Is cleavers the same as goosegrass or sticky willy?

Yes. They are all common names for Galium aparine.

Can I pick cleavers from the hedgerow?

It is common and easy to recognise, but pick only from clean places, away from roads and sprayed ground, and wear gloves. I would not eat or take any wild plant unless you are certain of its identity.

Does cleavers really drain the lymph?

This is a traditional idea, and I do not know of any research showing that cleavers changes lymph flow in people. I regard the claim as tradition.

Can I take it with lithium?

Cleavers may have a diuretic effect, and dehydration can affect lithium levels. Check with your doctor first.

What does cleavers taste like?

Fresh, green and slightly salty, a little like cucumber water. The dried herb is milder.

Tiny hooked hairs on the stems and leaves cling to clothing and fur. That is where the folk names sticky willy and goosegrass come from.

Is a cold infusion better than a hot one?

Herbalists traditionally steep the fresh herb in cold water overnight, because heat is thought to drive off some of its character. I do not know of studies comparing the two, so I regard this as a matter of tradition and taste.

How long do people take it for?

I do not know of a formally defined course length for cleavers. A practitioner can advise on duration for your situation.

Cleavers: What It Is, How It Works, and When to Use It

Sarah Burt

Oct 14

6 min read

Cleavers (Galium aparine) is the sticky hedgerow plant also known as goosegrass or sticky willy, traditionally used as a spring tonic and gentle diuretic, and long associated in Western herbal medicine with the lymphatic system. There is almost no modern human research on it, so what follows rests on traditional use. It is one of the herbs in the EarthWise Gentle Detox and MenoEase Night formulas.

Cleavers with slender green stems bloom in a soft-focus garden, with dark green bokeh behind.

What it is

Cleavers is a scrambling annual that grows in hedgerows, gardens and waste ground across the UK and most of Europe, from early spring. Its square stems and whorls of narrow leaves are covered in tiny hooked bristles, which is how it clings to clothes, fur and other plants. That habit gave it many names: cleavers (from the old English for "to cling"), goosegrass, sticky willy, catchweed and stickyweed. Geese were traditionally fed it, which explains the goosegrass.

It is a member of the coffee family (Rubiaceae). The roasted seeds were once used as a coffee substitute, and the young shoots have been eaten as a spring green and cooked in soups and stews.

For Western herbalists, cleavers is a classic spring herb. The fresh plant appears just as people start to feel the end of winter, and it has long been taken as a juice or cold infusion at that time of year as a tonic. The leaves and flowering tops are the parts used.

A buyer's note worth reading. Cleavers is best fresh. The traditional spring juice and cold infusion are made from the fresh plant, and dried cleavers loses a good deal of its character. A tincture made from fresh herb is the most reliable way to take it out of season. Pick only from places you know to be clean, away from roads and sprayed ground, and wear gloves, because the hooks can irritate skin.

The active compounds

The plant is reported to contain iridoid glycosides (including asperuloside), flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins. Hardly any of this has been studied in people, so I would not claim a mechanism for any of it.

The traditional idea: the lymphatic herb. In Western herbal medicine, cleavers is classed as a lymphatic: a herb traditionally used to support the movement of lymph, the fluid that carries waste and immune cells around the body and has no pump of its own. It is also classed as a gentle diuretic. This is a traditional framework, and there is no clinical evidence that cleavers changes lymph flow in people.

Other activity. Some laboratory work has looked at antioxidant and other activity in extracts of the plant. These findings are preclinical and, so far, sparse.

How it is traditionally used

Traditional uses include a spring tonic, a gentle diuretic for urinary problems and fluid retention, and support for the skin, and for swollen glands. Herbalists often combine it with other so-called alterative or cleansing herbs, which is how it appears in Gentle Detox, alongside Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root and Golden Rod, and in MenoEase Night, alongside Calendula, Dandelion Root, Burdock and Golden Rod.

Typical traditional preparations are fresh juice, a cold infusion left to stand for several hours, a hot infusion, and a tincture. Doses in the traditional record vary widely, and no dose has been established by research.

What the research shows

Traditional evidence. What cleavers has is a long, consistent history of use in European herbal medicine as a spring tonic, a gentle diuretic and a lymphatic herb, and a reputation among herbalists as a mild, well-tolerated plant.

Safety evidence. It has not undergone formal safety testing, so safety has not been established in young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people with severe liver or kidney disease.

Sarah's clinical perspective

I use cleavers as a gentle supporting herb in formulas for the body's natural elimination pathways: in Gentle Detox with milk thistle, dandelion root and golden rod, and in MenoEase Night with calendula, dandelion root, burdock and golden rod. It is mild and traditional, and herbalists have valued it for a long time as a lymphatic herb.

I am cautious about diuretic medication, and I do not use it in pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Practical guidance

Dose. No trial-tested dose exists. Traditional doses vary, and one reference source cites a cup of tea, made with a generous amount of herb, three times a day. These are traditional amounts, not a dosing instruction for any particular product.

Format. Fresh juice and cold infusion are the traditional spring preparations. A tincture made from the fresh plant is the most practical way to take cleavers through the year.

Time to effect. There is no clinical timeline. Traditionally it is taken as a short seasonal course over a few weeks.

Timing. Take it in the daytime, as a mild diuretic effect may increase the need to pass urine.

What it does not replace. Cleavers does not replace medical assessment of swollen glands, persistent fluid retention or urinary symptoms. These need a GP.

For how to take the EarthWise tonics specifically, the dose and full safety information are on each product page.

Common questions

Is cleavers the same as goosegrass or sticky willy? Yes. They are all common names for Galium aparine.
Can I pick cleavers from the hedgerow? It is common and easy to recognise, but pick only from clean places, away from roads and sprayed ground, and wear gloves. I would not eat or take any wild plant unless you are certain of its identity.
Does cleavers really drain the lymph? This is a traditional idea, and I do not know of any research showing that cleavers changes lymph flow in people. I regard the claim as tradition.
Can I take it with lithium? Cleavers may have a diuretic effect, and dehydration can affect lithium levels. Check with your doctor first.
What does cleavers taste like? Fresh, green and slightly salty, a little like cucumber water. The dried herb is milder.
Why is it so sticky? Tiny hooked hairs on the stems and leaves cling to clothing and fur. That is where the folk names sticky willy and goosegrass come from.
Is a cold infusion better than a hot one? Herbalists traditionally steep the fresh herb in cold water overnight, because heat is thought to drive off some of its character. I do not know of studies comparing the two, so I regard this as a matter of tradition and taste.
How long do people take it for? I do not know of a formally defined course length for cleavers. A practitioner can advise on duration for your situation.

Where cleavers appears in the EarthWise range

Cleavers is one of the four herbs in Gentle Detox, Sarah's formula for liver support and the body's natural elimination pathways, where it sits with Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root and Golden Rod.

It also appears in MenoEase Day and Night, in the Night formula alongside Calendula, Dandelion Root, Burdock and Golden Rod.

If you are not sure which formula fits, the EarthWise health quiz is the best place to start. Full safety information is on each product page.

When to seek professional support

Cleavers is traditionally regarded as mild, but safety testing is limited. Check with a practitioner first in these situations:

Diuretic medicines. Cleavers may add to their effect.
Lithium. Dehydration can change lithium levels, so use cleavers only under your doctor's supervision.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Not recommended, as safety has not been established.
Severe liver or kidney disease. Safety has not been established, so speak to your GP first.
Swollen glands, persistent fluid retention or urinary symptoms. These need medical assessment before you try any herb.
Young children. Safety has not been established.

Sarah Burt is a registered naturopath, medical herbalist and iridologist with 25+ years of clinical experience. All EarthWise tonics are formulated by Sarah based on her clinical protocols.

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This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any health condition. Always consult a qualified health practitioner before making changes to your health regimen.