Cleavers

Cleavers aka sticky willy is a plant that grows in abundance in the UK and traditionally it has been used for lymphatic drainage. Think of your swollen ankles at the end of pregnancy or for heart patient who have recently had surgery. Cleavers clears waste, and the lymph nodes move that liquid along.

Cleavers can be used in an infusion, so you pick the plant, wash it thoroughly with water and then white vinegar,  and then place it in a bottle / jar with fresh clean water overnight. Drink the water first thing in the morning and the plant helps remove excess water from your body.

In traditional medicine, the winter our body needs to store fat. Its no coincidence that most of us indulgence in lovely food and drinks during the Christmas season. However, when Spring arrives, our bodies need to shed the excess fat we are storing. So to help this process, cleavers is a plant that is free to use and easily accessible.

Dandelion leaves are another plant that helps heal the gal bladder.

If you look at cleavers, it is all tangled and wavey looking. The plant represents physical and emotional entanglements, therefore anyone with boundary problems should have this plant as an alley to help build healthy boundaries.

The infusion is cooling, therefore if you suffer from mastitis and a fever then this plant helps to naturally bring it down alongside the medicines you may be prescribed by a doctor.

Cleavers are part of the coffee plant, and the balls of the plant can be used as an alternative to coffee.

When we speak about plant benefits, we also need to talk about the emotional toll and impact the person is facing. Our emotions sit in various parts, the most common in women being the throat. If you aren’t speaking up for what you need. The pelvis holds our pain when we don’t have strong boundaries, sexuality or a history of trauma.

Skin flare ups, or eczema may mean congestion from the inside and so working with plants that help clear the lymphs is beneficial.

May cleavers shed what you need to let go of.