Preparing Herbs for use

[Illumin]

I have been doing research on herbs and this is what I have learned about preparing herbs for use. I thought that you all might appreciate having this information at hand. If any of this is incorrect or unfinished please let me know.

Infusion

Pour boiling water over the plant, and steep to extract the active ingredients. The normal amounts are 1/2 to 1 ounce of plant to 1 pint of boiling water, cover and let steep for 8-10 minutes.

Cold Extract

Used for preserving the most volatile ingredients. Only extracts minor amounts of mineral salts, and bitter principle. Add double the ammount used for an infusion to cold water and let sit for 8-10 hours.

Decoction

This method is used primarily to extract the mineral salts and bitter principle rather than vitamins, and volatile substances. Bring 1/2 an ounce of plant per 1 cup of water to boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 4 minutes. Cover and remove from heat, let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Juice

Chop and press fresh plants to make juice, add water and press again. Excellent for getting vitamins and minerals from the plant, best if used immediatly.

Powder

Grind dried plant parts untill powdered.

Ointment

Add 1 part powdered remedy to 4 parts hot petrolium jelly or lard.
OR:
Add the decoction of desired herb to olive oil and simmer untill all water has evaporated. Add beeswax as needed to get firm consistency. A little gum benzoin or 1 drop tincture of benzoin per 1 ounce will help to preserve the ointment.

Infused Oils

Gather the plant in the morning before the plant begins to bud, so that the oils are at thier peak. (After a plant begins to bloom they loose potence) Check for damage. Rinse with water and pat dry. Place 1 cup in plastic storage bag and bruise with a small mallet or rolling pin just enough to cause them to release oils. Prepare a jar with at leaste 1 cup of oil, any vegetable oil will work. (Almond oil is best if the oil is to be used on the skin) Add the bruised plant to the oil, and seal container allow to steep in a warm area for 24-48 hours (do not place in direct afternoon sunlight as this will cook the plant matter). Strain the plant from the oil and return the oil to the container, gather more plants, bruise and place in container repeat this proccess untill desired strength, at least 3x's. Store in a dark container in a dark area.

Poultice

Crush the medicinal part of the plant to a pulpy mass, mix with a hot sticky substance such as moist flour. Apply to the body, and wrap with a hot moist towell, moisten periodically. A poultice will draw impurities from the body.

Incencse

Put 1 tablespoon gum arabica into about 8 ounces of warm water, mix thoroughly. Add water or gum arabica untill you reach appropriate consistency. For sticks it should be about the consistency of oatmeal, for cones it should be dough like. This is your mucolage, cover the mucolage with a hot damp rag and sit aside. Make the base incencse by mixing 11 tablespoons of desired powdered herb/s, 2 tablespoons benzoin, and 9 drops of desired essential oil/s. Mix thoroughly untill you have a fine powdery substance. Weigh this and add 10% of the weight in saltpeter. Mix thoroughly. If the mucolage has dried add a little water and mix untill you have reached the appropriate consistency again. Add a little mucolage to the powdered incencse at a time untill the powder is thoroughly dampened.
For cones shape on wax paper, and set aside in a warm place untill dried. About 5 days.
For sticks dip a bamboo stick into the mixture let dry for a moment and repeat process untill desired thickness. Poke into a styrofoam block and let dry in a warm place for about 5 days.
Time required to dry may vary depending upon thickness.

I hope this helps you all.

[Shanti]

This is more like using them that preparing before use.
I would think of prep as ways to dry, freeze, and store.

I have to point out as this is a common mistake. Your essential oil is an infused oil!! Big, big difference.
An essential oil is only the oil extracted from a plant and its a very complex process that involves expensive equipment. It take a lot of plant to make one drop of essential oil.
Nothing is added to an essential oil.
As soon as you add an oil not from the plant/s your extracting from, its an infused oil.
Oil infusions can be fun to make and try new things with.


An infused oil is much less potent and safe to use for the most part. Its a process of infusing an oil with plants properties.

Some essentials are so potent that they need to be diluted for many applications.

[Shanti]

Essence

Dissolve 1 ounce of essential oil to 1 pint of alchohol; this is done to preserve the volatile oils of many plants which are not water-soluble.

This one for me doesn't makes sense.
If you have an essential oil, its fine the way it is. All thats in it is in it! Adding it to alcohol wont add anything else and it will give you just an alcohol smelling infusion.

Maybe the idea here was more of a tincture. But with an alcohol tincture you use the plant parts and the alcohol extracts the properties from the plant. It extracts both water and oil based properties. Thats why I like making alcohol tinctures.
But you use the plant not its essential oil. Its oils and water properties are all in the plant and the alcohol removes them from the plant.

[Shanti]

To add from the mom in me...I'm hopeless.

Anything done for consuming, please research thoroughly as amounts of ingredients and processes vary from plant to plant and purpose to purpose!!
So a generalized 'use 1 oz of herb' can vary greatly depending on what herb you are using. Some harmless herbs can become very harmful if to much is used. Some helpful herbs wont help if to little is used.
So be safe, research till you drop!!

[Illumin]

Thank you for the help.

[Illumin]

To make an alchohol tincture do I let it sit about the same as for a cold extraction?

[Shanti]

Originally Posted by Illumin

To make an alchohol tincture do I let it sit about the same as for a cold extraction?

Again it depends on the herb used. How the herbs is prepared, powdered, whole, if its flower tops, chopped, stems, root, etc.
Some take weeks and some months.

For me a golden rule, no tincture is ready for my use for at least 6 weeks, thats the minimum.
Most take longer for me.
I use a lot of dried roots and whole plants.

All alcohol tinctures should be used only with dried material. You dont want water from the plant diluting the alcoholic, especially if using vodka. With Everclear you can get away with a little more.
I use vodka. I dont like frying my throat and prefer my tinctures straight, not diluted in anything.