Lady's Bedstraw

• What other names is Lady's Bedstraw known by?
• What is Lady's Bedstraw?
• How does Lady's Bedstraw work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Dosing considerations for Lady's Bedstraw.

What other names is Lady's Bedstraw known by?

Caille-Lait Jaune, Cheese Rennet, Cheese Renning, Cuajaleche, Curdwort, Gaillet Jaune, Gaillet Vrai, Galio, Galium verum, Ladys Bedstraw, Maid's Hair, Petty Mugget, Yellow Cleavers, Yellow Galium.

What is Lady's Bedstraw?

Lady's bedstraw is a plant. The leaves, stems, and flowers are used to make medicine.

Lady's bedstraw is used for treating cancer, epilepsy, hysteria, spasms, tumors, loss of appetite, and chest and lung ailments. It is also used to increase urine output (as a diuretic) for relieving water retention, especially swollen ankles.

Some people use lady's bedstraw to cause sweating; as a tonic; to increase sexual desire (as an aphrodisiac); as a drying agent (astringent); and to empty the bowels (as a purgative).

Lady's bedstraw is sometimes applied directly to the skin for poorly healing wounds and to stop bleeding.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Swollen ankles.
• Cancer.
• Epilepsy.
• Hysteria.
• Spasms.
• Tumors.
• Chest and lung ailments.
• Loss of appetite.
• Water retention (as a diuretic).
• Causing sweating.
• Increasing sexual desire (as an aphrodisiac).
• Stimulating and emptying the bowels.
• Use as a drying agent (as an astringent).
• Use as a tonic.
• Poorly healing wounds, when applied directly to the skin.
• Stopping bleeding, when applied directly to the skin.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of lady's bedstraw for these uses.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).