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Be
Your Own Herbal Expert - Part 4
an article by Susun S. Weed
Herbal
medicine is the medicine of the people. It is simple,
safe, effective, and free. Our ancestors used -
and our neighbors around the world still use - plant
medicines for healing and health maintenance. It's
easy. You can do it too.
In your first lessons, you learned how to "listen"
to the messages of plant's tastes, how to make effective
water-based herbal remedies, and how to distinguish
safe nourishing and tonifying herbs from the more
dangerous stimulating and sedating herbs.
In this lesson, you will learn how to how make herbal
tinctures. You will make tinctures from fresh and
dried roots as well as from fresh flowers and leaves.
Then you will collect your tinctures into an Herbal
Medicine Chest and begin to use them. Shall we begin?
Tinctures Act Fast
Tinctures are alcohol-based plant medicines. Alcohol
extracts and concentrates many properties from plants,
including their poisons. Alcohol does not extract
significant amounts of nutrients, so tinctures are
used when we want to stimulate, sedate, or make
use of a poison. (Remember that nourishing herbs
are best used in water bases such as infusions and
vinegars.)
The concentrated nature of tinctures allows them
to act quickly. It also makes them perfect for a
first-aid kit or herbal medicine chest: a little
goes a long way.
I have dozens of tinctures in my cabinet. But these
are the ones I carry with me when I travel; they
are the ones I don't leave home without. This is
my traveling herbal medicine chest.
Echinacea tincture Motherwort tincture Skullcap
tincture
Ginseng tincture Dandelion root tincture Wormwood
tincture
St Joan's Wort tincture Poke root tincture(danger)
Yarrow tincture
Making Dried Root Tinctures
I strongly prefer to make tinctures from fresh plants.
But many people have a hard time getting fresh plants.
Most books therefore ignore fresh plant tinctures
and focus on making tinctures only from dried plants.
The only dried plant parts I use to make tinctures
are roots and seeds. All other plant parts I use
fresh when making a tincture. And I actually prefer
to use fresh roots too.
To make a tincture from dried roots:
Buy an ounce of dried Echinacea augustifolia
or Panax ginseng root.
Put the whole ounce in a pint jar.
The dried root should fill the jar about
a third full. If not, use a smaller jar.
Fill the jar to the top with the alcohol.
Cap tightly and label.
Almost any alcohol can be used to make a tincture.
My preference is 100 proof vodka. A lower proof,
such as 80 proof, does not work nearly as well.
Higher proofs, such as 198 proof or Everclear, can
damage the liver and kidneys, so I don't use them
to make medicine.
The tincture is ready in six weeks, but gets stronger
the longer it sits. I like to wait about six months
before using my ginseng tincture and a year before
using my echinacea tincture.
Making Fresh Root Tinctures
Roots generally hold their properties even when
dried. But two of my favorite root tinctures must
be made from fresh roots are the dried ones have
lost much of their effect.
Making a tincture with a fresh root is similar to
making one with a dried root.
With great respect for the plant, dig up
its root.
Gently rinse mud away. (For more about digging
dandelion root, see Healing Wise.)
Chop root into small pieces and fill a jar
to the top with the chopped root.
Fill jar to the top with alcohol. Cap tightly.
Label.
Fresh root tinctures are ready to use in
six weeks.
Making Fresh Leaf and Flower Tinctures
I use only fresh flowers and leaves in my tinctures.
These delicate plant parts lose aroma and medicinal
qualities when dried.
Tinctures can be made from dried herbs, but I find
them inferior in both effect (how well they work)
and energetics (how many fairies are in it), not
to mention taste (how many volatile substances remain)
and somatics (how something makes you "feel").
What if the plants you need to make all the tinctures
in your medicine chest don't grow where you live
or you can't find them? Try one or more of these
solutions.
Take a vacation to a place where the plant
you need does grow. And make sure to go at the best
time to gather it.
Find an herbal pen-pal who lives in the area
where the plant you want to tincture grows. Have
your pen-pal make a tincture of the fresh plant
for you. You could make a tincture of something
you have lots of to give to her too.
Even if the plants do grow where you live, it may
take a year or longer for you to find them, harvest
them and make tinctures. While you are "in
limbo," it's fine to buy tinctures to use in
your herbal medicine chest.
When you finally find the plants you want, don't
be afraid to make several quarts of tincture. Tinctures
last for hundreds of years if protected from heat
and light.
St. Joan's wort tincture: Eases muscles spasms,
anti-viral, pain-relieving.
Pick yellow Hypericum perforatum flowers
in the summer's heat.
Fill - don't stuff - a jar with the blossoms
and leaves.
Fill jar to the top with alcohol. Cap tightly.
Label. (It will turn bright red.)
Your fresh St. Joan's wort tincture is ready
to use in six weeks.
Motherwort tincture: Eases menstrual cramps, mood
swings, stress.
Pick Leonurus cardiaca flowering tops (leaves
and flowers) in early fall or late summer.
Fill - don't stuff - a jar with coarsely
chopped blossoms and leaves.
Fill jar to the top with alcohol. Cap tightly.
Label.
Your fresh motherwort tincture is ready to
use in six weeks.
Skullcap tincture: Pain-relief, headache remedy
Pick Scutellaria lateriflora flowering tops
when there are seeds as well as flowers.
Fill - don't stuff - a jar with the blossoms
and leaves.
Fill jar to the top with alcohol. Cap tightly.
Label.
Your fresh skullcap tincture is ready to
use in six weeks.
Wormwood tincture: Counters food poisoning and parasites.
Pick Artemisia absinthemum leaves in the
late summer or early fall, when mature.
Fill - don't stuff - a jar, with the coarsely
chopped leaves.
Fill jar to the top with alcohol. Cap tightly.
Label.
Your fresh wormwood tincture is ready to
use in six weeks.
Yarrow tincture: Counters all bacteria internally
and externally, repels insects.
Pick Achillea millefolium flowering tops,
white ones only, when in bloom.
Fill - don't stuff - a jar, with the coarsely
chopped herb.
Fill jar to the top with alcohol. Cap tightly.
Label.
Your fresh yarrow tincture is ready to use
in six weeks.
Double and Triple Tinctures
An herbalist in Austin Texas shared her special
way of preparing a tincture that helps her keep
her cool in stressful situations. She tinctures
fresh lemon balm, gathered before it flowers, for
six weeks, in 100 proof vodka. She pours that tincture
over a new jar of fresh lemon balm leaves. After
that sits for six more weeks, it's a double tincture.
She then pours the double tincture over another
new jarful of fresh lemon balm and lets that sit
for six weeks. After which she has a triple tincture.
She uses: "A dropperful sublingually - works
absolute wonders for me when I'm stressed out and
ready to scream."
Plant Poisons
You remember that there are four types of poisons
in plants: alkaloids, glycosides, essential oils,
and resins. The first three are fairly easy to move
from plants to a tincture.
Resins, because they "fear" water (hydrophobic)
are difficult to tincture. When I want to tincture
a resin I do use high proof alcohol. Some examples
would be: pine resin tincture, balsam bud tincture,
calendula flower tincture.
Taking Tinctures
I see many people put herbal tinctures under their
tongues. I prefer to protect my oral tissues from
the harsh, possibly cancer-causing, effects of the
alcohol.
I dilute my tinctures in a little water or juice
or even herbal infusion and drink them.
Using Your Tinctures
Here are a few of the ways I use the tinctures in
my herbal medicine chest. For more information on
using these tincture, see my books and my website.
Acid indigestion: 5-10 drops of Dandelion root or
Wormwood tincture every ten minutes until relieved.
I use a dose of Dandelion before meals to prevent
heartburn.
Bacterial Infections (including boils, carbuncles,
insect bites, snake bite, spider bite, staph): 30â€50
drops Echinacea or Yarrow tincture up to 5 times
daily. For severe infections, add one drop of Poke
tincture to each dose.
Colds: to prevent them I use Yarrow tincture 5-10
drops daily; to treat them, I rely on Yarrow, but
in larger quantity, say a dropperful every 3-4 hours
at the worst of the cold and tapering off.
Cramps during menstruation: 10 drops Motherwort
every 20 minutes or as needed. Used also as a tonic,
10 drops daily, for the week before.
Cramps in muscle: 25 drops St Joan's every 25â€30
minutes for as long as needed.
Cramps in gut: 5â€10 drops Wormwood,
once.
Diarrhea: 3 drops Wormwood hourly for up to four
hours.
Energy, lack of: 10 drops of Dandelion or Ginseng
tincture in the morning.
Fever: 1 drop Echinacea for every 2 pounds of body
weight; taken every two hours to begin, decreasing
as symptoms remiss. Or a dropperful of Yarrow tincture
every four hours.
Headache: 25 drops St Joan's plus 3-5 drops Skullcap
every 10â€15 minutes for up to
two hours. 5 drops of Skullcap may prevent some
headaches.
High blood pressure: 25 drops of Motherwort or Ginseng
tincture 2-4 times a day.
Hot Flashes: 20â€30 drops Motherwort
as flash begins and/or 10â€20 drops
once or twice daily.
Insect: prevent bites from black flies, mosquitoes,
and ticks with a spray of Yarrow tincture; treat
bites you do get with Yarrow tincture to prevent
infection.
Nervousness, hysteria, hyper behavior: 15 drops
Motherwort every 15â€20 minutes.
Premenstrual distress: 10 drops Motherwort twice
a day for 7â€10 days preceding
menstruation or 10 drops daily all month.
Sore throat: Gargle with Yarrow tincture.
Swollen glands: 1 drop Poke root tincture each 12
hours for 2-5 days.
Viral infections (including colds and the flu):
25 drops of St. Joan's wort tincture every two hours.
Add one drop of poke root tincture 2-4 times a day
for severe cases.
Wounds: I wash with Yarrow tincture, then wet the
dressing with Yarrow tincture, too.
In the next installment of Be Your Own Herbal Expert,
you will learn about herbal oils, including infused
and essential oils. Future lessons will explore
the difference between fixing disease and promoting
health, applications of the three traditions of
healing, and using the six steps of healing to take
charge of your own health and make sense of medicine.
Experiment
Number One
Choose
one plant and make several small tinctures of it
using different types of alcohol. Taste and smell
each tincture every week or so for 6-8 weeks.
Experiment
Number Two
Buy
or make different tinctures of the same plant: dried
herb, fresh herb, timed with the moon, in different
menstrums, made by different people, harvested in
different places. Can you taste differences? Are
the effects different? What else do you notice?
Experiment
Number Three
Make
a double or triple tincture of motherwort, skullcap,
or lemon balm. See if it relieves anxiety, hyperactivity,
emotional distress, headaches. I use a dose of 5-30
drops. Remember skullcap can induce sleepiness.
Experiment
Number Four
Tincture
four plants that are common to your area. Learn
at least three things they can each be used for
and if at all possible, use them.
Further study
1. What is osmosis? Why does 100 proof vodka make
stronger tinctures than 80 proof?
2. What is a menstrum? What other menstrums are
used to make tinctures?
3. Of the four plant poisons, which are present
in each of plants used in the medicine chest?
4. Why don't I consider vinegars tinctures?
5. How is a glyceride different from a tincture?
Advanced work
Make a tincture from a resinous plant.
Make a glyceride.
How is a standardized tincture made?
Study with Susun Weed in the convenience of your
home! Choose from three Correspondence Courses:
Green Allies, Spirit & Practice of the Wise
Woman Tradition, and Green Witch - includes audio/video
tapes, books, assignments, special mailings, plus
personal time. Learn more at www.susunweed.com or write to: Susun Weed, PO Box 64, Woodstock, NY
12498.
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This is part 4 in an 8 part series by Susun
S. Weed. Part
1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part
4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part
7 | Part 8 |
*
Legal
Disclaimer: This content is not intended
to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions
made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or
symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided
by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare
practitioner with a specific formula for you. All
material on this website/email is provided for general
information purposes only and should not be considered
medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable
healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical
care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second
opinion.
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock,
NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Visit
Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ashtreepublishing.com
For permission to reprint this article, contact
: susunweed@herbshealing.com
Vibrant, passionate,
and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international
reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings,
and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges
conventional medical approaches with humor, insight,
and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine.
Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic
lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.
Susun is one
of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine
and natural approaches to women's health. Her four
best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists
and well-known physicians and are used and cherished
by millions of women around the world. Learn more
at www.susunweed.com
This
article is © copyright Susun
S. Weed 2006 - Republished here with kind permission. |
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