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Herbs
Written by:
One of my family members
Shelly
(Thank you so much )
Greetings everyone. Hope this finds all of you doing well. Everyone few weeks or
so I will be putting some info here about herbs, alternative therapies,
tinctures herbal salves. I hope that it serves to be useful for those who take
the time to read the information. Please understand these are my experiences
with and how they have helped me, well along with a few other folks. Always
always consult your physician before taking any type of herbal if you are
currently taking an allopathic medicine( prescription). If you are new to herbs
use them sparingly at first then build up to a therapeutic level if needed. They
are natures meds and we need to respect them like we would any other OTC type of
medicine. With all that said again I hope you all enjoy this and please ask
questions I will answer to the best of my abilities, or find the answer for you.
The best way to become familiar with herbs is to use read and experiment just
like anything else we embark on in life. Be well all be safe and God Bless
Herbs and more
One of the easiest things to do is grow your own herbs. If you don't want to
grow them you can easily go to an herb store and purchase them to make many
poultices, tinctures, salves, or infusions. Here is a little info on the
different methods you can make yourself to do the same thing allot of those very
expensive items we buy can do. The best part is that we aren't adding all the
chemicals.
Poultices: A poultice is a vegetable matter, whole or mashed. These are applied
externally. So the healing properties are soaked in by the skin. They can reduce
swelling, help with circulation, speed up healing of cuts bruises. For example
comfrey helps reduce swelling, reduce
the stay of bruises, and help to ease sprains. You can use them fresh or dried.
Just moisten them and apply in a half inch layer placed directly on the skin.
Bind the the poultice with a clean cloth. Don't use this on open wounds as it
speeds the recovery rate and can actually trap bacteria. Used
topically it is considered safe.
TINCTURES: These are made by soaking fresh or dried herbs in alcohol to extract
the healing properties of the plant.
Most tinctures can be taken internally, by diluting them in water. The best
thing about tinctures is they stay for up to a year. Some are meant to be
applied externally. To make a tincture simply cover the ground or minced herb
with pure grain alcohol. If you use any other alcohol such as vodka use at least
a 80%. When using pure grain alcohol pair it with a 1-1 ratio of water. The
completed tincture needs to set for at least 3 weeks. Make sure the herbs are
completely covered
to prevent rotting. After to 3 weeks strain the tincture through
a clean cloth squeezing out every drop of liquid. Let the liquid settle
overnight. Then strain it again.
Stay tuned for making infused oils and salves and balms. Hope you enjoy.
INFUSED OILS: There are some herbs you can dissolve in vegetable oil to get
their healing benefits. The results are great because you can use them
topically. They are also a good added ingredient for skin creams salves and lip
balms. You can use hot and cold methods for infusing oils. Its a 1 part herb to
3 parts oil ratio. The hot method requires you maintain a degree of 110-120
temperature for 14 days. remember to stir it daily. A crock pot works great for
this method) At the end of the 2 weeks strain the oil. The cold method requires
all the same as the hot except you allow the mixture to set at room temperature
till the oil has taken on the color and flavor of the herb used. Always make
sure the leaves remain fully immersed. To speed the cold method put the infusion
in the direct sun window where ever it is accessed to the sun.
Salves & Balms: This one is easier than most you are actually thickening the
infused oils by adding melted beeswax to them.
for every cup of infused oil add 2 Tablespoons of melted beeswax. You can adjust
the beeswax ratio to your particular needs a bit more can make a balm say for
lip balm. If you want it as a lotion type of item use less beeswax. It's a trial
and error type of thing but once you play with it it becomes easier and easier.
Please read up on your herbs to before making any kind of infusion or balms
salves etc. Allot of us can be sensitive to the healing properties. Remember
this is the direct healing ingredient that allot of the big guys out there use
in the commercial types of the same items. Except they add a whole bunch of
other junk we don't really need and that our bodies really don't respond to well
with long term use.
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