Description
What is cleavers?
Cleavers is a plant in the starleaf family. The name is typical of what the little plant does: it sticks to anything and everything that passes by it. This is because the stem and fruit of the cleavers have all these little hooks on them. Therefore, because the fruit does stick well to animal coats, the plant can spread over large distances. Cleavers grow in both sun and shade and can proliferate on nutrient-rich, moist soil. Many horses find cleavers a tasty plant, and so they can be picked and grown fresh quite easily. The fresh variety can cause some irritation and itching to our skin, though, so beware of that when picking!
Fresh or dried cleavers for horses
So, as mentioned above, cleavers can very well be fed fresh to horses during the season it grows. A maximum dosage for cleavers is not known, and as long as the horse has a choice of other feeds, an overdose is unlikely to occur. The only thing to watch out for is that with fresh cleavers, the fruits and stems can stick in the coat and mane and cause irritation. With dried cleavers, you no longer have these hooking issues and it is available year-round. Cleavers can also be dried yourself, best harvested just before or at the beginning of the herb's bloom - from mid-May to the end of July. To dry the herb, keep it in a dry, warm and dark place with space between the stems. Beware of mold, though! If the stems become moldy during the drying process, they are no longer suitable for feeding.
Effect of cleavers in horses
Cleavers provides the horse with an improved drainage of waste products and fluids, thereby supporting the lymphatic system. This makes cleavers a very suitable herb for horses which are stabled for a longer period of time, temporarily get less movement or recovering from an injury where the movement is limited. With reduced movement waste products from the body can accumulate under the belly or on the legs. We also call this stable legs and even with adequate exercise, there are still horses that are sensitive to this after several hours in a box. Cleavers can then be a positive addition, especially when combined with nettle. Horses which are sensitive to muscle tremors can benefit greatly from a steady gift of cleavers because the herb helps to remove waste products. In addition, cleavers is the herb of choice as support for horses with CPL (chronic progressive lymphedema), again, the combination with nettle is an often chosen route.*
Dose of cleavers
We recommend a dosage of cleavers of 3.5-5 grams per 100 kg of body weight.
*Evaluation of health claims are ongoing.