Sweet woodruff is a valuable herb in the garden. It’s a perfect choice for those shady spots near trees and overhangs. It’s also a natural insect repellent.

Although a useful herb of longstanding, sweet woodruff gets short shrift because its greatest fame is derived from its historical addition to May wine or punch, often with Rhine wine and Champagne. As this use has become less widespread, sweet woodruff has become better known as a spring-blooming groundcover. Smelling of a mixture of sweet hay and cinnamon, particularly when dried, it has a number of household, aromatic, and medicinal uses.

Growing Sweet Woodruff
Woodruff is herbacious, hardy perinnel (family Rubiaceae) that likes a semi-shady spot that’s protected from the sun during the hottest part of the day. Shallow rooted and preferring rich, porous soil, it’s is a good choice near trees, or in problem areas where there are tree roots or other obstructions, like rocks, close to the surface of the soil. It likes moist conditions, and given enough water will fill in nicely to a height of about eight inches. If it starts to wilt, provide mulch and additional water. Sweet woodruff is not well suited to growing indoors.

Uses

Sweet woodruff is considered tonic, with significant diuretic and anti-inflammatory effects. Its coumarin and flavonoid constituents make sweet woodruff helpful for varicose veins and phlebitis. Sweet woodruff has been used as an antispasmodic, and it is given to children and adults for insomnia. Sweet woodruff has a historic reputation as a tonic for liver disorders. World-famous as an aromatic ingredient in May wine, sweet woodruff is also used today in punches and other drinks. Modern herbalists recommend sweet woodruff as a laxative and as an antiarthritic. Research indicates that sweet woodruff may be effective for the latter use only. Sweet woodruff is mainly grown today as a ground cover.

Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It grows to 30-50 cm (12-20 ins.) long, often lying flat on the ground or supported by other plants. The plant is also known in English as Sweet Woodruff or Wild Baby’s Breath. “Master of the woods” is probably a translation of the German name Waldmeister. Names like “Sweetscented bedstraw”, “Cudweed” and “Ladies’ Bedstraw” should be avoided; the former two properly refer to Galium triflorum, the latter to Galium verumhre.

Woodruff, as the scientific name odoratum suggests, is a strongly scented plant, the sweet scent being derived from coumarin. This scent increases on wilting and then persists on drying, and woodruff is used in pot-pourri and as a moth deterrent. It is also used, mainly in Germany, to flavour May wine (called “Maiwein” or “Maibowle” in German), beer (Berliner Weisse), brandy, sausages, jelly, jam, a soft drink (Tarhun), ice cream, and a herbal tea with gentle sedative properties.

CAUTION: High doses can cause headaches, due to the toxicity of coumarin. Very high doses of coumarin can cause vertigo, somnolence or even central paralysis and apnoea while in a coma. Since 1981, woodruff may no longer be used as an ingredient of industrially produced drinks and food stuffs in Germany; it has been replaced by artificial aromas and colorings.

MAY WINE PUNCH

* 12 tips of fresh woodruff, slightly crushed
* 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
* 1 bottle Moselle or dry white wine
* 1 bottle champagne
* 12 fresh, ripe strawberries

In a large bowl, combine woodruff, sugar, and 1 bottle of Moselle or dry white wine. Cover, and steep for 30 minutes.
Remove the cover, stir the mixture, remove the woodruff, and pour the wine over ice in a punch bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and serve as soon as thoroughly chilled.
Serves 16 to 20

Herb Seeds-Sweet Woodruff Blue Surprise