The herb lady's bedstraw is used in folk medicine for treating liver disease, gastrointestinal ailments due to stress. There more than 20 known varieties of lady's bedstraw.
Tea made from lady's bedstraw helps against problems with the spleen and pancreas, it cleanses the kidneys, and is also used to alleviate moods of depression. It is often recommended for liver cirrhosis as well, plus it can soothe swelling caused by rheumatic fever.
The herb is also applied topically, having a great affect on recurrent boils - they are sprinkled with the dried and crumbled herb. It helps against fever, suffocation, sore throat, can cure intestinal worms.
The herbalist and healer Maria Treben used the herb for various diseases of the thyroid. Treben claimed that she managed to cure herself of larynx and tongue cancer only using tea and washings from lady's bedstraw.
The healing parts of the plant are the stem and flowers.
Infusions of lady's bedstraw can be made as follows: put 2 cups of water on the stove. Once it comes to a boil, add 4 tsp of the herb and let it cool. Finally, strain it and drink it in 1 day.
Concoctions are made with 2 tsp of the herb, finely chopped beforehand. Pour 1 2/3 cups (400 ml) of boiling water over it. Leave the herb in the water to soak and cool. Then strain it and drink within 1 day.
For problems with internal secretions of the thyroid, the following recipe is used in Bulgarian folk medicine:
- Soak 2 tsp of the herb in 4 1/5 cups (1 L) of hot water. Let the mixture sit for 60 min. and then drink from the remedy 3 times a day. You can also make a gargle with it.
If suffering from dandruff, you can rinse your hair with a concoction of the herb. It is not recommended for use by pregnant women, and should not be taken in excessive amounts - overly high doses can cause internal bleeding.
