Oils, Tonics, infusions and more! As a green witch and a kitchen witch, I often make these for uses around the house. Cleansing, anointing, and for health benefits too, it all depends on what you are looking for.

For more information on introduction into herbs and their uses please check out our post here:

Herbs, Spices, & Natural Healing Introduction.

https://luna-owl.com/2020/08/26/herbs-spices-natural-healing-introduction/

If you have any questions about what oils work best or what herbs to use for specific circumstances, or uses you can always leave a comment on the blog posts, check out our social media or send us an email at tellyourstory@luna-owl.com

There are various different methods you can use to extract the essence from the plants. 

Infusion: An immersion is when one steeps plants in water or lubricate to collect their advantageous characteristics. One of ultimate prevalent infusions is beverage, that most of us are used to guzzling.

Decoction: This is angered a spice or salad in water, so the water therefore holds the dissolved elements of the plant being boiled. This is an excellent design for hardier plants that won’t ‘abandon ability’ accompanying gentler systems – a proper behavior hopeful chaga or reishi mushrooms.

Tincture: A resolution of intoxicating or intoxicating and water, in addition to the plant that you’re utilizing for curative benefits. Tinctures generally take lengthier to create.

Maceration: Softening by wetting in a liquid. Maceration is mainly secondhand for very sensitive plants and the liquid is normally cold or hardly fiery. Often, macerations use lubricate as the liquid.

How To Make Infusions

A good general rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of herb to 1 cup of water – of course, this may vary depending on your personal tastes, and how strong or weak you prefer your infusion to be.

Some great herbs for infusions are:

• Chamomile: Calming and great for digestion.
• Peppermint: Helps to relax the muscles of the digestive tract and reduce spasms.
• Cinnamon: Great for balancing blood sugar.
• Ginger: Anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting and great for nausea.
• Licorice: A great digestive aid, and it’s anti-microbial and anti-bacterial.
• Turmeric:  Strongly anti-inflammatory and rich in anti-cancer properties.

How To Make Decoctions

Use about 1 teaspoon of herbs and one cup of cold water. Put your herbs and water into a pot,  then bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let it simmer from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on how hardy the plant is. Strain the liquid, then drink or use it in your culinary recipes.

How To Make Tinctures

Tinctures are surprisingly easy to make! Instructions are below.

What you need:

• Herb of choice
• 40% vodka (in glass bottle)
• 1 glass jar
• Parchment paper
• Masking tape for labelling
• Cheesecloth or nut milk bag

How to Make Tinctures:

1. Fill up glass jar with herb halfway.
2. Add vodka so that level of the liquid is at least two inches above the herb. Note: If you are using dried herbs, you might have to add more vodka at a later time.
3. Place parchment paper between the lid and jar. (This is done to prevent the rubber seal from dissolving.)
4. Seal jar tightly.
5. Label jar with date, percentage alcohol, herbs, and method used.
6. Shake two times per day for one month.
7. After a month squeeze out the menstrum (the resulting liquid) using cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.

How To Make Macerations

Many macerations are made using oils to gently extract the plant power. Put your herbs and oil into a small jar. You can let them infuse anywhere from an hour to a few weeks. For an example of how you can macerate for beauty care, check out this skin-soothing salve.

MORE HERBAL MEDICINE TIPS

• Use the fresh herbs. This will produce the most powerful tincture and tonics. If your herbs don’t have a scent, that’s not going to change once you make your herbal medicine.
• Cut the herbs into small pieces. This allows for a greater surface area so the plant compounds can infuse into the liquid.
• Label your jars. Label your herbal medicines with the date and what’s inside them. That way there will be no confusion! (You may think you’ll remember what everything is. You won’t. Trust us!)
• Start slowly. This is powerful plant medicine. These tinctures and tonics are meant to be taken in small amounts. With a tincture, you may only need a few drops.

If you would like for us to make you some and save you the hassle of the DIY you can always hit up our shop or send us a message at any time.⁠

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