Herbalism Guidelines

Notes on Harvesting and Medicine Making

Spring has arrived in temperate regions of the world. Flowers are blooming, roots are deepening and green medicine abounds. For those of you interested in exploring edible and medicinal plants in your environment, now is the time to get started.

But first, a few guidelines on harvesting:

Make sure the plant you’re harvesting is who you think they are. It’s helpful to learn and work with a few plants, or even one plant at a time, to build relationships. Be mindful, and don’t harvest so many plants that you threaten the continuation of that particular population. Avoid gathering near roads, power lines, or areas that may have been exposed to fertilizers, chemicals, pesticides, or other forms of chemical pollution. Gather your herbs with respect and gratitude to the plants and to the environments they grow in. Survey the environment to make sure there’s enough so they will continue to grow and feed the wild creatures that depend on them.

It is a beautiful practice to pause and ask permission from the plant and land before harvesting. Mindful interactions initiate a relationship of reverence and open the door to deeper levels of intimacy with Mother Earth.

HERBAL INFUSIONS:

Herbal infusions provide the body with easy-to-assimilate nutrition. They differ from tea because the plant material is steeped for a longer period of time which allows for all the medicinal constituents, including vitamins and minerals to be liberated from the herb. Regular drinking of infusions over time provides deep nutrition for the body.

TO PREPARE YOUR INFUSION:

Place your dried herbs into a glass mason jar (the amount varies with the herb and your intention) while you bring water to a near boil. I like to use the half-gallon mason jar so I have an infusion to last me at least a couple of days. Pour the boiling water into the jar with your herb, mix with a wooden spoon or chopstick, and screw the lid on tight. After about 20 minutes - 8 hours, depending on the herb, strain and squeeze the extra goodness out of the wet herbs through a strainer or cheesecloth and drink the liquid: cold, hot, or at room temperature. 

Note: Mucilaginous herbs like linden and marshmallow root may release more of their gooey healing with cold infusions.

Steeping times and qualities:

FLOWERS: Since flowers are the most delicate part of the plant their steeping time is much shorter. I typically infuse flowers and leaves at the same time, but if I infuse flowers alone, it is usually for no more than 20 minutes. 

ROOTS: Roots are the densest part of plants such as Burdock, Dandelion, and Solomon’s Seal. The medicinal aspects of most roots are often found in their alkaloid content, which dissolves slowly into water. Steeping amount & time: Roughly 1 ounce of dried herb to a pint of water; steeped (ideally) for 4-8 hours.

BARKS: This refers to the inner bark (cambium layer), which lies just underneath the outer layer we see. The nourishment and life force of the tree move through this layer, making it a valuable source of medicine. Remember not to take bark from the trunk of a tree. I use freshly fallen branches or the outer branches on the tree if there are none on the ground. Steeping amount & time: 1 ounce of dried herb to a pint of water; steep for about 4-8 hours.

LEAVES: Long steeping extracts all the healing benefits of chlorophyll, along with their minerals, and vitamins. Some leaves are tougher than others. Those with more delicate structures release medicine more quickly, so, use your judgment. Steeping amount & time: 1 ounce of dried herb to a quart of water; steeped from 4 to 8 hours.

SEEDS & BERRIES: There is differing information about brewing seeds. According to Susun Weed: “seeds are engineered to open and release their properties immediately upon contact with water, so they do not need to be infused for a long time. In fact, if seeds are brewed for too long, bitter oils and esters are leached out into the water, and a foul-tasting brew results.” Dried berries such as Hawthorn are best simmered and then steeped for up to 4 hours to release their healing properties. Steeping amount & time: 1 ounce of dried herb to a quart of water; steeped from 30mins to about 4 hours depending on the plant.

DECOCTION: In these concentrated remedies, water is brought to a boil, while the plants like Chaga, dense roots, bark, seeds, and berries, are simmered in the water for fifteen minutes to an hour or more. The amount of herb and length of simmering time for decoctions depends on the fungus or plant. The traditional method used for making a simple herbal decoction is to simmer the herbs until the liquid is reduced by half.

TINCTURE:

The best tinctures are made from fresh plant material. Tear or chop the plant material to extract as much medicine as possible (except flowers and delicate plants). Fill a glass jar 2/3-3/4 of the way to top with the plant material. You want to make sure the plant material is completely covered by the liquid. Then fill the jar to the top with 100-proof vodka, vinegar (ideally raw, organic apple cider vinegar), or the spirit of your choice. Cap the jar tightly. Label the jar with the name of the plant, the part of the plant used, the type of the spirit used, and the date. Top up the liquid level the next day. Let it sit for six weeks or more so that you have a potent medicine. Decant the tincture and it is ready to use.

Using Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar has long been used as a solvent in medicine making. While the vinegar extractions don’t break down plant constituents as effectively as alcohol, they do extract sugars, tannins, glycosides, bitter compounds, alkaloids, vitamins, and minerals. They are excellent for mineral-rich herbs like nettles. Make sure that you use wax paper between the jar if using a metal lid otherwise, the vinegar will eat away at the metal. 

Decanting Tincture: Pour off the alcohol and put it into a tinted glass bottle, and cap tightly. To extract all the medicine from the wet plant material, put small handfuls of it in a cotton cloth and wring. Label the bottle of decanted tincture with the same information you put on the original tincture. When you’re ready to use the tincture, put some of the decanted tincture in a tinted glass bottle with a dropper top. Use only glass droppers, as residues from plastic droppers interfere with the medicinal actions of the herbs.

OXYMELS:

The ancient Greek word oxymel translates to “acid and honey.” The simplest definition is an herbal extraction of vinegar and raw honey. When combined with herbs that carry complementary actions, oxymels offer potent and tasty support for wellbeing. Like herbal vinegar, oxymels should be stored in glass jars with a non-metal lid since the vinegar in the mixture will corrode a metal lid. If needed, you can place a piece of parchment or wax paper between the jar and the lid.

Cold method: fill a small jar about half to three-fourths full of herbs. Pour honey over them, then vinegar. Use about 1/3 of the jar filled with honey to 2/3 of the rest vinegar or 1/2 jar honey and 1/2 jar vinegar. The amount is flexible. Both honey and vinegar act as preservatives, so you’re not going to ruin the mixture by altering the ratios. Stir together and cover, and then shake it every day until they’ve blended. Let it sit for four weeks or more.  

Hot method: Simmer herbs and vinegar together for ten to twenty minutes, and stir in honey while the vinegar is still warm. Then, place it in a glass jar and let it sit for four weeks (or less if you want to use it sooner). 

HERBAL OILS:

Place dried (or partially dried) herbs in a dry glass jar. It's important to break up the herb first as it exposes more of the plant to the oil, making for a better infusion. Flowers can be put in whole. If using dried herbs, it's helpful to warm the oil a bit first. Fill the jar almost to the brim with oil as an air gap will promote oxidation and spoilage. Stir the contents (wooden chopsticks are good) until all bubbles have dispersed and cap. This works well for fresh plant material as it allows moisture to escape. Infuse on a bright sunny windowsill or in a nice warm spot. Shake and swirl around as much as possible as it’s steeping, particularly during the first couple of weeks, then leave to infuse for another 4-6 weeks. 

I’ll be posting information on making poultices, steam, bath, and cleaning blends soon. For those of you interested in deepening your knowledge, I’m offering some new courses.

Happy harvesting!