Sweet Woodruff, a Medicinal Herb and Vanilla Substitute

https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/02/sweet-woodruff-medicinal-herb-and.html



Sweet Woodruff is another common name given to several herbs.  In this article, we will be discussing Galium odoratum.  This herb is not mentioned in the oldest herbals, but seems to have entered into Herbal Medicine in the Middle Ages.  Folklore indicates that Sweet Woodruff was used for centuries prior for its flavor and aroma.  The Rodale Herb Book tells us that in the”fourteenth century the plant was used in Scandinavia and England to make an herb water for cordials.  … In Germany, as early as the thirteenth century, the herb was used to flavor May Wine.  …Throughout the Middle Ages, woodruff used to be hung in churches and placed in boxed with lavender and roses on special days, such as Saint Peter’s and Saint Barnabas’ Day.”

Our first reference in the old herbals for Sweet Woodruff seems to be from Gerard, writing in the 1500s, who believed that it was a plant mentioned by Pliny, although we cannot be sure of his accuracy as botanists of the time questioned both his botanical accuracy and the originality of his work… it seems he sourced information from contemporaries, but the beauty of his prose, has made his work classic, and the woodcut illustrations appear to be Gallium odoratum, regardless the name given:

Most have taken Woodruff to be Pliny his Alyssos, which as he saith, doth differ from Erythrodanum, or Garden Madder, in leaves only, and lesser stalks: but such a one is not only this, but also that with blue flowers: for Galen doth attribute to Alyssos, a blue flower: notwithstanding Galen's and Pliny's Alyssos are thought to differ by Galen's own words, writing of Alyssos in his second book Of Counterpoisons, in Antonius Cous his composition, in this manner: Alyssos is an herb very like unto Horehound, but rougher and fuller of prickles about the circles: it beareth a flower tending to blue.

Woodruff is named of divers in Latin  Asperula odorata, and of most men, Aspergula odorata: of others, Cordialia, and Stellaria: in High Dutch, Hertzfreyt: in low Dutch, Leverkraut; that is to say Iecoraria, or Hepatica, Liverwort: in French, Muguet: in English, Woodruff, Woodrow, and Woodrowell.

The Temperature.

Woodruff is of temperature something like unto Our Lady's Bedstraw; but not so strong, being in a mean between heat and dryness.

The Virtues.

It is reported to be put into wine, to make a man merry, and to be good for the heart and liver: it prevaileth in wounds, as Cruciata, and other vulnerary herbs do.



Culpepper seems to have been a bit more specific in his identification of the herb, albeit in the common name and old English spelling of the time:

SWEET WOODRUFFE

Description. This has a spreading fibrous root, with a square stock, upright, not much branched, and eight inches high; it is of a pale green, and of a tender substance. The leaves, like the former, are placed at the joints in a stellated manner, but more considerable in the number together, and they are broader and larger; they are sharp pointed, smooth, and of a dark green. The flowers are small and white, but a variety is sometimes found with pale blue flowers. The seeds are small and round.

Virtues. The Woodruffe is accounted nourishing and restorative, and good for weakly consumptive people; it opens obstructions of the liver and spleen, and is said to be a provocative to venery.



John K’Eogh tells us the Irish usage of Sweet Woodruff in the 1700s, and he likely meant this herb as he listed Asperula oderata, which is a synonym for the Gallium:

It has a hot dry nature.  It is good in healing wounds if bruised and then applied and also in curing boils and inflammations.  If it is drunk with wine it is good for the heart and useful against inflammations of the liver and obstructions of the gall and bladder.



Mrs. Grieve does much to clear up the confusion, as she also used the name of Asperula:

The Sweet Woodruff, a favourite little plant growing in woods and on shaded hedgebanks, may be readily recognized by its small white flowers (in bloom in May and June) set on a tender stalk, with narrow, bright-green leaves growing beneath them in successive, star-like whorls, just as in Clivers or Goosegrass, about eight leaves to every whorl. Unlike the latter, however, its stems are erect and smooth: they rarely exceed a foot in height, their average being 8 or 9 inches. The plant is perennial, with creeping, slender root-stock.

Being a lover of woods and shady places, its deep-green foliage develops best in the half-shade, where the sunlight penetrates with difficulty. Should the branches over shadowing it be cut away, and the full lightfall upon it, it loses its colour and rapidly becomes much paler.

When the seed is quite ripe and dry, it is a rough little ball covered thickly with flexible, hooked bristles, white below, but black-tipped, and these catch on to the fur and feathers of any animal or bird that pushes through the undergrowth, and thus the seed is dispersed.

The name of the plant appears in the thirteenth century as 'Wuderove,' and later as 'Wood-rove' - the rove being derived, it is said, from the French rovelle, a wheel, in allusion to the spoke-like arrangement of the leaves in whorls. In old French works it appears as Muge-de-boys, musk of the woods.

Some of the old herbalists spelt the name Woodruff with an array of double consonants: Woodderowffe. Later this spelling was written in a rhyme, which children were fond of repeating:

W   O   O   D   D  E,

R   O   W   F   F   E.



---Cultivation---As a rule, the plant is not cultivated, but collected from the woods, but it might be grown under orchard trees and can be propagated, (1) by seeds, sown as soon as ripe, in prepared beds of good soil, in the end of July or beginning of August, (2) by division of roots during the spring and early summer, just after flowering. Plant in moist, partially shaded ground, 1 foot apart.

---Chemical Constituents---The agreeable odour of Sweet Woodruff is due to a crystalline chemical principle called Coumarin, which is used in perfumery, not only on account of its own fragrance, but for its property of fixing other odours. It is the odorous principle also present in melilot, tonka beans, and various other plants belonging to the orders Leguminosae, Graminae and Orchidaceae. It is employed in pharmacy to disguise disagreeable odours, especially that of iodoform, for which purpose 1 part of coumarin is used to 50 parts of iodoform. The plant further contains citric, malic and rubichloric acids, together with some tannic acid.

The powdered leaves are mixed with fancy snuffs, because of their enduring fragrance, and also put into potpourri.



---Medicinal Action and Uses---Woodruff was much used as a medicine in the Middle Ages.

The fresh leaves, bruised and applied to cuts and wounds, were said to have a healing effect, and formerly a strong decoction of the fresh herb was used as a cordial and stomachic. It is also said to be useful for removing biliary obstructions of the liver.

The plant when newly gathered has but little odour, but when dried, has a most refreshing scent of new-mown hay, which is retained for years. Gerard tells us:

'The flowers are of a very sweet smell as is the rest of the herb, which, being made up into garlands or bundles, and hanged up in houses in the heat of summer, doth very well attemper the air, cool and make fresh the place, to the delight and comfort of such as are therein. It is reported to be put into wine, to make a man merry, and to be good for the heart and liver, it prevaileth in wounds, as Cruciata and other vulnerary herbs do.'

In Germany, one of the favourite hockcups is still made by steeping the fresh sprigs in Rhine wine. This forms a specially delightful drink, known as Maibowle, and drunk on the first of May.

The dried herb may be kept among linen, like lavender, to preserve it from insects. In the Middle Ages it used to be hung and strewed in churches, and on St. Barnabas Day and on St. Peter's, bunches of box, Woodruff, lavender and roses found a place there. It was also used for stuffing beds.



Now, we have both identified the herb and the property that gives it the name of “sweet”.  That property is coumarin.  You will read many warnings about coumarin containing herbs.  But, as the late herbalist Michael Moore always pointed out, “Coumarin is not Coumadin.”  Yes, the compound that causes the herb to smell of freshly mown and dried haw, and gives it flavors of vanilla has blood thinning properties, and should be used with care.  However, if the herb is collected and dried with care, coumarin should not be an issue when used in reasonable amounts.  It is when the herb is allowed to ferment that it can become stronger in its blood thinning action and more dangerous.  

That said, Plants for A Future gives much stronger warnings than Moore:

Sweet woodruff was widely used in herbal medicine during the Middle Ages, gaining a reputation as an external application to wounds and cuts and also taken internally in the treatment of digestive and liver problems. In current day herbalism it is valued mainly for its tonic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory affect. The leaves are antispasmodic, cardiac, diaphoretic, diuretic, sedative. An infusion is used in the treatment of insomnia and nervous tension, varicose veins, biliary obstruction, hepatitis and jaundice. The plant is harvested just before or as it comes into flower and can be dried for later use. One report says that it should be used with caution whilst another says that it is entirely safe. Excessive doses can produce dizziness and symptoms of poisoning. The dried plant contains coumarins and these act to prevent the clotting of blood - though in excessive doses it can cause internal bleeding. The plant is grown commercially as a source of coumarin, used to make an anticoagulant drug. Do not use this remedy if you are taking conventional medicine for circulatory problems or if you are pregnant. A number of species in this genus contain asperuloside, a substance that produces coumarin and gives the scent of new-mown hay as the plant dries. Asperuloside can be converted into prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds that stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels), making the genus of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry. A homeopathic remedy made from the plant is used in the treatment of inflammation of the uterus.



By happy coincidence, a friend forwarded me an article on the culinary use of Sweet Woodruff the other day from the blog, “Forager Chef”, written by Alan Bergo:

WILD VANILLA EXTRACT

Yes, you read that right.

Everyone knows how indispensable vanilla is, especially chefs who buy the whole beans. It’s also no secret that the price has been rising, and a pound of vanilla beans can now run over $300 a pound, which, depending on what year you compare it to, along with inflation, can be up to ten times more than it used to be a few years ago.

…If only I’d known then what I know now.  If I could go back in time, I could’ve been using an extract like this one infused with Galium triflorum now made by my a distiller friend of mine, instead of buying spendy vanilla beans.

During the three years I spent writing and researching my book, I started working with the plant Galium triflorum and fell in love with it after having a sweet woodruff panna cotta at Heyday in Minneapolis where my friend Chef Jim Christiansen was chef/owner.

Sweet woodruff panna cotta was my first taste of woodruff, using Galium triflorum. This is the alternate image for the one in my book. I love the color combo of Asclepias exaltata and syriaca flowers.

There was one thing I couldn’t parse though. I don’t know any suppliers, local or otherwise, that sell sweet woodruff in our area, and I’ve never seen it going feral, although there are probably some patches. Luckily, Jim and I shared a line cook, so I asked her about the menu. She said Jim was picking it at a local park near the restaurant where it grey everywhere. His foraging knowledge should come as no surprise as he worked at Noma with Rene Redzepi.

I thought I knew most of the common wild plants around the metro worth picking, but I’d never heard of anyone harvesting sweet woodruff (which I knew the plant couldn’t be). So I did some digging. The best thing I could come up with was that the plant in question was sweet scented galium/Galium triflorum. I went to a couple parks during the summer, and, knowing sweet woodruff was a type of cleaver/bedstraw, I gathered a few different ones I found and brought them home. To me, the plants smelled like nothing more than grass clippings, but I was determined to crack the code, so I took them anyway.

I brought the tangle of cleavers back to my apartment, put some in the dehydrator as Jim had told me the plant dries well when I asked him about it, and went about another project. About twenty minutes later, a smell hit my nose-the sort of scene in a cartoon where spectral white fingers drag the character by their nose. The aroma was incredible, a sort of combination of fresh cut grass mixed with vanilla. I knew I’d found the plant. It remains one of the strongest aromas from a wild plant I’ve experienced, and the entire top floor of my apartment building smelled like vanilla for a solid 24 hours after drying the grocery bag I’d picked.

Why does a dried weed smell like vanilla? In short, the reason sweet galium smells like vanilla is because it contains coumarin, which you also may have heard of being used as a pharmaceutical drug. I’m not going to cover the differences between natural coumarin and its related, synthetic blood thinners derived from it here, or address claims people might make about cow deaths from eating moldy clover.

Monica Wilde, a talented forager I know in passing from West Lothian, Scotland, breaks down the safety of sweet woodruff (which is interchangeable with sweet galium for all culinary purposes) in her post on the plant. I recommend taking a look at that if you’re curious about it’s safety. While I think it could be possible to have a medicinal effect from consuming products made from the plant at home, I think it’s extremely unluckily considering how I generally use it in cooking, which is in extremely small amounts as you would a spice, like, say, vanilla or cinnamon, the latter of which also contains coumarin.

What’s fascinating to me, is that ever since 1954, coumarin-containing products in the United States have been illegal (see the plight of the illustrious tonka bean). Sweet galium and sweet woodruff, to my knowledge, are currently not illegal, and not regulated at all, probably because they haven’t been used enough to get noticed. Once the plant takes off and gets used (if it ever does) I think it’s likely the plant would become illegal until the ban is lifted. The nice part about being a forager though, is that restaurant problems aren’t your problems.

Before the ban, culinary coumarin was used to flavor all kinds of things from cream soda to vanillin for vanilla extract (it still is in Mexico) If people were dying from eating whipped cream scented with small amounts of culinary coumarin, I think we’d have seen some be examples by now, although that didn’t stop the FDA from confiscating tonka beans from the restaurant Alinea in 2006.



So, what do we know about Sweet Woodruff?  We know that botany can be confusing, but we have finally settled on the right herb.  We know this herb has useful medicinal properties.  We know it has centuries of use pointing to its efficacy and safety (within reason).  We also know it to be a useful culinary herb. Although it is considered very difficult to grow from seed, Sweet woodruff is well worth the effort of a few hit and miss growing experiments and not terribly hard to find in the wild.  An extract of it may be illegal to sell.  For home use though, I certainly plant to try to establish this herb in my garden.  What is left but to find out if this herb will give my homemade wine a nice, oaky vanilla flavor to compliment the buttered spring asparagus?



Author: Judson Carroll.  Judson Carroll is an Herbalist from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. His weekly articles may be read at http://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/

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His New Book is Christian Herbal Medicine, History and Practice



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Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People by Judson Carroll

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Look Up: The Medicinal Trees of the American South, An Herbalist's Guide: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/06/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html

The Herbs and Weeds of Fr. Johannes Künzle: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/05/announcing-new-book-herbs-and-weeds-of.html



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The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.