Cleavers, Galium aparine, remind me of getting tangled in shipping tape! The leaves and stems are very clingy and cling to everything. It is a chore to harvest!

This plant when young, can be eaten in salads. As the plant matures, the tiny hooks appear and it not recommended for eating at this stage.

There are a small handful of invitro studies on cleavers that show promising results for neck and head cancers, as well as breast cancer.

• bladder and kidney problems
• swollen glands
• lowers blood pressure without slowing heart rate
• skin issues, such as edema, burns, acne, boils and psoriasis
• helps the urinary tract as it is a diuretic
• anti-inflammatory diuretic

I use the folk method for making all my tinctures, which uses no measurements except sizing things up with your eyes. So I put the plant material in a jar and then fill with alcohol.

Dosages for children are not provided in most herbals. To determine the correct dose you need to consider the size of the child, the ailment, the power of the herb you intend to use, and the adult dosage.

Young's Rule for determining dosage uses the child's age divided by twelve plus the age. The dosage for a 4 year old: 4/12+4 = 4/16 = 1/4 of the adult dose.