Lady’s Bedstraw – vegan rennet and kidney stone treatment
Lady’s bedstraw, Galium verum, is also known as bedstraw (a name which it shares with the closely related goosegrass), cheese rennet, curdwort, maid’s hair, yellow bedstraw and yellow cleavers. The name bedstraw refers to its use as a stuffing for mattresses, and as it was reputed to repel fleas, it may well have been reserved for lords and ladies, while the peasants had to settle for the ordinary variety (which does not). It’s closely related to sweet woodruff (also used for bedding, and sometimes called sweetscented bedstraw).
Lady’s bedstraw is native to the UK and Europe, and is also found growing wild in the north-eastern United States. It is a hardy perennial which reaches a height and spread of around 2 feet x 3 feet, is happy in any soil which is not too acid, and even tolerates salty sea wind. It will not grow in full shade.
Propagation is by seed sown in late summer, as soon as it is ripe. Note that this plant is basically a weed and can become quite invasive, so you will need to monitor its progress and keep it in check.
Lady’s bedstraw has a number of other uses besides being used medicinally. Chopped up flowering tops mixed with milk are used like rennet (which is usually animal based) to curdle milk as the first stage in cheese making, hence the name cheese rennet. Roasted seeds can be used as a coffee substitute, and both a red dye (from the roots) and a yellow one (from the tops plus alum as mordant) can be obtained from it.
The parts used in medicine are the leaves, stems and flowering tops. It’s most important use is as a treatment for kidney stones, gravel and urinary disorders in general, as a tonic and diuretic. It is also used as a poultice to treat skin infections, external ulcers and wounds.
Make a standard infusion using 30g (1 ounce) of dried or 3 handfuls of fresh herb to 600ml (2.5 US cups, 1 UK pint) boiling water. Allow to steep for 15 minutes-4 hours then strain. The dosage is up to 1 cup a day, split into 3 doses.
To make a poultice, chop the herb finely and mix with a little very hot water, then wrap in a gauze bandage and place over the area to be treated, refreshing in hot water as necessary.
As with all herbs grown for medicinal use, lady’s bedstraw should be grown organically to avoid corrupting its active constituents. To find out more about growing organic lady’s bedstraw visit the Gardenzone.
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July 5th, 2010 at 06:51
I tried Lady’s bedstraw for my kidney stones and it really works! Thanks to this miracle plant I can now work and do the things that I love.
July 6th, 2010 at 14:04
That’s great to hear. And a definite saving on regular medical treatment, I expect!
February 4th, 2011 at 15:57
Natural treatments are the bests treatment mankind should use to cure their disease, thanks for the post!