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 Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:08 pm
I think I'll start us out by giving some instructions for making tinctures, if you're a minor please don't try this out on your own. I know it's not all that dangerous sounding but I don't want to be responsible for anything unfortunate happening.
The info for this "recipe" comes from The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook by James Green. As soon as I've tried it I'll be sure to let you know if I died or not. The book suggests making a Dandelion tincture with it's leaves and roots but please don't go out and start picking dandelions without some sort of field guide. So, to the tincture. First off, for fresh plant cut the root and other parts as fine as possible. For dried plant crush as small as possible. [Book suggests using mortar and pestle OR coffee bean grinder.] For the next step those who are under twenty one would have to have assistance since it requires 100-proof vodka. Put the plant materials in a pint or quart sized jar, whatever fits how much plant material you're using, and fill the jar up to the top of the plant material with the vodka. Then put a piece of wax paper over the top and screw down the lid over it. Once the lid is tight shake the hell out of it. At this point you're going to have to let the mixture, or rather I should say, tincture, sit for 2 weeks [well, that's not completely accurate.] Shake the mixture at least once a day. The book suggests labeling the jar with the herb's name and with the date that will arrive in 2 weeks. After the two weeks you can seperate the tincture from what is known as the "marc" [depleted plant material] by using a large strainer with a piece of muslin cloth lining it. Book says to use "undyed and preferably unbleached cotton muslin" and to make sure the cloth hangs an inch or two over the edges of the strainer. Then you put the strainer [obviously] over the receptacle of your choice and pour the liquid into it. From the illustrations it looks like one of those smaller wire mesh strainers would be best for this. Anyways, after all the liquid has strained through, gather up the edges of the cloth and twist, squeeze and in general maul the remaining material so that the rest of the liquid comes out. Umm... I don't know how strong muslin is but don't take me too literally here, ripping it would cause problems. Then you can discard the "marc" into the compost. Hehe, it's going to be really funny if anyone named marc joins this guild. A solution like this will keep for years as long as it's kept in a cool, dark location. And also, on an after note, for this solution to be preserved for so long "requires a minimum of 18-20 percent of the total volume of the liquid to be ethyl alcohol..." Apparently 100-proof vodka is 50 percent ethyl alcohol, enough so that even with all the plant juices it won't be diluted too much. Well, if anyone else decides to try this let us all know how it turns out, and don't be afraid to post your own recipes. Even soap making recipes would be fun!
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:05 pm
I just got the (huger than expected) bag of pennyroyal that I ordered in the mail. I think I'm going to try making the tincture and putting it into lotion to use against bugs (if I can find some muslin). Another name for pennyroyal is actually fleabane. It's a nice herb to have around, even if there are a few safety concerns when ingesting it, for people and pets as well. Don't get me wrong, infusions using the leaves are okay to drink and good for chest congestion, but just a half a teastpoon of the oil can cause convulsions if ingested and it's very bad for pregnant women to take it, and it's not good to put pennyroyal in your pet's fur either. It does smell good though. 3nodding I'll be sure to mention how it turns out whenever I get to doing it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:14 pm
I found a site online that says that it's okay to use cheese cloth or a coffee filter instead of muslin cloth for straining. It also says that you can use glycerin or vinegar instead of vodka. *wonders which would taste worse* sweatdrop The instructions that it gives are a lot more short and to the point than mine. If you feel like checking it out here's a link. http://healthyherbs.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How_Tinctures_Alcohol_Vinegar0962932758.htm
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 4:52 pm
Nemone I found a site online that says that it's okay to use cheese cloth or a coffee filter instead of muslin cloth for straining. It also says that you can use glycerin or vinegar instead of vodka. *wonders which would taste worse* sweatdrop The instructions that it gives are a lot more short and to the point than mine. If you feel like checking it out here's a link. http://healthyherbs.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How_Tinctures_Alcohol_Vinegar0962932758.htm
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 6:03 pm
such wonderful choices we have. I'm not sure if I even have any alcohol in my apartment, me being pregnant and my husband being gone for the next couple months... Although if I use the pennyroyal tincture to put in a lotion it won't matter what it tastes like, just what it smells like, thank god.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 6:07 pm
Nemone such wonderful choices we have. I'm not sure if I even have any alcohol in my apartment, me being pregnant and my husband being gone for the next couple months... Although if I use the pennyroyal tincture to put in a lotion it won't matter what it tastes like, just what it smells like, thank god.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 7:23 pm
Yeah, excepting the pennyroyal tincture, which I won't use orally until after I have my kid anyway, I'll probably use vinegar, or glycerin. There's a website called mountain rose herbs that sells everything you need for making herbal concoctions so I might find some glycerin there. Of course, if it costs an arm and a leg I won't get it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 7:26 pm
Nemone Yeah, excepting the pennyroyal tincture, which I won't use orally until after I have my kid anyway, I'll probably use vinegar, or glycerin. There's a website called mountain rose herbs that sells everything you need for making herbal concoctions so I might find some glycerin there. Of course, if it costs an arm and a leg I won't get it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 7:47 pm
This site has just about everything you could need. You'll love it. It's easy to find without the link too, just search for mountain rose herbs on yahoo and it's like the first thing to come up. Um... uh oh, cat is VERY attracted to pennyroyal... hahaha, wth, now I'm going to have to like lock it up or something, she's trying to dig through the box to get to the bag inside, hahaha. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/index2.php
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:05 pm
What was the use of the Dandelion Tincture?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soap making recipe, from SCRATCH, and from more than scratch.
I've done it! It works!
Ingrediants for from scrap:
FIRST! Make sure it's the full moon before you start cooking the stuff! (saves you HOURS of time)
woodash (oak works well, but any hardwood will work)
water
vinegar
straw
straining cloth
large container with stopable hole (prefrably near the bottom)
a second relativly large container
uncooked egg
lard (1 gal) (I don't expect you to do your own slaughtering and rendering)
Not from scratch:
Red Devil Lye drain cleaner
water
lard (1 gal)
For both:
large castiron or aluminum container
large laddle (spurtle)
hot fire
Soap mold made of wood (a good size is 1.5 feet long, 6 inches wide, and two inches deep.
Fabric large enough to tuck inside the mold and have ends sticking out.
Take your large container with the hole plugged, and lay a layer of straw at the bottom. This will help filter. Then put in about an inch thick layer of ash. Then more straw, and ash, and repeat until your container is full. At that point, fill with water.
Set it aside for a few weeks. The water will turn BRIGHT yellow. Drain the water through the straining cloth into the second container. Be very careful not to touch the liquid, as it is now LYE, and will cause chemical burns. That's what the vinegar is for... DO NOT!!! rinse lye burns in water. Use vinegar.
When you have your lye, carefully drop the raw egg into it. If the egg touches the surface at all, the lye is too strong, and you need to add water. (STAND AWAY FROM THE CONTAINER WHILE DOING THIS). If the egg touches the bottom at all, the lye is too weak, and needs to be run through fresh ashes, or needs to sit in ashes longer. If the egg stays inbetween (neutrally bouyant) the lye is the right strength.
On or around a full moon day, light a fire, and get it going HOT. For "from scratch" add equal parts lard and lye (remember, the egg has to be neutrally bouyant for the lye to be right). For not from scratch, add equal parts fat and water, as well as 8 oz of lye. Keep well away from container while adding lye. The water in the pot will reach tempratures of over 200F, and WILL SPLASH. Keep vinegar on hand. Now comes the fun part. STIR! And stir. And stir. And stir.
Stir HIGH, pouring the mixture back into the container, about every five to ten minutes (or more). This will help ensure that it is fluffy and floats, as well as will let you see its progress. (And looks great for pictures!) Keep it hot, but not quite boiling. When it makes a solid stream of thick, white, foamy liquid (2-8 hours later). It should be white and foamy all the way through. If it has a slightly brown color, that's because your iron cookware was new, or you're using a wooden spoon.
When it gets to this consistancy (kinda like fudge, before it cools), dampen the cloth that will go in the mold. Put it in the mold, pushing it as far into the corners as you can, then slowly either laddle or pour the soap into the mold. If you plan to make soap often, leave a "starter" of soap in the bottom of the container. Don't EVER wash your soap pot--your soap will come out more white if you don't.
If you want to add scent, now is the time to do it. Stir essential oils in with the soap. Colorings can also be added now, if you so desire. Then, set the soap in a warm (but not hot) dry place, for two weeks.
In two weeks time, you can use the fabric to help pull the soap out of the mold. Then cut it into bars about the size you plan to use (there will be some shrinkage). Set them aside, prefrably not touching eachother. Every few days, turn them so they sit on another side, so that they dry evenly. The longer you let it dry, the longer the soap will last. It's SOAP right out of the pot, but will wash away quickly then.
If you want higher quality soap (french milled), just re-melt it, get it really hot, stir it a bit, then re-mold. This increases the glycerine content, and can be done with ANY soap (including the little scraps you have left over from each bar).
This soap is the most natural you can get. It helps clear up acne, excema, psorisis, poison ivy, and a number of other ailments.
The lady who taught me to make it has been doing it with her family all her life. Her grandmother taught her. www.nosweatsoap.com is their website.
Good luck with your soap.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:21 pm
Dandelion, known in french as "piss en lit" or "wet the bed", is most commonly used as a diuretic. The heads can be used in wine, the sap from the stems (the milk) can be used on warts for a mild, long-term treatment, the young leaves can be used in salads as a rich source of many vitamins, the root can be ground up and used as a coffee substitute... this most common "weed" is a wonderful everything. ^-^
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 10:31 pm
my grandma actually used to cook dandelion greens with our meals instead of spinach sometimes when we were younger. I thought it was cool. I'd love to make the soap... but I have a 2 year old. She's just too curious for me to have any dangerous substances around, if you know what I mean. Maybe when we get a house instead of an apartment there will be space for me to lock that stuff away from her better.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:02 pm
My mom always puts daylilly petals in salads. They taste about like lettuce, and add a LOT of color. smile
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:47 pm
Malkut My mom always puts daylilly petals in salads. They taste about like lettuce, and add a LOT of color. smile Marigold petals, too. And marigolds grow so well indoors, and make some of the best medicines as well as yummy treats like marigold cheesecake, marigold dressing and of course just prettyness into your salads. (Marigold, common garden marigold, is the Calendula Officianalis plant that's so versitile for bruising and other injuries.) Edit: About tinctures, use the glycerin. It's smoother, and a little sweet. Either way, it doesn't bite so much as alcohol or vinegar.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:57 pm
I didn't know that calendula off. and marigold were the same thing. I just bought some calendula ointment the other day. It's worked really well on my daughters bug bites and stuff. xd
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