Most people have no idea how to make use of a plants medicinal properties. They think it is much too difficult, or magical, and they would never be able to do it. I will let you in on a little secret, if you have ever made a cup of tea, you have made an herbal preparation.
Wintergreen became widely recognized as an effective pain management tea during the Revolutionary War. After the colonists dressed up as Indians, boarded the merchant ships in Boston harbor, and dumped all of the tea into the harbor, they turned to the widely available wintergreen plant. They brewed a fine tasting tea which had the added benefit of reducing pain and fever. Talk about two birds with one stone...
I know you are sitting there reading this thinking “that was a great story Kirk, but how does it help me?” Well, my future medicine maker, it means you need not worry about making healthful herbal preparations. With a little knowledge, and a few basic tools, you can turn your kitchen into a makeshift apothecary. The first things we need to look at are the types of preparations.
Teas:
(Using fresh or dried herbs) This is by far the easiest method of making use of the health benefits of a plant. All you need to do is place a small amount of fresh or dried herb into a cup. I usually use a teaspoon of most dried herbs, and a tablespoon of most fresh herbs. Then heat water until it is just about at a boil, and pour it over the leaves. Allow this to steep for 10 or 20 minutes, strain and enjoy your healthful tea. You can add more or less herb to suit your taste. If you have a sweet tooth like I do, then I might also recommend a little locally grown honey.
Cold Infusions:
Infusions are made using mineral rich food type herbs such as Stinging Nettle, and Dandelion, etc. Place 2 ounces of the fresh herb, or 1 ounce of dried, into a quart mason jar, and fill the jar with cold water. Cover the jar, and let it sit for 24 hours. If refrigerated, the infusion will last a day or two.
Standard Infusions:
Infusions are made using mineral rich food type herbs such as Stinging Nettle, and Dandelion, etc. Place 2 ounces of the fresh herb, or 1 ounce of dried, into a quart mason jar, and fill the jar with almost boiling water. Cover the jar, and let it sit for 8 to 12 hours. It is usually recommended that you make your standard infusions at night, then you can enjoy them the next day. If refrigerated, the infusion will last a day or two.
Decoctions:
One would make a decoction from fresh or dried roots, barks, berries, or seeds. This method is not used for aromatic herbs, as the essential oils will be lost when the water is brought to a boil. Place 2 ounces of fresh, or 1 ounce of dried material into a pan. Add 1 quart of water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat, stirring periodically, until reduced by half. Cool the mixture and strain and drink.
Steam Inhalations:
Steam inhalations are used to break up sinus congestion, and ease head colds. To make your steam inhalation, put a couple ounces of fresh aromatic herbs like wintergreen, peppermint, spearmint, eucalyptus, lavender, etc., into a saucepan. Add water and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove the pan from the heat. Be careful, it will be very hot. Place a towel over your head, and place your head over the pan, and inhale the soothing vapors.
Poultices:
A poultice is an external application of macerated leaves or berries applied to an effected area of the body. In my opinion, the best poultice is still made the old-fashioned way; by taking the leaves and or berries into your mouth and chewing them into a paste. Your saliva actually has antiseptic properties which will aid in the healing power of the poultice. It is however important to remember that only your own saliva may be used. If you are treating someone else, their saliva must be used. Just as you would not spit in someone's eye, you should never spit in their cut. My favorite poultice is made by chewing up a bunch of plantain leaves and applying the paste to the skin. Use a bandage, or a piece of gauze to hold the macerated material in place until it dries out. Examine the area and reapply if necessary. A poultice can also be made by adding the herb and a small amount of oil to a blender, and pureeing to form a paste. This paste is then bandaged over the affected area. I like this method, because the oil does not dry out, and the poultice remains viable much longer. Transdermal delivery of herbs is much faster than taking them internally.
Compresses:
A compress is like a poultice in that an herb is applied topically. But unlike a poultice, it does not use macerated whole fresh or dried plant material. To make a compress, one would soak a piece of gauze, cotton ball, or some other material with tinctured, decocted, or infused plant materials, and secure it to the affected area with a bandage. This can be used as often as you like. Change it as needed, or at the very least, twice daily. To make an infusion to treat a cut or skin abrasion, I would suggest adding equal parts Arnica and Plantain to a pint of water; bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Next soak a rag in the tea and apply it directly to the affected area. When the cloth is dried out, rewet, and reapply as needed.
Fomentations:
A fomentation is very similar to a compress. The difference lies in the fact that the infusion, decoction, or tincture used is much more diluted than that of a compress. To make the fomentation, soak a cloth in the diluted medium. Apply to affected area and replace every 5 - 10 minutes.
Soaks:
A soak is just as the name implies. You fill a tub large enough to soak the affected area, with water and an herbal infusion, decoction, or tincture. You then soak the effected body part. You can also soak your bottom in a sitz bath or use the bathtub to soak your entire body. This is an excellent remedy for tired, achy, sore muscles, or even strains and sprains.
Infused Oils:
You can purchase infused oils in the grocery store. Many of us use them all the time when we cook. I love using garlic infused olive oil for my pasta sauces. Making your own medicinally infused oils follows the same logic. The medicinal properties of the herb are infused into the oil of your choice. I normally use grape seed oil, but you can use any non-irritating oil you have on hand..
Natural Solar infusion method:
In a quart mason jar, thoroughly mix 1 ounce of dried herb and 6 ounces by weight of the oil of your choice. Cover the jar and place in a sunny spot for a month or so. Strain your oil, return to the cleaned jar and store in the refrigerator until needed.
Crock Pot Method: (My favorite)
Place 2 ounces of fresh (or 1 ounce of dried) plant material and 6 ounces by weight of grape seed oil (you can use any high smoke point oil of your choosing. Stay away from olive oil as it easily scorches) into a crock pot. Mix thoroughly, set the dial to its lowest setting, and allow to heat uncovered for 12 hours. After this time has elapsed, place the cover on the crock pot and turn the switch off. Allow the pot to sit covered until the following morning. Then turn the crock pot once again to its lowest setting, remove the cover, and allow to heat uncovered for an additional 12 hours. Once this time has elapsed, allow the oil to cool enough that you can touch it without burning yourself, and then strain the plant material out. Now place the strained infused oil into a pint-sized mason jar and store it in the refrigerator until needed. (When straining my infused oils, I place a coffee filter into a metal sieve, and set the sieve over a glass bowl. I then pour the mixture into the strainer, and let it sit until all the oil has drained. Once it appears that it has completely drained, you will notice that there is much less than the 6 ounces of oil you started with. I usually take a large wooden spoon, or something else heavy, and pack the mixture into the strainer. I am always surprised how much oil is still released from the plant material. You can expect to yield just over 5 ounces by weight of your infused oil)
Ointments:
Infused oils are turned into ointment. I have found a 5:1 ration by weight of infused oil to bees wax yields the best consistency of ointment. In a medium saucepan, heat 5 ounces, by weight, of your previously prepared infused oil over low heat. When the oil is hot enough, stir in 1 ounce of grated bees wax. When the wax is completely dissolved, dip the back of a clean cold spoon into the mixture. Allow it to cool and solidify. If you find the ointment is too hard, add a little more oil, if you find it is too soft, add a little more bees wax, until you reach your desired consistency. To make an even more luxurious feeling ointment, before it cools, try adding 1 tablespoon of lanolin to your ointments. If you are anything like me, you will love the luxurious texture, and soothing effect it has on your skin.
Tinctures:
A tincture is an herbal extraction made by soaking a fresh or dried herb in a mixture of water and alcohol, also called a menstrum. Alcohol is not meant only to extract the medicinal properties of the plant, it is also used to preserve your future tincture.
I realize there may be some people who, for one reason or another, do not want to use alcohol. To allay your fears, you are not doing a shot of tincture. You are making a medicine that is administered by the drop, with an average dosage being 20 - 30 drops. Imagine putting 20 drops of a mixture of 50% alcohol into a shot glass; that amount is negligible. Even most religions allow for the use of alcohol in medicinal preparations. If, however, you are still against using alcohol, vinegar or glycerin can also be used as a menstrum. I do not feel the resulting preparations are of the same efficacy as an alcohol tincture, but many people swear by them. I should also point out that these preparations cannot be considered tinctures, as a tincture by definition uses alcohol as a menstrum. These preparations would simply be called extractions.
Label a quart mason jar with the plant name, the part of the plant used, the percentage of alcohol used, the date the tincture was started, and the dosage information.
Start with a clean sanitized quart mason jar. If using fresh plants or mushrooms, fill the jar to the neck with chopped fresh material. If using dried plants or mushrooms, add 150 grams of material to the jar. Now pour in 750 ml of the strenght alcohol required for your plant or mushroom. Place a lid on the mason jar, shake it well, and place the jar in a dark cupboard. Once a day for the first 7 days, take the jar out of the cupboard and shake it well. Place the jar back into the cupboard, and leave it soak for another 3 weeks. After the tincture has soaked for 30 days, remove it from the cupboard and strain out the spent plant material. Your tincture will remain viable for 2-3 years.
Double Extracted Tincture:
Many plants and mushrooms contain phytochemicals which are soluble in water and alcohol. Unfortunately, the cell walls of some of these plants and mushrooms contain chitin. This chitin locks the medicinal phytochemicals behiund these tough walls. Our body does not break down this material, so we must use a double extraction method. This is done by first using the plant to create a tincture, and then using that same material to make a strong decoction. Following are the steps necessary to achieve this complete extraction. Rest assured, they sound much more difficult than they actually are.
If using fresh plant or mushroom, add enough chopped material to fill a quart mason jar to approximately 1" from the top. If using dried material add 150 grams of the dried material to the quart mason jar. Now fill the jar with 750 ml of 75% ethanol (I use 150 proof Everclear). Place a lid on the mason jar, shake it well, and place the jar in a dark cupboard. Once a day for the first 7 days, take the jar out of the cupboard and shake it well. Place the jar back into the cupboard, and leave it soak for a total of 4 weeks.
After the tincture has soaked for 30 days, remove it from the cupboard and strain out and retain the plant material. Transfer the tincture back to the mason jar. Now place a piece of tape on the outside of the jar, and at the liquid level, draw a line on the tape. Momentarily, pour the tincture into a glass bowl or some other non-reactive container, and set aside. Now add water to the jar to the level marked on the tape. Pour this water into a large pot. Now re-fill the jar a second time with water, and then again, pour it into the pot. When done, you will have twice the volume of water than the volume of tincture. Pour the tincture back into the jar, cover it tightly, and place it in the cupboard while you finish making your decoction.
Pour the plant material into the pot with the water, and heat to a boil. Be very careful, as alcohol vapors coming from the Usnea may catch fire. If this happens, simply put a lid on the pot to supress flames. This may happen a few times at the beginning of your heating. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer until the water level has decfreased by half. Turn off the heat, keep the pot covered, and allow the pot to cool completely. Once completely cooled, add enough water to the pot to bring the water level back to the original level. Bring the water back to a boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the water level once again reduces by 50%. Now turn off the heat, and allow the decoction to cool completely. When thoroughly cooled, strain out the now fully spent Usnea, and pour the retained decoction into a large glass bowl, or other non-reactive container. Pour the tincture into the same container, and stir to mix. You should have roughly equal amounts of tincture and decoction. This will result in a doubly extracted tincture that is approximately 35% alcohol. Place this extraction into a jar, or jars, large enough to hold its volume. This extraction should remain viable for a year or more.
Liniments:
A liniment is a tincture made with isopropanol, isopropyl rubbing alcohol, as the menstrum rather than the ethanol. This is toxic and can only be used as an external rub. If you choose to make a liniment, make sure to label it "FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY". Liniments are used to soothe tired sore muscles. A liniment made from capsicum and wintergreen or capsicum and willow or black birch bark is an excellent topical rub for arthritis.
I will let you in on a little secret, an ethanol tincture applied topically has the same efficacy as an isopropanol liniment. It does not, however, have the inherent toxicity of isopropanol. While it is a few dollars cheaper than the least expensive ethanol, those few dollars are not worth a possible mistake which has the potential to end in death. I would counsel you to spend a few extra bucks and make tinctures for topical application rather than run into a potential problem with isopropanol.
Syrups:
A syrup is a method of using a medicinal herb that is sweet and pleasurable. Children are much more receptive to taking their medications if they taste good. If we are honest with ourselves, we realize adults are not much different. Who among us, when given the choice, would choose to take something bitter over something sweet?
I think the best way to describe a syrup is to give you a recipe. The following information will help you make a delicious cough syrup from mullein flowers. Start by gathering the individual ripe flowers from a mullein flower stalk. You will find that not all flowers bloom at the same time, so it will be necessary to harvest flowers from many plants. While this is initially considered a pain, it also allows you to harvest from the same plants multiple times in a season. Using a pint mason jar, fill the bottom with about ½ inch of white sugar. Nest add about ½ inch of packed mullein flowers, then add another ½ inch of white sugar. Continue with this process until the jar is filled with alternating layers of sugar and flowers. Make sure the top layer is white sugar. After the jar is full, cap it, and place it in a sunny location for a month. After straining out the spent flower petals, you will be left with an amber colored syrup that is both delicious and highly effective.
You now have the necessary information to begin reaping the benefits of the natural world around us.