The Herbalist's Tools by Rev. Carol A. Ingle (Raven)

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

The Herbalist's Tools

 

The following is a listing of the most basic tools you will need before you begin making any of your own remedies. Remember to wash all
material thoroughly with pure soap and hot water, rinsing until all residue is gone. Tools must also be completely cleansed between uses, for the Magickal Herbalist this will mean not only the physical cleansing of the tools but the spiritual cleansing of them as well to remove any energies which have settled upon them or may be left over from the previous patient.

 

 

THE MORTAR and PESTLE

This is the tool most visually associated with the traditional herbalist as well as your local pharmacist. For those of you who don't know, the mortar is the bowl or cup shaped part and the pestle is the part used to grind down the herbs. These may be of any size and style or your choosing but the more porous the interior the better, try to chose something which has an unglazed interior. Glazed interiors are quite beautiful but the mere fact that they are not porous detracts from your purpose here, the glazing will simply cause the herb to fall back to the bottom of the mortar instead of using friction to grind the herb
efficiently. Contrary to their appearance, herbs really are tough little
things and it takes a heavy pestle to grind them down.

In place of the mortar and pestle, or until you can find a set you like, you may use an electric coffee bean grinder. Do not use this for the purpose of grinding down resins such as dragons' blood, frankincense or myrrh as they do not grind in this manner and will eventually muck up your machinery. They must be ground with mortar and pestle or purchased already powdered.

 

 

DIARY

 

Is an essential tool! In it you will record ALL of your work as an herbalist, from when you harvested to when you made your remedy, how much herb(s) you used, how long you let the remedy boil or stand, who you gave it to and what the progress was. Also for each individual you will want to keep a separate index card file, you will record their name, age, weight, height, physical condition, physical symptoms and what you did to help them and how long it took to work. In this manner you will be able to more accurately judge your own actions as an herbalist as well as having a better overall picture of each person you have treated. Never trust to Ginko what you can write down!

 

 

PHILTER

Is a very old way to say strainer. This object should not be made of metal. Plastic works well but so does a regular throw away automatic drip coffee filter. If you are going to use a coffee filter for this purpose be sure it is Unbleached. Also, pieces of cheesecloth and linen work well for this purpose. Once you have made your remedies most of them will need to be strained through a filter before using them.

 

 

INFUSER

Is an egg shaped object that you can pick up at any "gourmet" coffee shop. It's basically just a re-usable tea bag and is good when you are only making one dose of remedy at a time rather than trying to store a large quantity. This should be ceramic and not metal. You can also find really nice fancy older ones in Auntie Moon's Favorite Haunts.... Flea Markets and Garage Sales! I picked up a beautiful 19th century china tea cup with insert infuser for $5.00!!!!!

 

 

SCALES

These may be of any size and design of your choosing but try to purchase scales which will show you measurement in ounces as well as grams, this will help greatly when trying out new things.

 

 

GLASS BOTTLES and JARS

Again these may be of any size, shape and design of your choosing but they should be dark in color either brown, blue or green and have tight fitting lids. It is good to have several different sizes on hand ranging from small one to two ounce bottles to larger ones which are eight ounces and over. You will use the smaller ones for things such as oils and ointments, the larger will be used to store leftover infusions and decoctions as well as for making tinctures. More Flea Market and Garage Sale Items! You can pick these up real CHEAP just about anywhere. Just make sure to wash them out well in the dishwasher or allow to boil a few minutes in a large pot of water.

 

 

EARTHENWARE POT

Again not a pot made of metal, do not use a tea kettle or other metal object for herbal purposes. "She keeps saying that! Now tell me why!" OK, the metal when heated can and often does slightly alter the property of the herbs you are working with and can interfere in your goal as a healer. Also depending on the amount of chemicals in your local water supply it can alter the natural properties of the water as well. It is best to always use something ceramic for purposes of working with herbs. The pot may be of any style and design of your choosing, big or small it's up to you.

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS

 

You will also wish to have several sizes of bandages on hand as well as gauze and tape. First aid bandages are important as well. A few eye droppers normally turn out to be very helpful, when you purchase them be sure the rubber squeeze thing on the top can be removed easily for complete cleaning. For those of you who will harvesting herbs you will want your own pair of sheers or sharp knife for this purpose, this cutting instrument should not be used for any other purpose than harvesting your herbs. You will want a good bunch of string for tying your herbs together for drying (we'll discuss drying, harvesting and purchasing later). Also labels are important, always label your jars with the name of the herb and the date you made the remedy.