Galium odoratum – Herb garden

Galium odoratum is a flowering perennial herb plant, is a mat-forming perennial that is most often grown as a ground cover in shady regions. It will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Sweet Woodruff features dainty lightly-scented white star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems in mid-spring. Its fragrant narrow leaves remain light green in color throughout the year. The dried leaves have a fresh vanilla-like aroma and hence can be used as an air freshener. It has numerous medical advantages. Some of these help in treating illness relating to lungs, stomach, liver, and heart.

Scientific Name: Galium odoratum
Common Name: Sweetscented bedstraw, Woodruff, Sweet woodruff, and Wild baby’s breath, Master of the woods.

 

 

 

 

 

How to grow and maintain Galium odoratum:

Light:
Galium odoratum plant does best in partial shade to shade.

Soil:
Sweetscented bedstraw is not particular as to soil type, but it prefers organic, slightly acidic soils. Tolerates a wide range of pH from 4.3 to 8.3.

Temperature:
Sweet woodruff can tolerate temperature as low as -25ºC.

Water:
Water the Sweet woodruff plant to a depth of about 6 inches, which is enough to saturate the soil around the root ball. Keep the soil moist for the first one to two weeks, watering deeply whenever the surface of the soil feels dry. Thereafter, continue to water regularly during hot climate.

Propagation:
Propagate by cuttings and by division. Commonly propagated by division.

Harvest:
Sweet woodruff can be gathered anytime but, for the best scent, harvesting should be done just before it flowers.

Pests and Diseases:
No serious pests or disease problems.

Advantages of  Galium odoratum(Sweet woodruff):

• Sweet woodruff is a contains anthraquinone and its subordinates in this manner larvicidal, anti-oxidizing, anti-fungal, anti-microbial and anti-viral in nature.
• Specialists concur that sweet woodruff can be utilized for treating several diseases and disorders such as heart irregularities, kidney problem, varicose veins, indigestion, swelling, liver disorder, migraine, uterine cramps, insomnia and menopausal problems.
• Sweet woodruff can also be taken for the preventing and be curing lung infections and gallbladder disorders. Sweet woodruff can also be taken to strengthen weak veins as well as to enhance normal blood circulation.
• Studies reveal that the sweet woodruff can be used for purifying the blood.
• Sweet woodruff is utilized for sweetening food, juice, jam, wines, beers, jelly, soft drinks, tea and ice cream etc. It can also be used as a food colorant.
• Sweet woodruff is a bactericide that can go about as a disinfectant and germ-free along these lines equipped for eliminating bacteria and inhibiting the growth of the microorganism.