Moonlight and the little white flower
One little white flower in the darkness is illuminated by the moon after a rain. Although the surrounding night seems vast, it continues to glow and share its beauty. It is the essence of hope.
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Galium aparine is in the same family as coffee, and contains the alkaloid caffeine. The fruits have been roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The plant is edible as a cooked green any time before the fruits appear. Medicinally it is used in poultice for wounds, bites, and stings. Teas from this plant treat the lymphatic system, kidneys, and acts as a diuretic.
According to the herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, 1653 "It is under the dominion of the Moon. The juice of the herb and the seed together taken in wine, helpeth those bitten with an adder, by preserving the heart from the venom. It is familiarly taken in broth, to keep them lean and lank that are apt to grow fat."
This plant goes by many common names. It is known as Cleavers, Sticky Willy, and Velcro Weed because of the tiny hook-like hairs that allow the vine to cling to people. It is also known as Bedstraw because in Europe it was used in medieval times to stuff mattresses.
It is also interesting that the word 'cleave' can mean two opposite things--to adhere to something and also to split in two.
Moonlight and the little white flower
One little white flower in the darkness is illuminated by the moon after a rain. Although the surrounding night seems vast, it continues to glow and share its beauty. It is the essence of hope.
***
Galium aparine is in the same family as coffee, and contains the alkaloid caffeine. The fruits have been roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The plant is edible as a cooked green any time before the fruits appear. Medicinally it is used in poultice for wounds, bites, and stings. Teas from this plant treat the lymphatic system, kidneys, and acts as a diuretic.
According to the herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, 1653 "It is under the dominion of the Moon. The juice of the herb and the seed together taken in wine, helpeth those bitten with an adder, by preserving the heart from the venom. It is familiarly taken in broth, to keep them lean and lank that are apt to grow fat."
This plant goes by many common names. It is known as Cleavers, Sticky Willy, and Velcro Weed because of the tiny hook-like hairs that allow the vine to cling to people. It is also known as Bedstraw because in Europe it was used in medieval times to stuff mattresses.
It is also interesting that the word 'cleave' can mean two opposite things--to adhere to something and also to split in two.