some things I grew and gathered, or wildcrafted myself- lavender, calendula, usnea, yarrow, lemon balm, red clover, nettle, tulsi, st. john's wort, elderberries..... maybe a few more. the rest I purchased from the bulk section of a favorite local shop, stocked well with goodies from Mountain Rose Herbs. I plan to expand the flowers and medicinal herbs in our garden a bit next year.
before the weather keeps me from being able to do so, I still have plans to gather and dry a bit more comfrey, lemon balm, red raspberry leaf and blackberry leaf, plantain, and yarrow, and to dig up some burdock and dandelion root. good, dirty fun.
a couple days ago I made our first batch of elderberry syrup for the year, and plan to soon make a cough syrup and Rosemary Gladstar's ginger-echinacea cold syrup as well. I recall last year I had plans to brew some things and when I needed them they weren't ready and I ended up dashing out to the health food store and dropping a pretty penny on syrups and remedies- and so I'm trying to be a bit more proactive this year.
here's to good health, and to embracing and keeping alive the traditions, wisdom, and stories behind plant medicine!
All sounds amazing, its an area I have never tried, maybe a little research wouldn't hurt.
ReplyDeleteit is such fun to learn about the things you already have on hand as foods and herbs, and things growing in your yard and beyond, that can be such potent medicines! and it doesn't have to be tinctures... simple syrups and teas are quick and easy and can be quite powerful, too!
Deletei love making up homemade "medicines" too! your photos are just lovely xxx
ReplyDeletethank you~
DeleteI think as with most things, making it yourself infuses it with a little bit of extra goodness ;)
You have a lot of good things going on. Its fantastic that you can harvest and grow so much of it yourself and how wonderful that your daughter is learning that her mama can make all of these good things in the kitchen. I like Mountain Rose Herbs also.
ReplyDeleteI'm having fun! and she really is soaking it up- the other day she came running up to me outside and handed me a fat clump of usnea and said "so you can make more medicine, mama!". so sweet.
Deleteto health!! love your witchery and brews :)
ReplyDeletecheers!
Deletethanks, Karen :)
This blog title was enchanting and mysterious. I love the word play. And these tinctures are very interesting.
ReplyDeletewell I'm glad I can come across as enchanting and mysterious and interesting ;)
DeleteTell me more about that book! I really want to pick it up. I like that there is a movement back to home medicine. I feel like it should still be a standard thing everyone learns. Why we ever dropped it as part of culture I'll never understand.
ReplyDeleteI like it, it's great- and so comprehensive. It is basically her other books (herbal remedies for kids, herbal remedies for women, etc....) compiled into one. You can see it for yourself this week if you'd like!
DeleteI hear you- such wisdom out there concerning herbs and food as medicine.....and fading elders with so much to still pass on. I'm glad the links are being reconnected and people are listening and learning from one another.
I'll drink to good health!
ReplyDeletecheers!
DeleteHi there! (I love the title!) I decided too, this year, to dabble in tincture making :) I just got my herbs and jars and I'm ready to go! I'm a little behind so mine should be ready mid november. We usually get sick in january/february though - so i'm hoping we're good.
ReplyDeleteSo a second and triple tincture is just straining the herbs from the alcohol and then adding another batch of herbs to the same alcohol? hmmmm - must try that :) Thanks for your wonderful posts!
hello and thanks!
Deletewe just got through our first bout of a little something last week- I work at an aftershool program and it seems around mid to late October we usually get hit with something, and then of course things come and go as they pass through the schools and beyond. I can tell already how valuable it will be to have some tinctures and syrups on hand at the ready! I want to make a ginger/garlic infused honey too to take by the spoonful when needed, and fill a jar with lemon and ginger and honey as well to use in teas...... so many fun little ways to incorporate medicines in the day!
as far as I know, yes. An herbalist friend of mine recommended doing that (tripling) with the lemon balm- she said it enhances the effects nicely so that it is a much more fast acting remedy and can be very helpful in times when you need something calming and soothing quickly. I'm sure it would be great to do with others as well- I can see how it would definitely lead to a more potent medicine.
you are so welcome~ thanks for reading and connecting.
Thanks! Did you use elderberries for a tincture also? Or just the flowers? Thanks for answering all my questions:)
DeleteI did! the first photo is of my elderberry tincture before straining- I actually wanted to get some elder flowers to mix in with yarrow and catnip for a fever tea and tincture blend, but I missed the boat gathering our own and haven't found any dried. I figure I will use the elderberry tincture mostly for us adults, and the syrup for the little one.
Deleteyou are most welcome!
oh now I have to try the berries!! And do you mix them after you've created individual tinctures or do you put the herbs together before you add the alcohol? Thank you so much for answering my newbie questions!!!!
DeleteHi Sarah! know that I consider myself a newbie too, for sure- so far I have preferred mixing the herbs together beforehand, but I've wondered about mixing afterwards.... I don't see why it would be a problem to mix them afterwards, but something feels good to me about letting them all stew together.
DeleteTwo years ago we were hit so hard with practically every bug out there, so it seemed. Since then, I have tried to stock up on a few natural remedies at least so they are at hand when needed. I was hoping this year to make most of them, as you are doing, but I think I will have to wait until next year. Enjoy your medicinal crafting and may your cabinet never run empty!
ReplyDeletesome years it is just so bad, isn't it?
Deletefor tinctures, especially, the timing is totally a factor. you can make syrups quickly though- I am hoping to make a cough syrup and ginger/echinacea cold syrup soon. I could have actually used the cough syrup this past weekend when Claire had a pretty funky cough...... ah well!
your "kitchen witchery" (love that) is always so inspiring for me. i would really like to find time to make some digestive tinctures and sauerkraut. i just need to make it a priority. thanks for lighting my spark again :)
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to make sauerkraut for a while now...... it's like yogurt, for me. I'll get into the habit for a bit and then go a long time without making it. thanks for reminding me!
DeleteI love all this! Bea loves the audio series Herb Fairies which is produced by the folks at Mountain Rose Herbs and we have both (she probably more than me because I'm not always listening) learned so much about the healing properties of common weeds and herbs!! When I was an undergrad, in one of my folklore classes, I did some research on traiteurs which are the native French speaking healers in Louisiana. So fascinating. Then and now. Funny though, life took me on a different path and I forgot all about my interest in herbal medicine until recently. I have a Rosemary Gladstar book so I'm determined to place an order for some dried goodness and give it a go this winter. And then plan to grow some of my own for the upcoming seasons. Lovely, lovely photos. So inspiring!!
ReplyDeleteoh I'll have to look into that audio series for Claire- that sounds wonderful!! and that class sounds like it must have been really rich and interesting- I love hearing and reading about old healers and medicine people. good stuff.
Deletethank you, friend.
xo
I so wish we were neighbors! Loving all this herbal goodness you're up to.... the last of wildcrafting weather has come to an end here.... we had snow flurries today!! I've been hunting some mushrooms.... and it's time to decant a whole lot of tinctures I made over the summer - so much herbal magic!
ReplyDeleteoh how fun that would be!
Deletewe've had temperatures in the low 30s the last couple nights, but it looks like we'll be back up to the 40s at night for a couple weeks after, so things aren't quite done just yet around here. not everything, anyway.
hooray for herbal magic!