

The scented woodruff can be combined in pleasant infusions with other digestive plants.
To make a woodruff infusion for after eating, mix this plant with mint and bastard chamomile (anthemis arvensis) –or, failing that, common chamomile–, and add fennel or green anise.

Mix all the plants in equal parts. Serve a tablespoon of the mixture for each cup of water. Boil the water, add the mixture and let it rest for 5 to 8 minutes. You can drink up to two glasses a day , after meals.

Jordi Cebrian. Advisor: J Mª Teixé, herbalist at “El Manantial de Salud”