Angie

This is not about the coronavirus. However, with the news and our social media feeds getting clogged with fearfulness driving the need to protect ourselves, I decided to write a bit about what we do at our home. These are five simple guidelines to holistically create vitality and immune support.

First of all, we do not wait until we are getting sick or until it’s ‘pandemic virus season’ to start working on our immune system’s health. That’s like cramming for a test the night before without ever reading the material. These are practices that we should ALL be implementing in our lives ALL THE TIME. It’s not hard-don’t worry. But this is why I am not afraid of the next Big Thing.

1. Nourishing herbal and bone broth. My family goes through about a gallon or two of broth a week. I will be creating a simple tutorial VERY SOON on how I create my broth, but you can also search the internet.
   I use immunomodulating herbs (tonic herbs that provide a slower, sustained effect-they either augment or dampen the immune response), mushrooms, veggies, and then good quality neck and marrow bones or chicken carcasses to make my broths. Not only are we adding gently supportive herbs, mushrooms full of polysaccharides (which communicate with the immune system on a gastric level), we are extracting the minerals, collagen, gelatin, and other beneficial constituents from the bones to support and heal our digestive system~which is where 80% of our immunity lies. We can either simply drink a mug of broth (yes, it tastes good) or use it to prepare our meals-soups, stews, sauces-use it anywhere you would typically use water or store bought broth or stock for cooking.
2. Use tonic herbs daily. This requires a little more nuance and perhaps a bit of digging. First you want to identify where you tend to have weakness. Maybe you tend to have lymphatic stagnation, or you need extra support in your respiratory system. Perhaps you are always run down and need a bit of adrenal support. These tonic herbs are safe for every day use and promote longevity, vitality, and support specific organ systems. For example-burdock root for liver and kidneys, cleavers for lymphatic, milky oats for nervous system, and mullein or licorice root for the respiratory system. If you need more guidance here-you can schedule a free 20 minute phone consultation.
3. Include these basic nutritional components to your diet: organic whole foods, dark leafy greens, bitter herbs, berries, omega 3 fatty acids, cultured foods, and prebiotic foods (foods that FEED beneficial bacteria). I also make sure whenever I can to cook with herbs and use fresh herbs often: in spice blends, smoothies, salads, soups, etc. You may not think that a pinch of basil in your tomato sauce will provide much support, and you would be right if you only added a teaspoon to some sauce and that was all you did. But, what if in addition to that teaspoon of basil you added fresh dandelion leaves to your salad, and chickweed to your smoothie, and cinnamon to your chamomile tea, and sprinkled turmeric on your eggs, and added astragalus and shiitake mushrooms to your soup. Look at all those herbs you’ve consumed in one day! Kami McBride’s The Herbal Kitchen (affiliate link) is a comprehensive guide to incorporating herbs into your daily life. I used this book to create a workshop here locally and it was totally amazing.
4. Supplements. I’m not a huge supplement fan. Like at all. But I am starting to recognize that there are a few things that we should probably consider adding to our daily regimen if we aren’t 100% sure we can get them through food sources: magnesium, vitamin d (make sure you get d3/k2 for reasons I’m still working out but part of it is to guide your calcium to your bones and away from your soft tissues like blood vessels and kidneys), and vitamin c. We personally use sodium ascorbate crystals-but not daily-just at the start of illness and through the duration.
5. Lifestyle Medicine. When I talk about lifestyle medicine, I am speaking of things that you do outside of nutrition, and augmenting with supplements and herbs. So this is where movement, getting outside and exposure to sun, proper sleep (remove those screens from your bedroom and turn down the temperature), mitigate stress (super easy, right?), reignite your relationships and friendships, and don’t be afraid. Be prudent. Don’t be reckless, obviously-but avoid your triggers.

While this is not the end all of what we need to do to ensure we stay healthy-and nothing is guaranteed, these 5 steps should create a pathway to encouraging your body’s journey to a strong and supported immune system.

*This article is for educational purposes only and is not to replace a physician’s advice. With everything you do, please research for deeper information. Your health is your own responsibility. Take it back.

A tincture is an herbal medicine where the constituents of an herb extracted into a liquid solvent. We can use alcohol, vinegar or glycerin. We will be mainly discussing alcohol as a solvent, but will include the variants further down. 

We would chose to work with a tincture vs. other forms for herbal medicine for a variety of reasons: 

• It’s portable,
• It’s shelf stable,
• It’s concentrated and potent,
• It’s faster and easier,
• It extracts alkaloids and resins.

Alcohol tinctures do not extract minerals or carbohydrates (polysaccharides and inulin) so we would use a different method if those properties are what we are looking for.

While it is ideal to work with fresh plant material, we don’t all have access. I will be going over methods for working with both fresh and dried material.

There are also two methods of tincturing herbs: the folkloric method and the weight to volume (W:V) method. Both will be covered here. (If you need a video to better understand the difference between the two, I recorded both preparations for my private Facebook group).

Folkloric Method

As you may have guessed, the folkloric method is a more traditional and common way to prepare an herbal tincture. If I wasn’t running a business, I would properly create all my tinctures this way. The advantage: ease and using more intuition. The disadvantage: each batch will be a bit different in strength and potency. Which is fine when you are working with all generally safe herbs (herbs that have a potential for toxicity such as poke should NOT be used in this manner-nor should they be used by someone not comfortable working with stronger plants).

Ingredients and Supplies:

• Plant material (fresh or dried)
• Alcohol (95% if fresh and 50% if dried)
• Clean jar
• Label
• Knife and cutting board if using fresh

If working with fresh plant material, make sure everything is clean. Roots take a bit of scrubbing to remove all the dirt. Chop and cut everything up into small pieces (¼-½ inch sized pieces are good). Fill jar with herbs-leave approximately 2-3 inches at top jar. Cover with alcohol. Cover about an inch over the herbs. Cap jar. Shake. Label: plant name (common and scientific), fresh or dried, ‘folkloric method’, alcohol used, source of herbs, today’s date. You could also write down the astrological correspondence and moon phase of the day you made your medicine if that interests you. For example: if we use the tincture I made in the video the label might look like this:

Fresh Cleavers (Galium aparine)
Folkloric Method
95% organic ETOH (ethyl alcohol)
Harvested under the elderberry shrub in my front yard
Libra waning moon

At this point, you let your jar sit for at least 6 weeks. If you need to sneak a dosage before then, it is totally fine. After a few days, 80% of the constituents are already extracted.

Weight to Volume (W:V) Method

This method is great for those that are starting an herbal business, like things to be specific, and want to be able to duplicate batches easily. This method varies a bit between fresh and dried plant material.

Ingredients and Supplies:

• Plant material (fresh or dried)
• Alcohol (95% if fresh and 50% if dried)
• Clean jar
• Label
• Knife and cutting board if using fresh
• Kitchen Scale

If working with fresh plant material, make sure everything is clean. Roots take a bit of scrubbing to remove all the dirt. Chop and cut everything up into small pieces (¼-½ inch sized pieces are good). Weigh out your herbs. Take that number (ex. 4 ounces) and multiply it by 2 if using fresh and 5 if using dried (ex. 8 ounces and 20 ounces). This is your weight to volume ratio. 4:8 and 4:20 (fresh and dried respectively). This means that for 4 ounces of fresh herbs, you will use 8 ounces of alcohol and for 4 ounces of dried herbs you will use 20 ounces of alcohol. The variant between fresh and dried is due to the water content that will be extract by the alcohol with the fresh herbs.
While working with fresh herbs, you will find that the alcohol isn’t covering the plant material properly. You may need to compact the herbs into a smaller container, or find a narrow vessel. I have found that blending the herbs with the alcohol is helpful. Labeling with the W:V method is a bit different.
Using the same example from the video:
Fresh Cleavers (Galium aparine)
1:2 95% organic ETOH (ethyl alcohol)
Harvested under the elderberry shrub in my front yard
Libra waning moon

And if it was dried:
Dried Organic Cleavers (Galium aparine)
1:5 50% organic ETOH (ethyl alcohol)
Purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs
Libra waning moon

Straining time!

I have found that using a tightly woven cheesecloth or a loose woven muslin works well here. I use this in combination with a ceramic coffee filter holder (for pour overs). I set the coffee filter and cloth on a wide mouthed canning jar (it fits perfectly) and then strain directly into the jar. I then typically wash out the original jar and fill it back up (since it already has the label on it). Or, try to transfer the label to the new jar.  

Bottling for use:

I prefer dark amber bottles to protect from sunlight. Label these bottles the same way you labeled your stock bottle. Since this lesson isn’t for manufacturing for sale, we won’t go into the specifics of labeling laws. 

Store your tinctures (both stock bottles and dosage bottles) out of extreme temperatures and direct light. They will last for years if properly stored.

Reasons to not use alcohol based tinctures would be for infants, those with liver disease, or someone who has a history of alcohol or chooses to abstain for spiritual or other personal reasons.
We can use glycerin as a substitute, but I do not care for it. I can’t find one that is sustainably sourced and honestly, it still feels like something that can’t be easily replicated outside of a lab. So, while I have worked with it in the past, I currently choose to use apple cider vinegar to substitute for alcohol in these situations. 

I personally use alcohol based tinctures for my children-as the amount of alcohol consumed is small. 

A standard adult dosage would be 15-30 drops (in general-you can get more specific as you start to work with herbs more). So, for calculating a child’s dosage, we use a formula based on their weight (this can also be used for small or large adults). Take the dosage and divide by 150. Then multiply that number by the weight of the child. Example: You want to give your child an elderberry tincture. Your child weighs 65 pounds. So we will divide 30/150. Then multiply that number by 65. The child’s dosage is 13 drops.

These instructions are for creating a simple (tincture with one herb). Once we start going over herbal profiles later this year, I will include a lesson on blends for specific purposes. 

PIN FOR LATER!

Just a quick note that everything in the shop is currently discounted. I will not be making new products until after I’m settled in to the farm, and would like to reduce my inventory as much as possible before I pack it up.
All orders must be received by February 29th to be mailed March 2nd!

Head on over to the shop page to stock up!

When creating herbal medicines, we don’t want to neglect the sweet and delicious formulations of herbal infused honeys and syrups.

**do not give honey based medicines to children under 1 year old.**
While you may be drawn to the fast acting potency of herbal tinctures, or the ritual of creating a medicinal tea, herbal infused honeys and syrups are a wonderful complement to our home medicine cabinet.

I love to infuse herbs in honey that either have an interesting flavor profile (think schisandra) or one that is associated with soothing the upper respiratory system. And sometimes, we just want something super yummy to add to a cup of tea 😉

In addition to the yummy factor, if you are working with raw, local honey, it is medicine in itself. It provides allergy support, has anti bacterial, anti viral, and anti fungal properties, and can be quite soothing to a raw and sore throat.

There are a few ways to infuse herbs into honey:

• add your dried herbs (I prefer to use dried here, as fresh herbs can have the tendency to ferment the honey) to a clean and dry jar. Cover the herbs with honey. I like to use a chopstick to stir the honey into the herbs-this helps remove air bubbles and allows the honey to gently seep into all the crevices. Cap your jar and label with: honey, herb, date. Strain after 4 weeks or so.
• Add powdered herbs to your honey and stir it in. You can use this honey immediately. No need to remove the herbs.
• Use or create a double boiler. Add equal parts dried herbs and honey. Create a very low heat and slowly infuse the honey over the course of approximately 6 hours. Strain and label as above.

Since we are using dried herbs, this honey will be shelf stable indefinitely. I love to add a spoonful to tea, use on toast or a biscuit, or however you like to typically work with honey.

Herbal Syrups

I make herbal syrups for two reasons: 1-it can help children or those who don’t like to consume things that taste bad work with herbs and 2-if we work with honey in our syrups, it has the added medicinal benefit of the honey. There are two methods that I prefer to use to make herbal syrups.

Method 1

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup dried herbs
• filtered or spring water
• 2 cups of honey (either plan or a complementary herbal honey)

1. Add dried herbs and 1 quart of water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Here we are going to make a decoction. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced to 2 cups.
2. Remove from heat and strain your herbs-be sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the herbs and compost the remaining (or use them in other ways-I like to use elderberries to ferment in kombucha).
3. Allow to cool to 100 degrees F. Add 2 cups of your honey and stir well.
4. Once room temperature, refrigerate. This will keep for about 6-8 weeks. I have kept up to three months, but if you notice signs of fermenting or mold, discard.

A typical dosage here is 1 teaspoon for children and 1 tablespoon for adults-but you can adjust as you see fit.

Method 2

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of dried herbs
• 2 2/3 cup of filtered or spring water
• 1 1/3 cup of complementary herbal infused honey
• 1 1/3 cup of complementary herbal tincture

1. Add dried herbs and filtered water to pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer until liquid is 1 1/3 cup of decocted herbs.
2. Remove from heat and strain your herbs-be sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the herbs and compost the remaining (or use them in other ways-I like to use elderberries to ferment in kombucha).
3. Allow to cool to 100 degrees F. Add honey and herbal tincture (or plain alcohol that is 40% or higher-brandy or vodka). This will preserve your syrup indefinitely as well as make it more potent.

A typical dosage here is 1/2 teaspoon for children and 1 teaspoon for adults-but you can adjust as you see fit.

Some amazing herbs to infuse in honey:

• rose
• hawthorn
• elderberry
• hibiscus
• elecampane
• lavender
• tulsi
• cinnamon

PIN FOR LATER

Welcome to week one of the herbal medicine making series! You can find the intro to this series here.

Tea

1. a hot drink made by infusing the dried, crushed leaves of the tea plant (​Camillia sinensis​) in boiling water. Only white, green, oolong, and black are true tea. All from the same plant~just different levels of oxidation and processing.
2. the evergreen shrub or small tree that produces tea leaves, native to South andeastern Asia and grown as a major cash crop.

Tisane
an blend of herbs, spices, and/or fruits prepared as a tea, consumed especially for its medicinal properties.

Infusion
a large amount of herb brewed for a long time. Or the act of steeping plant material in water (hot or cold).

Decoction
hardy plant material (roots, barks, berries) prepared by boiling the plant material and reduce liquid by 1⁄2.

Did you know that when you are saying that you are drinking ‘tea’, and there isn’t actually tea leaves in the blend, you are actually drinking a tisane? For the sake of simplicity; however, we tend to refer to all herbal beverages as teas. For our purposes, teas are steeped or brewed for short periods of time (3-15 minutes), and infusions are steeped for a minimum of 45 minutes up to 8 hours.

Drinking herbal teas (tisanes!) are a great way to relax, enjoy the moment, and benefit from antioxidants, vitamins, flavonoids, minerals, and other healing properties of the herbs. A big part of drinking tea is the process. It is a practice in being mindful, slowing your pace, and acting with intention.

When you are stressed, it is quite easy to grab a skullcap tincture, take a few droppers and move along with your day. Which is great! But sometimes, you need to stop. Breathe. Go into the kitchen. Fill your kettle with fresh filtered water. Turn on the heat, and let it boil. While the water is heating up, measure out a few tablespoons into your cup, jar, tea bag, or infuser. The kettle whistles. Pour the boiling water over your herbs.

Stir in a teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, lemon, sugar, cream-whatever you like to add to your tea. Wait just a few minutes, and strain out the leaves. Hold you tea in both hands, breathe in the earthy aroma, and take that first sip. Ahhhh. The process is important. Build a ritual around it. Make drinking teas a part of your healthy lifestyle habits. Start your children YOUNG, so they don’t eschew them until they are adults.

Herbal infusions, on the other hand, are a nutritional powerhouse. You can replace your daily multivitamins with daily herbal infusions. A longer steeping time really extracts the maximum potential from the plants. Take nettles for example. A cup of nettle tea steeped for 5 minutes has about 35 mg of calcium. An infusion steeped for 4 hours-350 mg.

How to brew an infusion: Place one ounce of your herb in a clean quart sized canning jar. Fill up with boiling water and cap tightly. Let steep for 4-8 hours. Strain. Compost! Sip on your infusion throughout the day. Refrigerate what is left and finish within 24-36 hours.

A few notes about infusions: Bitter herbs do NOT work in infusions. Chamomile, lavender, yarrow, mints, etc. will produce an extremely bitter flavor if steeped for more than a few minutes. Some great choices are: Stinging nettles, oatstraw (my personal favorite), comfrey, mullein, linden flower, burdock root, red raspberry leaf, red clover, elderberry, rose hips, elder flower, marshmallow root, chickweed, and violet leaf.

Susun Weed advises to infuse herbs singularly. You know what you are consuming (especially if there is a reaction) and you develop a more intimate relationship with the plant. For daily use, I like this idea. However, if I’m feeling under the weather, I will mix it up a bit. My favorite infusion for having a cold is nettles, oatstraw, elderberries, rosehips, and mullein. Lots of vitamins, minerals, immunity, and respiratory support.

Simples vs. Formulas

~Simples-Specificity, Quality, Intimacy. Especially when you are just beginning to build a relationship with herbs and herbal medicine, it is suggested and encouraged to start with one herb at a time. Make a cup of chamomile tea. Make an oat straw infusion. Make a burdock root decoction. Work with that singular herb for a period of time. Really get to know it.
~Formulas-Subtlety and Synergy. After you’ve build a small knowledge base of various single plants, you can begin to move towards creating simple formulas.

Synergy Triangle for Blending Herbal Teas

So, you are wanting to make a blend to support a healthy body function, like say, digestion. After you’ve worked with a few herbs by themselves you want to try out a few together and see how that works. Your first thought might be to take all the herbs that you know that are good for digestion and mix them together. That is just overkill-they aren’t working together that way. So, as you may have guessed, there are 3 parts to the Synergy Triangle. 1) the active ingredient. For digestion let’s pick dandelion leaf. 2) the supportive ingredient. Marshmallow root is a good one. It’s nice and soothing for your digestive system. 3) the catalyst. This will provide you with some flavor and makes the tea more potent. Here we can go with either ginger, fennel, or peppermint.

Once you have your herbs chosen, you have to make sure that you have the correct ratios. A general guideline is 3:2:1. You can then make adjustments based on your personal needs.

**Note, during these medicine making lessons, we aren’t going to go into specific herbal profiles just yet. This is just a nice overview about the HOW to create your medicines. I will begin to add a monthly herbal profile to the website and you can also take a look at various herbal books and websites in the meantime to research properties of herbs that you wish to work with.