Smelly fig – Galium odoratum

Description of odorous fig:

Galium odoratum (Old or other familiar names: star liverwort, smelly liverwort, star heartwort, forest master, forest masterwort, forest ornamental, ornamental woodruff) Rubiaceae – Rubiaceae 10-30 cm tall, perennial plant. Stems four-edged. Lower leaves are six-petalled, flattened. The upper ones are eight-lanceolate. Under each leaf stem is a corolla of pigs. Flowers white, borne in spikes on long spikes. Pileus tubular bell-shaped, its fruit with hooked porcini.

Occurrence:

In mountain forests and shady places. In our country, it is also found everywhere in the shady forests of mountainous areas, especially in beech forests.

Part to be collected:

Stems above ground with flowering leaves, which provide the herba asperulae.

Active ingredient:

Coumarin, aspertanoic acid, essential oil and tannins.

Harvesting and drying:

The above-ground part of the plant, which flowers between April and May, is cut off at the time of collection and then dried in an airy attic. Drying takes 4-6 days.

Processing and sale:

Used in folk medicine and homeopathy, it is made into tinct. asperulae. It is also used as a perfume in tea blends and to scent tobacco. In Germany, it is very popular in the preparation of so-called Waldmeister wines. Source: Dr. Ferenc Darvas and Dr Gyula Magyary-Kossa,Domestic herbs, their production, marketing, effects and medicinal uses