How to Make Herbal Remedies

by Katherine Aaron, NMD

Tea (infusions)
The oldest and the easiest way to prepare herbal remedies is to steep them as teas. You can use fresh or dried herbs. Growing a few plants of Stevia in your garden is a good idea since a few leaves in your remedy will sweeten the tea and cut any bitterness. To get the most volatile oils from a cup of tea, pour boiling water over your herbs and let them steep for 10 minutes. Don't stir or squeeze the herbs while it's steeping. Tea balls, herb tea spoons, empty tea bags, reusable tea bags and a host of other products are available online, at your health food store and kitchen store. I generally use tea balls, which are two half balls that screw together after you've placed your herbs inside.

Tinctures
Tinctures are made when you extract the volatile oils out of the herbs using a liquid. Drinking alcohol, not rubbing alcohol, that is at least 60% proof and vegetable glycerin are the two most commonly used liquids to do this, but I also use vinegar when making disinfectants and insect repellents (vinegar cannot be used on plants). Using a 3 or 4 parts liquid to 1 part herb are the standard ratios. You’ve probably seen 4:1 written on herbal tinctures you’ve purchased, indicating the stregnth of the tincture.

Add all the herbs and liquid in a large glass jar and cover tightly. Keep it away from sunlight and shake the jar several times every day. It will take 2 weeks to 1 month to extract the active ingredients. Woody plant parts will take a little longer than leafy herbs. When the tincture is completed, pour the liquid through a strainer and squeeze the liquid out of the herbs. I use the custom strainers made for herbalists, which are funnels with a fine mesh screen placed inside. I like these because I can sterilize them and it’s neat and tidy. But you can use any fine mesh strainer or simply place some clean cheesecloth inside a regular strainer or bowl. This method is a little messier.

Store your tinctures in glass bottles. I boil mine to sterilize them, but many herbalists skip that step. Tincture bottles are readily available online and in most health food stores. They come with a dropper built into the cap for easy dosing since you generally only need 15-30 drops per dose. I always mix up some remedies to have on hand, Fill and label the tincture bottles. When stored in a cool dark place they’ll last for years.

Capsules
Capsules are a convenient way to take herbs, but making them requires some equipment unless you're an extremely patient person with a lot of time on your hands. Empty capsules are made from either vegetable or animal sources and are available in an assortment of sizes. These can be found online, herb stores and in the larger health food stores.

Each capsule has two parts, an inner half and an outer half. The inner half is slightly smaller than the outer half to the two sides fit snuggly together. Dip the smaller half into your herb mixture and fill it completely then push the larger half over it. This takes more patience and time than most of us have so the easy way is to buy a capsule maker. These come in a variety of sizes and functions. The manual version of a capsule maker is simply a tray with holes cut out for you to place the small half into. After you’ve poured your herb mixture into the inner half, place the larger half over the smaller half. It only takes a few minutes to make a tray of capsules. The more complex machines will fill and cap them for you but they tend to be on the pricey side for home use. When you’re done, always store your capsules in clean glass jars and keep them away from sunlight and heat.

External Applications
The easiest way to use fresh herbs externally is to make a poultice. Wash fresh herbs, crush or cut them and place the herbs directly on the area. You can also put the herbs between cheesecloth or any very thin cloth and then place it on your skin. Mix dried herbs with a little warm water to make a paste and use it the same way that you use the fresh herbs. Some people lay a moist warm towel over the poultice to keep the herbs in place.

There are ways to use herbs externally that are less messy however. Your tinctures are readily absorbed into the skin so you can simply rub it into the area. However, some herbs, like oregano, may need to be diluted a bit first if you have sensitive skin. Ointments and salves are made by adding your tinctures or finely ground herbs to olive oil, hand lotion or face cream. For hair rinses, put your herbs into an herb ball or cheesecloth bag and place in a large pot. Pour boiling water over them and allow it to cool off sufficiently. Take out the herbs and pour the infusion over your scalp and hair and work it in.

In traditional naturopathy you make 1-2 pints of strong tea with the herb and add it to very warm or hot bath water. Soak until the water cools off. This method allows the body to absorb the herb through your skin as well as treat the external surfaces of your body.

Miscellaneous
In addition, herbs can be tied into bundles and allowed to dry to make smudge sticks. Sage, cedar, sweet grass and rosemary are traditionally used to clear energy in your home or to cleanse auras. A pinch of dried herbs made into a tiny pile can be used as natural incense to enhance your meditations and scent the room. The vibration of the herbs will also assist you. Herbal wands can be used to clear auras and in energywork. In one of my Curandero classes we used rosemary wands, which were just short branches cut from rosemary bushes. Inhaling the aromatic scents that rise up from your cup of herbal tea can be used as aromatherapy. Adding herbs to a warm bath will have the same therputic affect.

Once you’ve learned a few more basics, let your inner child come out to play and give your intuition room to soar and you’ll discover the uses of herbs are boundless.

Click here for an article on standard herbal remedies