Viola orodata

My day was just made by the sweet patch of violets who just popped up in my yard for the first time ever! Like a new friend coming to meet me. 
How fabulous that it happens to be two days after being introduced to this plant’s intricate offerings and characteristics in class on Thursday. 
Violet is prone to concentrating its healing on the heart space. I mean just look at the flower, it melts my heart just looking at it. 
It’s moist cooling soothing effects are gentle and effective for healing internal inflammation, specifically lumps in the breasts and upper abdomen. It’s methyl salicylate compounds relieve mild pain and tight headaches. 
The leaves are packed with nutrients vital for the function of detox and body replenishing systems. 
Our bodies face so much oncoming stimuli and responsibilities, often we are left with no time to care for the vessels that so willingly take us through this earth journey. Violet as well as every other plant in our environment is here to show us how to be. How to be in relationship, how to be in community, how to be healthy, and nourished! They are the teachers. 
I am so filled with life by this growing connection between myself and the plant kingdom that rules us like a wise grandmother. 
Hail to @acornherbschool and Heather Luna for a window into her brain and her vast knowledge of medicine and life. It has been the beginning of what I know is a lifelong relationship to the plants. I am so grateful to have taken the opportunity to expand the range of strategies in which to integrate my life with nature and tradition, and integrate nature and nutrition into my life.

Galium Aparine

Galium aparine

The name cleavers hints at one of its primary qualities of being sticky and able to 'cleave’ or cling to fabrics. This quality made it useful for stuffing bed mattresses as was one of its uses. We learn from Dioscorides that the Greek shepherds of his day used the stems of this herb to make a rough sieve, and meanwhile, Linnaeus reported the same use being made of it in Sweden, as a filter to strain milk; the stalks are still used this way in Sweden today. A strong decoction of the root makes a deep red dye, used for fabrics, and would turn the bones red of the birds who ate them.

Cleavers have been used as a spring vegetable for hundreds of generations dating back to the 1st century. In the spring it comes up as one of the first edible greens. Used in soups, teas, and vegetable dishes. It was useful in Medieval kitchens because it could be picked in frost or snow, offering the first green nutrients after long winters. The ointment was used for scalds and burns in the 14th century. Prominent Romans such as physician Galen and philosopher Pliny the Elder delighted in cleaver’s ability to remove temporary weight gain due to water retention hinting at its detoxing and lymph cleansing abilities. Cleavers belong to the coffee family (Rubiaceae) and the seeds would be gathered and roasted for making a coffee-like beverage. Native Americans would use cleavers to promote kidney health. 

Cleavers are used medicinally as a general detoxifying agent. The aerial parts are alterative meaning they help cleanse the blood). Cleavers are high in nutrients and trace minerals, anti-inflammatory, aperient (laxative), astringent (toning to tissues and drying to excess moisture), purifying, diuretic (moves liquids/promotes urination), tonic and vulnerary (wound healing). It offers cleansing nutrients and constituents prone to aiding in detoxification of lymph and clearing the bowels. 

Drunk as a tea it eliminates excess fluid, counteracts inflammation, calms urinary infections, and purifies the blood. Flushing liquids from the body, especially from lymph tissue, has an immune restoring effect on the body and skin. Cleansing the body's liquids removes dead cells and other waste in the body’s ecosystem. It is taken internally and externally for its actions. Topically as a poultice or wash it can relieve sunburn, and tumorous growths. Internally as a tea it makes a wonderful treatment for skin conditions such as psoriasis, and eczema. Cleavers are high in vitamin C, which is essential for the function of the immune system.

Used in early spring, cleavers have been used to awaken the lymphatic system, a vital part of the body that helps remove waste products from the bloodstream and maintain the immune system’s function of recognizing and removing toxins from the body. It's just what a body needs after being ‘dormant’ over the winter months in order to be properly nourished for the coming season. It’s high amount of vitamin C is essential for the function of the immune system. Ointment made from the aerial parts is used to dress ulcerations of the skin while drinking it internally as well. 

I like to juice fresh cleavers from my garden for as long as they're fresh and not flowering. I mix in lemon juice and it's a lovely spring refreshment. I keep a jar of the juice in the fridge and use it as a base for fruit smoothies. I don't have a juicer, so I juice mine by filling my blender 1/3 with fresh cleavers and cover them with water, blend on high until the plant matter is well broken up, strain and enjoy!