Edible plant - intermediate Season - spring to late autumn Common names Sweet woodruff, woodruff, sweet scented bedstraw, wild baby's breath, master of the woods
Scientific name meaning: Galium is derived from the Greek Gal, meaning milk, as the bedstraws were used to curdle milk for cheese. Odoratum is from the Latin Odoratus, meaning sweet smelling
Habitat  Found in woodland on calcareous or rich soils. |
Overall structure  Forming dense mats of foliage across woodland floors, sweet woodruff can reach 30cm in height. |
Leaves  Leaves grow in widely-spaced whorls of 6 - 9 along the stem. They are 2.5cm to 4cm long, dark green, glossy and lanceolate in shape. When dried out, the leaves smell strongly of sweet hay. |
Stem  The stem four side and quite stringy. |
Flowers  The flowers appear in early summer and are small white tubes with four petal-like lobes in umbel-like clusters. |
Seeds  The roughly spherical fruit are small green and covered in tiny bristle-like hooks. |
Possible lookalikes  Other bedstraws, including cleavers (Galium aparine), pictured, could be confused for sweet woodruff. To eliminate these, stick to specimens found in woodland with at least seven leaves per whorl, with leaves that are at least 3cm long and are not covered in sticky bristles
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Use as a food Sweet woodruff should be dried for a day or two in order to intensify flavour - see hazards. The leaves should be removed from the stems before drying.
The dried leaves can be used to make syrups and jellies, or to infuse creams, alcohols and vinegars. If infusing cream or milk, be aware that it will cause it to curdle after a little while. It can also be used in cheese making.
A tea can be made from the dried leaves, while the fresh flowers are sweet tasting and can be used for garnishes Use in herbal medicine and medicine Has been used as a diuretic, antispasmodic and sedative. The coumarin it contains is extracted commercially for use in anticoagulants. It also contains asperuloside, which can be converted into uterus and blood stimulating prostaglandins
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner.
Hazards Should be dried quickly and stored in an airtight container to prevent coumarin being converted to dicoumarol, which is toxic.
Because of its anticoagulant properties, people with blood thinning disorders or taking blood thinning medication should not consume to excess. Also, pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant should also not eat this plant to excess
Other uses Was used as a strewing herb to freshen the air in houses. The strong smell of the drying sweet woodruff would mask foul odours Importance to other species An important source of nectar for woodland pollinators. Provides a mat of ground cover for insects
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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