What is Lady’s Bedstraw?
Bedstraw (Galium verum
) is a very valuable plant to the average herbalist because it can be used for a wide range of problems. With its diuretic and alterative actions, it is most beneficial as a lymphatic tonic, especially in the case of adenoid disorders and tonsillitis, when taken daily.
Medicinal Properties & Health Benefits of Bedstraw
Bedstraw tea is excellent as a blood purifier and diuretic. It is also recommended for treating:
- kidney disorders
- thyroid gland complaints
- lymphatic system
Our bodies rely on the lymphatic system to drain away toxins and bedstraw facilitates the expulsion of these toxins via the urinary system. It is also useful in the treatment of eczema and psoriasis, as well as in arthritis, where the body needs cleansing.
Herbal Uses of Bedstraw
Many people find the impacts of thyroid gland problems to be a terrible burden. Making bedstraw a regular part of your treatment can help to remedy these symptoms.
Botanist Richard Willford writes that:
“Rinsing with and drinking bedstraw tea is an excellent remedy for cancer of the tongue.”
Bedstraw also has many uses in herbal cosmetics. An infusion applied to the skin is said to clear the complexion and it can also be used as a hair rinse to eliminate dandruff.
Bedstraw is a reliable remedy for serious kidney disorders, particularly if the herb is mixed with golden rod and dead nettle.
Bedstraw Recipe for Kidney Disorders
- 50 g Bedstraw
- 50 g Dead nettle
- 50 g Golden rod
- Place all the weighted herbs into a bowl
- Mix them well and then store in a sealed glass jar away from sunlight.
- To prepare each dose of a hot infusion, measure 1 heaped teaspoonful of the mixed herbs and pour 1 cup of boiling water over them.
- Cover the cup with a lid or saucer. This ensures that the volatile oils in many medicinal herbs do not escape into the air.
- Allow the mixture to steep for 3–5 minutes, strain and drink 3-4 cups every day.
If not used straight away, you can store an infusion in a covered jug or container in the fridge for up to 24 hours and gently warm the mixture before drinking.
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