FarmaCOPEia: Easy, cold-pressed herbal tonics

Image via A. Phillips

​A little sage and ginger. A few sprigs of rosemary, mint and lavender. Some clove buds, coriander seeds and cinnamon curls. All of it got crammed into a Mason canning jar then it was to the brim with bourbon. After three days of cold processing, I shut it up tight and put it away to cure for a few months.

​This isn’t a recipe for a spicy, after-dinner toddy. It’s a recipe for a multi-purpose herbal medicine tincture.

I use similar blends of tinctures to make a variety of homeopathic medicines. It only takes small doses of these to be effective.

​They can be made with nearly any sort of liquor, like bourbon, gin, scotch or vodka. Liqueurs can be used to make them, too. When I was a kid, during cold and flu season, my family used creme de menthe, cinnamon and peppermint schnapps to help alleviate coughing, sore throat, aches and fevers.

Sometimes they dosed us with the mix in a teaspoon. Other times they added them into a cup of warm tea or chocolate.

The infusion featured in this post is palatable but has a strong medicinal taste. The next batch will get tweaked to have more mint and probably some berry or apple bits. When using it, I’ve noticed it makes an excellent fluoride-free mouthwash.

I’ve also used this type of medicine to get fast relief from menstrual cramps, toothache and sore throat pain.

​Simple cold processing

​Cold process, in this article, means no cooking. To do it, you just mix the herbal ingredients into the base and ensure the herbs are totally covered with the base liquid. I don’t suggest using plastic to mix tinctures in. Glass is better. Once the blend is in the container, turn it over a few times a day, and each day, open it, press down on the contents with a spoon, or chopstick, and even gently stir it, to get any trapped air bubbles to rise and escape. During the initial phase, the container can be kept in sunlight, although this isn’t a requirement. The sun warms the base liquid and helps speed the curing process a bit.

After a few days (roughly three) tighten the lid and set the container in a dark, dry area. You can use it within three weeks, but allowing the curing process to go for a few months makes for a stronger medicine.

Contraindications

​Before putting this recipe together, be aware of each herb’s contraindications. For example, sage is a metabolic booster and when used in an infusion can cause uterine contractions and increased heart rate. It’s also recommended that some diabetics avoid the herb altogether.

Plants are powerful. Be in the know of their potential for both good and adverse effects before using them.

​Alternative bases

​Rather than tinctures, you can make similar medicines using oil-based blends. I often make herbal salves and infusions using things like olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil or butter, and cocoa butter. Castor oil works great for some things, but due to its viscous, sticky consistency, I tend to use it for fewer blends.

When the curing time has completed for your mix of choice, you can just open the container, take out the herbal ingredients and use the now-infused base to blend into another carrier oil or something firmer, such as coconut oil or cocoa butter. You can even keep it as a liquid to use topically, or blend it into a beverage, or drizzle it into food.

Image via A. Phillips

Thank you for your visit today! Have you ever made cold-pressed tonics or used them? If so, please let me know in the comments. We'd love to learn all about your own experiences!

'Til next time,

​Shalom