Making your own
herbal preparations is not only fun, but can be a cost-effective way to
incorporate the healing power of herbs for both your mind and body. Some
of these herbal concoctions do require a certain degree of time and skill, but
there are lots of simple remedies you can make yourself, including teas,
syrups, and creams. You may need to do a bit of research to know which
are herbs are most effective for your ailments, but soon you'll be on your way
to making your own herbal preparations with the following recipes:
PREGNANCY NOTE (all
herbs and their essential oils should be avoided unless under the supervision
of a medical professional): the list is not all inclusive, but some specific
herbs to avoid are: aloe vera powder, regular use of anise, black cohosh,
blue cohosh, burdock, catnip, regular use of chamomile, cinnamon in large
doses, cloves in large doses, comfrey, ginseng, goldenseal, jasmine, juniper
berries, licorice, lobelia, mandrake, mugwort, large doses of nutmeg,
pennyroyal, regular use of peppermint, large doses of sage, tansy, large doses
of turmeric, wormwood, yarrow.
Cream (simple) Creams are
an emulsion of oil and a water soluble liquid, allowing the final product to be
readily absorbed by the skin. The easiest way to make creams is to buy an
emulsifying cream from the natural products store or the drugstore, and heat
the desired herb plant material in it.
Instructions: Melt the
emulsifying cream in a bowl placed over a pot of boiling water.
Add one large tablespoon of dried herbs to the mixture. Stir slowly until you
see the cream taking on the color of the herbs.
Remove the mixture from heat and strain. Squeeze out the remaining liquid from
the clump.
Allow the cream to cool in a glass bowl.
Spoon the cream into small, dark bottles, and store in a cool, dark place.
Cream will be preserved for use for up to one year.
Decoction A decoction
is similar to an infusion, and necessary when using tougher plant material like
herbal roots, barks, seeds, berries, and stems. These parts need to have their
active components extracted in a more intense process.
You'll need:
1 ounce of dried herb
3 cups of water
Instructions: Bring
water to a rolling boil, then add herbs and cover; reduce heat; let mixture
simmer for 10 to 15 min over low heat; leave to soak another 10 min; keep
covered throughout the process; strain, cool and use. Internal dose is usually
1/2 cup, 3 times a day. Store in a pitcher in a cool place or
refrigerate. The decoction can be reheated and flavored with a little
honey if desired.
Instructions: Boil the
water without herbs in it. Turn off heat, add herbs, cover and let steep
for 10 minutes. Strain & drink. You can make the concoction in
the cup-sized doses or larger teapot doses. If using for medicinal value, the
infusion should be consumed in 8-ounce doses, three times a day.
For storage: cover mixture, store in a cool place, and use within 24 hours.
Macerations(simple process) A maceration is
essentially an infusion that is made by soaking the herbs in cold instead of
boiling water. Some herbs are most effectively infused in cold water, including
Valerian and Wild Cherry Bark
(great for coughs).
You'll need:
2 teaspoons of dried herbs (more if fluffy)
1 cup of cold water
Instructions: Place the
herbs in the cold water and leave the mixture overnight or up 18 hours in a
cool place. Strain the mixture, and consume the same way you would an
infusion. If using for medicinal value, the maceration should be consumed
in 8-ounce doses, three times a day.
Infused Oils are made
by extracting the herbal constituents and volatile oils from the herbs for a
later use. Any vegetable oil will do, yet olive, almond, canola, and sesame
oils are the best. Herbal oils can be added to cosmetics, cold process
soap recipes, for culinary use, or massaged into sore body parts. Herbal oils
can be infused by two methods; cold infusion and hot infusion.
Oil Infusion
(hot)
You'll need:
1 cup of dried herbs
2 cups of oil
a large glass bowl that can fit on top of a
pot
pot holders to handle the glass bowl
Instructions:
Prepare a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Place the herbs and oil in
the glass bowl.
Heat mixture slowly over low heat for about 3 hours.
Strain into a bowl. Let the oil cool, then transfer into dark, glass bottles
sealed with a cap. Store in a cool, dark place.
Oil Infusion
(cold)
You'll need:
a large jar like a mason jar with a tight
sealing lid
3-4 cups of dried herbs
4 cups of oil (depending on the size of the
jar)
Instructions: Obtain a
large jar with a tightly sealing lid, and fill it compactly with herb flowers
or leaves.
Pour in the oil, covering the herbs, and screw on the lid.
Place jar on a sunny windowsill for about a month. Remember to shake and turn
the jar daily.
Strain the mixture, capturing the oil in another container.
Transfer the oil into a dark bottle, and store in a cool, dark place.
Note: Use dried herbs.
Fresh herbs contain water and could cause the oil to go rancid.
For ear infections, use Mullein.Put
1-2 drops of this directly into the ear canal for earaches and ear infections.
Ointment
Excellent for appying herbs topically to rashes, eczema, sore muscles and
joints.
You'll need:
4 ounces of Un-Petroleum Jelly
1/4 cup herbs
double boiler
Instructions: Melt the
Melt & Pour Un-Petroleum Jelly in the top of a double
boiler. Add the herbs and let it simmer on very low heat for 30
minutes. Then strain and pour into a container. The mix will
thicken into an ointment.
Suggestions: Mix with Ginger
Root and spread on the chest for bronchitis to draw out
mucus. Mix with Green Tea
for an anti-wrinkle treatment.
Pills Pills are used in the
same way as gelatin capsules, but they have the advantage that they can be
prepared entirely with herbs and the herbs don't need be powdered so
finely. Coarse powders can be made from the dried or cut herb using a
coffee mill/grinder.
Instructions: Mix the
ground herbs with the Slippery Elm, slowly add water and mix it in with the
herbs until a doughy consistency is reached.Roll the dough into little balls
about the size of a pea. The pills may be taken immediately, but to
preserve them for later use, dry them in the warm air or in an oven on low
heat.
The pea-sized
pills contain about half the dose of a gelatin capsule, therefore when
following a dosage schedule for capsules, use twice the number indicated when
using pills as a substitute.
Poultice(basic paste/plaster) Poultices
act by increasing blood flow, relaxing tense muscles, soothing inflamed
tissues, or drawing toxins from an infected area. Thus, they can be used to
relieve the pain and inflammation associated with abscesses; boils; bruises;
carbuncles; fibrocystic disease; fractures; enlarged glands in the neck, breast
or prostate; leg ulcers; sprains; sunburn; tumors; and ulcerated eyelids. They
are also used to break up congestion, draw out pus, and remove embedded
particles from the skin.
Instructions: Mix the
herbs with the water, then add enough of the clay, flour, or corn meal to make
a thick paste that can be easily applied. Spread the paste onto the center of a
soft cloth which measures about 6 to 8 inches square and has about 4 layers of
thickness. Apply directly to the area with the paste side against the skin and
press it down a bit so it sticks to the skin. Cover with a dry cloth and leave
in place until the paste pulls away on its own.
Instructions: Place a
colander over a pot of rapidly boiling water. Make sure that the water will not
touch the herb material in the colander. Steam the herbs until they are
drenched and softened. Remove and wait about 10 minutes, then take the steamed
herbal mass to the affected area. Cover with a cloth to hold in the heat and
wrap with a dry cloth. When the poultice cools, reapply as needed.
Powders/Capsules Herbs can be powdered
in a coffee mill. If you'll be be doing much work with herbs, you should
have one just for powdering herbs. A standard size 00 capsule will hold about 500-600
mg of powder when being done by hand, with the standard dose being 2 to 3
capsules taken 2 or 3 times a day. To fill the capsule with the powdered herb,
place the powder in a saucer and separate the two halves of the capsule. Slide
the 2 halves together through the powder. Fit the halves together and store in
a dark glass jar in a dark place out of direct heat.
For larger
quantities and for more concentrated capsules, I recommend our Cap-M-Quik
capsule maker. It can make 50 at a time and our kit comes with
a tamper that allows you to compact the herbs so that the 00 capsules will hold
about 800-1000 mg of powder.
Salves Salves are made by
combining heated oil with a particular herb until the oil absorbs the plants
healing properties. Adding beeswax will thicken the mixture to the desired
consistency.
Most common
recipe: You'll
need:
5 ounces of herb infused oil (recipe
above)
2 ounces of beeswax
Optional: 1 drop Tincture
of Benzoin or Grapefruit Seed Extract per ounce of salve (as a
preservative)
a large glass bowl that can fit on top
of a pot
pot holders to handle the glass bowl
Instructions: Pour the
infused oil into the glass bowl, and place over a pot of boiling water. Add the
beeswax to the infused oil, stirring constantly until the wax has completely
melted. The beeswax will thicken the mixture, giving it just the right
consistency. You can now add one drop of preservative per each ounce of
mixture at this point (optional). Pour the warm liquid into small, dark
ointment jars. Store in a cool, dark place.
Alternate recipe
when you don't already have an herb infused oil: You'll
need:
a few tablespoons of dried herbs
1 cup of water
5 ounces of oil
2 ounces of beeswax
Instructions: Boil herbs
in water until sufficiently extracted; strain and put wet herbs back into the
pot. Add oil to the herbs and continue to simmer till all the water
evaporates; add the beeswax, stirring constantly until the wax has completely
melted. The beeswax will thicken the mixture, giving it just the right
consistency. You can now add one drop of preservative per each ounce of
mixture at this point (optional). Pour the warm liquid into small, dark
ointment jars. Store in a cool, dark place.
Suppository/Bolus
This is a preparation of herbs mixed with a suppository base and molded into
special shapes for insertion into the rectum, vagina, or urethra. The
suppository bases are solid at room temperature but melt at the temperature of
the body. Suppositories should be stored in a refrigerator, especially during
the summer. The best shape for these is a torpedo-shaped cylinder about
2" in length and with the center bulging and the ends tapered.
Aluminum foil can be used to shape a mold or you can purchase molds.
You'll need:
3 ounces of cocoa butter
1 oz finely powdered herbs
Instructions: Simmer the
herbs and cocoa butter in the top of a double boiler until well combined and
liquid in form. Pour out into a foil mold, allow to harden, then
store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Syrup
You can make an herbal infusion, decoction, or tincture into a syrup, using
sugar or honey as a preservative. Herbal syrups are soothing for coughs, sore
throats, and other common respiratory ailments.
You'll need:
One pint of either the herb infusion
(not the oil infused) or an herb decoction
One pound of unrefined sugar or honey
Instructions: Stir
mixture together in a saucepan and boil until the sugar or honey has dissolved
completely. The mixture has become a syrup at this point.
Let the syrup cool. Store the syrup in dark, glass bottles capped with a
cork or another non-sealing lid. It is important that the syrup is not
kept in a tightly sealed container because as the syrup begins to ferment it
may cause the bottle to explode. Store in the refrigerator.
Tea Making herbal teas
may be the easiest of all herbal remedies. Herbal teas can be made by simply
adding fresh or dried herbs to a pot, or cup of boiled water. To begin, place 1
teaspoon of dried herbs per I cup of water into a teapot or teacup. Add boiling
water, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. You must then strain your tea by
pouring it through a strainer of some sort. You can also use an Herb/Tea
Strainer Ball, the Teaspoon Strainer, Muslin (re-usable) tea bags, or paper tea
bags that can be ironed closed.
Tincture Herbal tinctures
allow you to make an herbal remedy and store it for a long period of time,
making them available at short notice to be used with teas, salves, creams,
etc. to make an instant herbal remedy. Tinctures are made by steeping dried
herbs in alcohol or vinegar. The liquid extracts the volatile oils and active
constituents from the herbs, and preserves them for ultimately forever. Vodka
is the best alcohol to use due to its tastelessness. A standard herbal
tincture should have 1 fluid ounce of pure alcohol for every ounce of water;
essentially 50% alcohol or 100 proof vodka. This ratio is up for some
debate. Some people recommend 100% alcohol, others say 3 to 1
alcohol/water.
You'll need:
8 ounces of dried herbs, be sure to cut the
herbs into small pieces first.
a large glass jar that can hold 4 cups of
liquid (adjust liquid amount to fit in jar if necessary)
2 cups of vodka
Instructions: Put the
dried herb into a large, glass jar and pour in equal amount of liquid, making
sure the herbs are completely covered (this is very important). Store the
jar in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks, preferably 4. Make sure to
shake the mixture every day. When ready to use, filter the mixture using
a cheesecloth bag, coffee filter, or fine cloth, capturing the tincture liquid
below in another container. Store the tincture in clean, dark glass
containers, out of the sun. If stored properly the tincture will be preserved
for two or more years. Vinegar tinctures should be refrigerated.
Note: A drop of tincture is equal to 1 tsp of herb juice.
For Vinegar
Tinctures, use 1 ounce of herb per 5 ounces of vinegar.
Tonic Wines Like
herbal tea, a glass of tonic wine is a delicious way to intake herbal remedies.
Using root remedies of tonic herbs like Gingeror Licoricecan be a refreshing
remedy for ailments. Choose a tonic herb to suit your needs and then begin
preparation.
You'll need:
a large glass pot, jar or vat
1 cups of dried herbs
2 cups of a good quality red wine (enough to
cover the herbs, add more if necessary)
Instructions: Mix
together the herbs and the wine making sure there's enough wine to completely
cover the herbs. Put a lid on the mixture or cellophane wrap. Leave
the mix for at least 2 weeks. Filtering out the liquid, drink the mixture in
one sherry-sized glass (2-3 fluid ounces) dose per day.
As you pour out the liquid, keep adding more red wine to cover the herb so it
doesn't get moldy. This mixture will last you for several months, as the wine
continues to extract the active components of the herbal roots, before the
herbs will need to be replaced.
