Common names: lady’s bedstraw

Description:

The yellow bedstraw is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the bedstraw (Rubiaceae) family. Its stems are 30-100 cm long, quadrilateral, ascending and become stolons after the flowers disappear. Its leaves are narrow, linear and form rosettes of 8-12. Its tiny golden flowers form an umbel, the main blooming period is in July – August.

It is a common plant spread throughout the entire Europe, but also throughout Anatolia. It is a very common species usually occurring in dry soils, dry meadows, oak woods, roadsides, landfill areas but also in saline soils.

Collection:

The drug is obtained from the flowering stem located above the ground (Galii veri herba), which can be harvested during the blooming period. The stems are dried spread in thin layers, placed in well-ventilated, shady places. From 3-4 kg of fresh plant one can obtain up to 1 kg dry drug.

Active substances:

The plant contains flavonoids, small amounts of iridoid glycosides, tannins, traces of essential oil, enzymes which coagulate animal milk, plant acids.

Uses:

Its mild sudorific, diuretic effects reduce cramping. In traditional medicine, bedstraw tea is mainly used to treat kidney, bile, liver and respiratory diseases, due to its sudorific and diuretic effects. Adults can take 2-3 teaspoons of crushed drug as a single dose. It is also known for its external use: bedstraw tea is used to rinse or as a compress on slowly-healing burns.