Liniments, Tinctures, Vinegars and Oils

It's glorious Spring time! There are fresh azaleas, lilies of the valley, and rhododendrons for every room. I bought some mason jars to make my lilies of the valley tincture. It's an old remedy for the heart, very old fashioned, which has fallen into disuse in America, probably because of its efficacy and the competitive pharmaceutical market. For that reason, I can't recommend it. It's especially not recommended for arrhythmic conditions. Although, in very small doses....a sip at a time...I believe it could be tonifying to those with arrhythmia as well. I have a slippery pulse myself.

I've just placed an order for a bunch of herbs by the pound. Always exciting. As some of my less used herbs are getting a bit older, I've decided it is time to make tinctures, liniments, and vinegars out of them. I'm not a fan of glycerine tinctures, because of how ineffective at extraction and they are sugary and make me feel bloated to boot, instead I use apple cider vinegar to make a vinegar tinctures. Apple cider vinegar in itself makes a wonderful weight loss, skin clearing, and digestive tonic. Two tablespoons a day is all you need.

Today, I made a yarrow vinegar, not for salads, just to add to fruit juices to bring down a fever, treat colds, diarrhea, or indigestion. It's also useful in rubbing on the body after sweating out a fever. Herbal vinegars make good detoxifying warm footbaths. Add 4 to 8 ounces with the herbs after soaking a week or longer, add 10 drops of a relaxing essential oil, and some warm water, and voila, you have a wonderful foot soak. Or, alternatively, use 4 tablespoons of your vinegar in 2 pints of hot water with a dozen or more stems of hedge nettle, steeped for 15-20 minutes. Yarrow leaves are also good for nosebleeds, when wrapped in the nose.

I made another vinegar for colds, ear aches, and sinus infections with mullein, goldenseal and coltsfoot. Mullein is good for sinus congestion, ear aches, and sore throats. Goldenseal is a digestive, good for UTIs, constipation, CFS, skin impurities, ear infections, and the common cold. Coltsfoot, I use for sore throats.

My anti-inflammatory pain liniments have avocado seeds, chilli, safflower, white sage and either helichrysum or du zhong. Helichrysum is an amazing flower. It's analgesic, anti-arthritic, anti-allergenic, anti-phlogistic, diaphoretic, nervine, antitussive, and antispasmodic. So, it helps with pain relief, allergies, fevers, coughs, nervous tension and spasms.

I made an odd looking gugul gum tincture. Gugul is related to myrrh, and is in the Ayurvedic lexicon. It's anti-arthritic, lowers cholesterol, softens hardened arteries, reduces acne and helps with weight loss. Drinking it is a very odd sensation because it coats the mouth. Very aromatic and pungent like chewing oris root for bad breath or drinking elecampane for respiration, but the way it coats the tongue is unique to gum resins, I think. Myrrh makes an excellent tincture for gum health, and mouthwashes, so perhaps gugul could have the same effect.

And looking at my herbs last night, I got excited about rodiola and red sage again. Rodiola is a wonderful herb to take to improve a workout (like ashwagandha and goji berries). It relieves depression like St. John's wort and like epimedium it's side effects can include increased sexual appetite and longevity in the bedroom. Speaking of male vitality herbs, hibiscus can improve erections and stamina in some men, but ephedra seems to be much more effective. It brings blood to every part of the body, and if one doesn't have a heart condition and isn't prone to panic attacks, it is very good for deep breathing and clearing out the lungs. It is also helpful to women sexually, increasing appetite and drive. Be careful with ephedra though, it can lead to dehydration and headaches, even irregular heartbeats. Not to be taken when drinking coffee or in the case of heart conditions. I find that 1/8 to 1 teaspoon in a cup of ho shou wu or roasted dandelion tea is plenty, be great with saw palmetto too...you probably don't need to drink a tablespoon plus...just increase your water intake if you don't feel results in the first half hour. Best on an empty stomach.

Red Sage is used in formulas in Traditional Chinese Medicine, for heart and liver conditions. It is used to improve circulation, regulate irregular and painful menses, reduce inflammation and calm the mind. The liver is part of the lymphatic system, but it plays a role in breaking down sugars and fats. If the liver is congested and full of toxins, it has a harder time cleaning the blood of impurities. It also helps to regulate hormones, so at the root of hormone imbalance is checking the liver and often a good liver cleanse. For this reason, any time the hormones are out-of-wack, herbalists will often use milk thistle. I do in my Juno Estrogen Booster for wise women and my Athena PMS Pain Relief combination.

Just made a rum-based ovulation tonic, a rum-based respiration and heart tonic, a rum-based weight loss tincture with amla, and a cinnamon-whiskey-based analgesic arthritis tincture. Now, I feel like I should have tattoos, be brewing my own beer in my basement, playing music with a saw while wearing a vest, a derby and a pocket watch...First things first.