What is Woodruff?

Woodruff is a low woodland plant from Europe, known in German as Waldmeister. The leaves grow in neat star-shaped whorls. When they wilt and dry, they smell of fresh hay and vanilla.

It is used far more as a flavour than as a medicine. The classic use is May wine, a spring drink made by steeping the herb in white wine. It also flavours syrups, jellies, sweets and some soft drinks.

Folk healers once gave the tea for poor sleep, headache, stomach cramps and heavy, aching legs. There are almost no human trials behind any of that. Long traditional use is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.

How does Woodruff work?

The smell and taste come from coumarin. Coumarin forms as the plant wilts and dries. Fresh green leaves have very little scent.

Coumarin is not the blood-thinning drug warfarin, despite the similar name. Dicoumarol, which does thin blood, forms only when the plant material goes mouldy. That is one reason spoiled woodruff is unsafe.

In animal studies, high doses of coumarin can harm the liver. Some people are slow metabolisers, meaning their liver clears coumarin slowly. They appear to carry the most risk.

Lab and animal work hints that extracts may ease muscle spasm and calm the nerves. Whether a cup of tea does that in a person is unknown. No solid human trial supports the old sleep or headache claims.

What forms does Woodruff come in?

Woodruff reaches most people as a flavour in food and drink. Medicinal forms are far less common.

Usual forms:

- Dried loose herb, for tea or for steeping in wine - May wine (Maibowle), a seasonal German drink - Green woodruff syrup, often made with artificial flavour instead of the plant - Jellies, sweets and soft drinks - Tincture or liquid extract, sold by some herb suppliers - Dried bunches for scenting rooms and linen

Many "woodruff" products today contain no plant at all. The green syrups in particular are usually flavoured and coloured in a factory. Check the label if the real herb matters to you.

Where it comes from:

Woodruff has been used in Europe since at least the Middle Ages. German records describe Waldmeister steeped in wine to mark the start of May. Monastery gardens grew it for its scent.

Dried bunches were hung in rooms and laid with stored linen. The smell was thought to keep moths and musty odours away.

Folk healers gave the tea for restless sleep, headache and stomach cramps. Old herbals also named it for wounds and for heavy, swollen legs. None of these uses were tested the way medicines are tested today.

What does Woodruff help with?

• Trouble sleeping and restlessness: This is the best-known folk claim. Evening tea was given to settle children and adults. There are no good human trials of woodruff for sleep. Animal work hints at a mild calming effect. That is a long way from showing it helps you sleep.
• Mild stomach cramps: Folk use treated woodruff as a gentle antispasmodic, meaning something that eases cramping muscle. Lab studies on gut tissue support the idea in principle. No human trial has tested the tea. Treat this as tradition, not as a result.
• Headache: Old herbals listed woodruff for headache. Oddly, coumarin itself can cause headache in some people. There is no human evidence that it helps. If it makes your head worse, stop using it.
• Heavy, aching legs: Some European herbals linked woodruff to poor vein circulation. The plant family contains flavonoids studied for vein health. No trial has tested woodruff itself for this. Proven options exist for leg vein problems, so ask your doctor.
• Minor wounds (traditional wash): Crushed leaves were once laid on cuts and bruises. Tannins in the plant can tighten tissue in lab tests. There is no modern evidence of benefit on human skin. Clean water and a dressing are the safer choice.

Which foods are rich in Woodruff?

Woodruff is a flavouring herb, not a nutrient found in foods. The coumarin in it does turn up elsewhere, though. Cassia cinnamon, tonka bean and sweet clover all carry it, and the amounts add together.

What are the side effects of Woodruff?

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Liver injury with high or repeated intake
• Allergic skin rash

Good to know:

Most people who drink a small amount of flavoured wine or tea notice nothing. Headache and dizziness are the usual complaints.

Liver injury is the serious risk. It is rare at food-level amounts, but it has been linked to coumarin at higher or repeated intake. Signs include yellow skin or eyes, dark urine and pain under the right ribs.

Mouldy or spoiled plant material is a different hazard. It can form dicoumarol, which thins the blood.

How much Woodruff should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page does not give you a personal amount. Food law, not a tradition, sets the real ceiling here. EU and UK rules cap how much coumarin a flavoured food or drink may carry. Makers must stay under that cap. Tea blends therefore use small amounts of the dried herb. Traditional May wine recipes used roughly 3 grams of wilted herb per litre of wine, steeped briefly. That is a recipe, not a dose for you. If you have any liver problem, the right amount is none.
• Best time of day: Timing does not matter much, because no effect is proven. Folk use favoured the evening, since the claim was calming. If you try it once and feel dizzy or headachy, the time of day will not fix that. Stop instead.
• With or without food: Either is fine. Some people find herb teas sit better after a meal. Taking it with food does not lower the liver risk from coumarin.
• Time to effect: If anything is felt, people describe it within an hour of drinking the tea. That report is not backed by trials. It may well do nothing at all. There is no delayed build-up benefit to wait for.
• How long to take it: Short, occasional use is the traditional pattern, and it is the sensible one. May wine was a drink for a few weeks each spring. Daily use over weeks or months is not advised. The liver risk from coumarin rises with repeated intake. There is no evidence that long courses do anything useful.