Post by theshee on Sept 14, 2010 7:24:29 GMT 10
Tincture remedies for winter –Tinctures, are concentrated liquid extracts of medicinal plants. Taken by the dropperful, they work well, and they work fast. They are also called herbal extracts; tinctures have been made for thousands of years by soaking fresh or dried herbs in a solvent, such as vodka or brandy, to extract the plants' medicinal properties. While herbal-tincture manufacturer’s use more complicated, exacting methods, the traditional technique is simple and just if not more effective. It requires only easy to find ingredients and common kitchen tools for pennies per dose.
When making tinctures, keep in mind the two essential principles of herbal medicine making. First, quality ingredients make quality products. If you can't grow your own herbs, buy them from reliable growers or distributors. Likewise, when choosing your solvent, the medium used to extract and deliver the plants' medicine, choose the best. Second, but just as important, intention matters. Native American healers, who used many of the herbs in these formulas, had a deep reverence for the plants' healing powers. When they dug the plants, they did so with respect and prayer, and when they made them into medicine, they also prayed. Without prayer, they said, the plant's medicine, its essence, stayed in the ground. Among people who use "green medicine" today, there is still a deep sense of respect for the plants.
Tinctures are highly concentrated and taken in very small doses -- a little goes a long way. To make about a pint of tincture, you'll need a clean, dry jar with a tight-fitting lid, enough herbs to fill the jar halfway, and roughly a pint and a half of solvent (the herbs will soak up some solvent). Most of the recipes call for 100-proof brandy or vodka, both excellent solvents. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can substitute this for vinegar.
If you have any fresh herbs, use them. High-quality dried herbs, however, are just as potent and available all year round. If you are using fresh herbs, rinse them with water to remove any dirt, and then chop them finely. (Dried herbs are usually finely chopped when you purchase them.) Fill your jar halfway with herbs. For a strong, effective tincture, be sure the jar is densely filled.
Pour the solvent over the herbs until they're completely covered, and then add an additional 2 to 3 inches of solvent. The herbs must be completely submersed to prevent bacteria from growing. Cover the jar with a tightly fitting lid. Herbs often swell as they soak up the solvent; if they start to "emerge" above the liquid, add more solvent.
* If using vinegar, as in Fire Cider, warm it on a cooker top before pouring it over the herbs; this helps facilitate the release of medicinal constituents.
During the process of soaking the herbs in the solvent, the plants soften and break down a process known as maceration, releasing their medicine. Most Western herbalists recommend letting tinctures macerate for 4-6 weeks. In Chinese medicine and several indigenous traditions, however, herbs are left to soak for months, even years. I have found that the longer tinctures macerate, the more effective they are, so consider a month your minimum. When starting the maceration process, label and date your jars so that you remember when you started them.
Shaking the tinctures while they're soaking facilitates the breakdown of medicinal constituents and prevents the herbs from packing down at the bottom of the jar. It's also an invitation to add some of the old magic to the science of herbal medicine. When you shake your tinctures, do so with your best healing intention. Your remedies will be the better for it.
After at least 4 weeks, your tincture will be ready for use. Line a stainless-steel strainer with cheesecloth or muslin, and place over a large glass jar or measuring cup. Pour the liquid slowly through the strainer. When finished straining, squeeze the herb-filled cheesecloth or muslin to wring out every drop. Reserve the liquid ( this is your medicine ) and discard or compost the herbs. Pour the finished tincture into a clean, dry glass jar with a tightly fitting lid; Mason jars work well, as do amber-coloured glass or any dark jars (I use cobalt blue). Label your tincture with the contents and date.
When stored properly, tinctures last for years. Both light and heat can break down the medicinal components, so keep your jars of tinctures in a cool, dark place. It's a good idea to keep a small supply of the tincture ready for use in a 1- or 2-ounce dark coloured bottle with a dropper top.
DOSAGE
Tincture dosage varies depending on the individual and the herbs being used. For chronic problems and for remedies you're using as a tonic, such as Mood Booster, the general adult dosage is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon three times daily. For acute ailments, such as colds and flus, small, frequent doses are much more effective: for adults, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon every hour. Tinctures should be diluted in a small amount of warm water; they're very strong tasting, so most people prefer to take them "down the hatch" rather than sipping them.
Solvents to use
The solvent is the liquid used to extract the herbs' medicine. There are two solvents used each with different benefits.
Alcohol
A potent, effective solvent, alcohol extracts most plant constituents, including fats, resins, waxes, and most alkaloids (some of the strongest plant compounds). The body rapidly assimilates alcohol tinctures, and their effects are quickly felt. Furthermore, alcohol makes an excellent preservative, maintaining the integrity of the tincture for many years. Brandy and vodka are perfect for the traditional method of tincture making; both can be purchased at 100 proofs, which provide an ideal alcohol-to-water ratio. (Water extracts many important constituents, like vitamins and volatile oils.) For preservative properties and extraction purposes, you must use at least 50-proof alcohol.
Vinegar
As a food, vinegar is completely nontoxic, and well tolerated by almost everyone. While it is not as strong or effective a solvent as alcohol (it does not break down as many plant components), it's a good alternative for alcohol-sensitive people and for children. You can integrate vinegar tinctures into your daily diet, using them as a salad dressing (use organic apple-cider vinegar if possible). Most literature reports that vinegar tinctures have a short shelf life. My experience, however, has been that when stored in a cool, dark place, they will last for several years.
Super Immune Support
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at symptom onset.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
2 parts Echinacea root, flower, and leaf
1 part turmeric
1 part cultivated goldenseal root (Use cultivated goldenseal; this herb has been over-harvested.)
Cold and Fever Fighter
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at the onset of symptoms.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
1 part elder flower and elder berry
1 part peppermint leaf
1 part yarrow flower and leaf
Cough and Sore Throat Soother
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at the onset of symptoms.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
2 parts mullein leaf
1 part liquorice root
1 part wild cherry bark
1/2 part ginger root
Fire Cider- For colds
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at the onset of a cold, or as a daily warming tonic. Makes a great salad dressing.
Solvent: apple-cider vinegar
1 part garlic
1 part onion
1/2-1 part freshly grated horseradish
1/2 part ginger small pinch cayenne
honey or syrup to taste (add to finished product)
Mood Booster
To prevent or ease the winter blues, take 1/2 to 1 tsp. three times daily.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
2 parts hawthorn berry, plus flower and leaf if available
2 parts lemon balm
1 part St. John's wort
1 part milky green oat tops
NOTE - If you have a serious health condition, are pregnant, or take medication, consult your Doctor before using these or any herbal remedies.
When making tinctures, keep in mind the two essential principles of herbal medicine making. First, quality ingredients make quality products. If you can't grow your own herbs, buy them from reliable growers or distributors. Likewise, when choosing your solvent, the medium used to extract and deliver the plants' medicine, choose the best. Second, but just as important, intention matters. Native American healers, who used many of the herbs in these formulas, had a deep reverence for the plants' healing powers. When they dug the plants, they did so with respect and prayer, and when they made them into medicine, they also prayed. Without prayer, they said, the plant's medicine, its essence, stayed in the ground. Among people who use "green medicine" today, there is still a deep sense of respect for the plants.
Tinctures are highly concentrated and taken in very small doses -- a little goes a long way. To make about a pint of tincture, you'll need a clean, dry jar with a tight-fitting lid, enough herbs to fill the jar halfway, and roughly a pint and a half of solvent (the herbs will soak up some solvent). Most of the recipes call for 100-proof brandy or vodka, both excellent solvents. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can substitute this for vinegar.
If you have any fresh herbs, use them. High-quality dried herbs, however, are just as potent and available all year round. If you are using fresh herbs, rinse them with water to remove any dirt, and then chop them finely. (Dried herbs are usually finely chopped when you purchase them.) Fill your jar halfway with herbs. For a strong, effective tincture, be sure the jar is densely filled.
Pour the solvent over the herbs until they're completely covered, and then add an additional 2 to 3 inches of solvent. The herbs must be completely submersed to prevent bacteria from growing. Cover the jar with a tightly fitting lid. Herbs often swell as they soak up the solvent; if they start to "emerge" above the liquid, add more solvent.
* If using vinegar, as in Fire Cider, warm it on a cooker top before pouring it over the herbs; this helps facilitate the release of medicinal constituents.
During the process of soaking the herbs in the solvent, the plants soften and break down a process known as maceration, releasing their medicine. Most Western herbalists recommend letting tinctures macerate for 4-6 weeks. In Chinese medicine and several indigenous traditions, however, herbs are left to soak for months, even years. I have found that the longer tinctures macerate, the more effective they are, so consider a month your minimum. When starting the maceration process, label and date your jars so that you remember when you started them.
Shaking the tinctures while they're soaking facilitates the breakdown of medicinal constituents and prevents the herbs from packing down at the bottom of the jar. It's also an invitation to add some of the old magic to the science of herbal medicine. When you shake your tinctures, do so with your best healing intention. Your remedies will be the better for it.
After at least 4 weeks, your tincture will be ready for use. Line a stainless-steel strainer with cheesecloth or muslin, and place over a large glass jar or measuring cup. Pour the liquid slowly through the strainer. When finished straining, squeeze the herb-filled cheesecloth or muslin to wring out every drop. Reserve the liquid ( this is your medicine ) and discard or compost the herbs. Pour the finished tincture into a clean, dry glass jar with a tightly fitting lid; Mason jars work well, as do amber-coloured glass or any dark jars (I use cobalt blue). Label your tincture with the contents and date.
When stored properly, tinctures last for years. Both light and heat can break down the medicinal components, so keep your jars of tinctures in a cool, dark place. It's a good idea to keep a small supply of the tincture ready for use in a 1- or 2-ounce dark coloured bottle with a dropper top.
DOSAGE
Tincture dosage varies depending on the individual and the herbs being used. For chronic problems and for remedies you're using as a tonic, such as Mood Booster, the general adult dosage is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon three times daily. For acute ailments, such as colds and flus, small, frequent doses are much more effective: for adults, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon every hour. Tinctures should be diluted in a small amount of warm water; they're very strong tasting, so most people prefer to take them "down the hatch" rather than sipping them.
Solvents to use
The solvent is the liquid used to extract the herbs' medicine. There are two solvents used each with different benefits.
Alcohol
A potent, effective solvent, alcohol extracts most plant constituents, including fats, resins, waxes, and most alkaloids (some of the strongest plant compounds). The body rapidly assimilates alcohol tinctures, and their effects are quickly felt. Furthermore, alcohol makes an excellent preservative, maintaining the integrity of the tincture for many years. Brandy and vodka are perfect for the traditional method of tincture making; both can be purchased at 100 proofs, which provide an ideal alcohol-to-water ratio. (Water extracts many important constituents, like vitamins and volatile oils.) For preservative properties and extraction purposes, you must use at least 50-proof alcohol.
Vinegar
As a food, vinegar is completely nontoxic, and well tolerated by almost everyone. While it is not as strong or effective a solvent as alcohol (it does not break down as many plant components), it's a good alternative for alcohol-sensitive people and for children. You can integrate vinegar tinctures into your daily diet, using them as a salad dressing (use organic apple-cider vinegar if possible). Most literature reports that vinegar tinctures have a short shelf life. My experience, however, has been that when stored in a cool, dark place, they will last for several years.
Super Immune Support
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at symptom onset.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
2 parts Echinacea root, flower, and leaf
1 part turmeric
1 part cultivated goldenseal root (Use cultivated goldenseal; this herb has been over-harvested.)
Cold and Fever Fighter
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at the onset of symptoms.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
1 part elder flower and elder berry
1 part peppermint leaf
1 part yarrow flower and leaf
Cough and Sore Throat Soother
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at the onset of symptoms.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
2 parts mullein leaf
1 part liquorice root
1 part wild cherry bark
1/2 part ginger root
Fire Cider- For colds
Take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per hour at the onset of a cold, or as a daily warming tonic. Makes a great salad dressing.
Solvent: apple-cider vinegar
1 part garlic
1 part onion
1/2-1 part freshly grated horseradish
1/2 part ginger small pinch cayenne
honey or syrup to taste (add to finished product)
Mood Booster
To prevent or ease the winter blues, take 1/2 to 1 tsp. three times daily.
Solvent: 100-proof vodka/brandy
2 parts hawthorn berry, plus flower and leaf if available
2 parts lemon balm
1 part St. John's wort
1 part milky green oat tops
NOTE - If you have a serious health condition, are pregnant, or take medication, consult your Doctor before using these or any herbal remedies.