PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Sumidades aereas.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Espasmolitico, carminativo, aperitivo, antiflamatorio, diuretico, depurativo, diaforetico y favorecedor de la circulación.

POSOLOGÍA= Posology: Infusión: 20-50 g/l, infundir 10 minutos, 2 tazas al día; o en uso tópico (20g/l) , aplicada en formade colirioso baños oculares.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Heterosidoscumarínicos. Pequeñas cantidades de heterosidos hidroxiantracénicos. Monotropósidos. Heterósidos iridoideos : aucubósidos. Taninos, principios amargos. Emulsina(enzima de desdoblamiento de loas heterosidos cumarínicos.

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Europa. 

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:
 
From 19 species of Galium, members of 6 European sections of the genus, 24 compds. were isolated, namely 16 iridoid glucosides, 2 secoiridoid glucosides and 6 triterpene saponins (the later found only in G. rivale (Sibth. & Sm. Griseb.)).  The iridoid content was detd. by thin layer chromatog.-densitometry.  An effort was made to clarify interspecies relationships, based on the obtained results and previous data.  Generally, a nearly uniform iridoid pattern in the studied species was obsd.  Nevertheless, some distinctions supported treating the following chem. characters as taxonomic markers: secogalioside (characteristic of G. mollugo group), iridoids V1 and V2 (G. humifusum Bieb. and G. verum L.), 6-acetylscandoside (G. incurvum group and G. verum) and the triterpene saponins rivalioside A and rivalioside C (characteristic of G. rivale).  The studied species in regard to iridoids could be attributed to three lines of evolutionary differentiation.  One line leads to the differentiation of G. rivale.  It contains specific triterpenoids as well as iridoid acids, which show parallel development of both glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate/pyruvate and mevalonate biosynthetic routes in this species.  A second line includes G. mollugo and G. incurvum species groups and the species G. humifusum and G. verum and is characterized by a variety of iridoid esters, hydroxy and carboxy derivs. of iridoids and secoiridoids.  The third line comprises the remaining studied species, members of different sections and species groups.  They possess a nearly identical iridoid pattern, which suggests convergent evolution as regards iridoids.

1) Fitoterapia : vademecum de prescripción. 4ta. ed. Barcelona : Masson, 2003, p. 130.

2) MITOVA, Maya Iv, et al. Iridoid patterns in Galium L. and some phylogenetic considerations. Zeitschrift fuer Naturforschung, C: Journal of Biosciences. 2002, vol.57, nº3/4, p.226-234.