The Botanist's Archive
Materia Medica
| Name | Plants Used | Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Bat Wing Tea | Holly/Bat Wing leaves | "The leaves of this tree are toxic and only the proper preparation will remove the toxins. This done wrong will make you vomit. Vomiting in a survival situation is a great way to die. Done right and you will have a healthy, non-bitter tea with vitamins C, A, and packed full of antioxidants.
WARNING: The most important part of this process is air drying the leaves first. If you do not air dry them you will be sick. |
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Herbal extraction is an essential tool for an Herbalist. It is the process of drawing out the helpful compounds and mixing them with other compounds to make it easier to apply. Here is a list of the many wasy one can do this:
Dried plants diluted in hot water. Teas are possibly the quickest herbal extraction one can do. There are two different types of Teas: Infusions and Decoctions.
Infusions - Hot Infusions are made by pouring boiling water over the herbs and allowing them to steep for a determind amount of time and Cold Infusions often made using mucilaginous herbs that form a gel-like consistency when mixed with water, these infusions are steeped under room tempature of cold water and for a much longer time.
Decoctions - made by placing the herb in simmering water for 20-60 minutes, allowing them to decompose and release their helpful compounds.
Herbal extractions using alchohol, for example Rose Hips diluted in Vodka.
Decoctions mixed with a sweetener, most commonly Honey or Glycerin.
Herbal Oils are extractions using a carrior oil, made by mixing dried herbs with an edible oil and allowig it to sit for a determind amount of time. When mixed with a thicker substance such as beeswax or even just whipped they become a salve. A salve in essentially just a thicker Herbal Oil. One can also make an Herbal Vinegar and Herbal Honey by extracting the compounds of the herbs using Vinegar or Honey. An Herbal Honey can also be called an Electuary when the herb is ground into a powder before mixed with the honey. When extracting the compound in both Vinegar and Honey it becomes an Oxymel.
A Tincture using 50/50 mix of Honey and Alchohol rather than just Alchohol.
Combining an herb with a liquid to create a paste rather than a liquid.
Using Glycerin, similar to a Tintcure where the alchohol is replaced with Glycerin.
Crushing the freshly picked plant material then combined with alchohol. The container is then sealed and placed near a low heat source less than 38 Celcius. The Mixture is shaken several times a day and after two week the plant material can be strained out, leaving an essential oil. Used for hardy plants.
Placing a unscented oil on a thin plate and the plant is placed on top, then another pouring of oil is placed on top of that. another plate covers the top and it is left for a day in direct sunlight. The plants are removed and a new set is applied, this is repeated for several months until there is enough oil to extract. Used for delicate plants.
The plant material is placed in a colander set over a pot filled with a few inches of water and then covered and heated to a slow simmer and the steam passes through the plant material. That steam is collected off of the lid as an oil-water mixture. The water can either be removed manually or evaporated over time.
Ways to use Herbal Extractions
There are various ways people use Herbal Extractions in Medical, Magical, and edible applications.
Soaks - soaking the body in an herbal extraction directly.
Salves - placing a Salve directly onto the skin, examples being moisturizers, ointments, etc.
Compress - soaking a cloth in the herbal extraction and placing said cloth directly against skin.
Food and Drink - the most common application of adding the herbal extraction directly into food or drink or drinking the herbal extracton directly.
Inhalations - transforming the herbal extraction into a steam or burning the plant directly to inhale the helpful compounds.
Plant against skin - pressing a part of the plant directly against the skin without making an herbal extraction.
Blood infusions - injecting the dilution directly into the bloodstream via needle.
What's in my first aid kit?
I am personally more of a forager than a gardener at the moment so these plants will be specifically ones i can forage in my local area of Coquitlam BC. feel free to swap out certain plants with ones more accesable to you, this is simply an example herbalist first aid kit.
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