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Useful plant resource - and harmine in cleavers (Galium aparine)?

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downwardsfromzero

Boundary condition
Here

This plant profiler appears to be very useful.

Also linking to that particular plant as I'd like to know if anyone else has been working with Cleavers (Galium aparine) at all. I'm assuming the level of harmine in the plant is pretty minimal, although I've had a 'anomalous' experience with a closely related plant, Galium mollugo.

Constituents: Monotropein, asperuloside, acumin, aucubin, protopine, harmine, (±)-vasicinone, (-)-l -hydroxydeoxypeganine, (-)-8-hydroxy-2,3-dehydrodeoxypeganine, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, silicic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, flavonoid, anthraquinon, cholesterol, campestrol, stigmasterol, sitos-terol, DELTA[5]-avenasterol, DELTA[7]-stigmasterol, DELTA[7]-avenasterol, asperulosidic acid, and 10-deacetylasperulosidic acid have all been isolated from the aerial parts of Galium aparine.1,4,5 Other constituents isolated from the aerial parts of cleavers (Galium aparine) include anthraquinon, iridoid glucosides, saponins, citric acid, coumarin, rubichloric acid, gallotannic acid, galiosin, and tannins.

Reference of interest: Sener, B. and Ergun, F. Isolation and structural studies on the alkaloids of Galium aparine L. GUEDE J Fac Pharm Gazi 1988;5:33-40.

^ I'd really like some help getting hold of a copy of this article! Thanks!
 
I'd love to find a copy of that too, I only have the abstract. Hopefully it will give some yields or other useful info for the alkaloids.
I recently harvested a big bag of cleavers with the intention of doing some experimentation, but I left it fresh in the bag for too long and it went mouldy, and had to be composted. There's always next year! It's very abundant as a weed where I live, but its season is more or less done now. Be aware that you should wear long sleeves and gloves when pulling it out, as the sticky hairs can cause irritation, inflammation and itching that sets in with a delayed effect, so that by the time you notice what it's doing it's too late. It's not too bad, but can be pretty uncomfortable for a while. Also the seeds are a pain because they get caught in every passing object - I'm forever pulling them off of clothes and bootlaces, and out of my dog's hair :thumb_dow
 
I can't really say I've been working with Cleavers, but do consider it an ally and find it to be energetically assertive; I tend to feel little tugs of "hey you, down here, look at me!" whenever I pass by.

It's one of the foremost lymph tonics in Western herbalism, though I'm not sure if that's because of its efficacy or just its wide distribution.

The seeds contain small amounts of caffeine, and roasted seeds have been used as a coffee substitute/extender.

Also very interested to hear about your experience with G. mollugo... the Galiums are such good-natured little gems...
 
Ooh, this is a nice surprise! Just when I thought this post was drifting into obscurity...

I've used cleavers seed as a coffee substitute with a certain amount of success - the flavour never quite got to a favourable level when compared to the (real) coffees that I like, though 😁

I'm considering deliberately growing cleavers and feeding it plenty of nitrogen, just to see what happens. I reckon a good crop could be had from a frame of pea netting. Unfortunately I think I made all of this year's seed that I picked into coffee.

My G. mollugo experience can be found here, although I'm not sure what happened to the original post.

A tea was prepared using Hedge bedstraw [Galium mollugo] (hence the name), garden sage [Salvia officinalis] and wild rose petals [Rosa sp.], all freshly picked. The tea was made using boiling spring water and drunk before retiring to bed. Over the course of twenty minutes, hypnogogic visions became significantly enhanced above normal levels. This was sufficient to keep the subject (semi-)awake for what seemed like at least an hour.

Subsequent experimentation determined that each plant alone appeared to be without this effect. Combinations of sage and bedstraw were also without this effect.
In the initial experience (not an experiment as such, I just thought I was having a cup of tea!), fresh herbs were used. Subsequent experiments were carried out using dried sage, and sometimes dried cleavers.

Cleavers is such a lovely plant - prickles notwithhstanding - and hedge bedstraw is like its cheeky little sibling!

PS - Thanks for reminding me I still need to test the combination with rosewater, sage and cleavers/hedge bedstraw!
 
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