Salves, soaps, tinctures...oh APRIL....hehe by Aisha

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Okay, now that Ive had a chance to sort some things, get a few other things in a row, Ive had a chance to look a few things up and pull out my most used recipes, salves and a few tinctures I use.

    All the recipes and such can be found in one of two books...Ive mixed a few other things in and will note what Ive come up with myself as I go.  The two books I use the most,  Judes Herbal Home Remedies by Jude C Todd I get a lot of my recipes and ideas.  Sometimes I do experient a little on my own with what she suggests in the book, sometimes good, sometimes not so good just like any experiments.  The other book I use to most is Herbal Remedies from the wild by corinne Martin.  This book is more helpful in identifying certain herbs found in the wild (a lot of which just happen to be in my garden too) She wildcrafts rather than grows a garden herself, but the area in which she lives seems to have plenty of herbs still in the wild...lucky wench! lol  Ms. Martin also has inserts from her herbal diary as well lists for each herb and what they are used for, what she has found them useful for etc.

   These two book are the ones I turn to the most whenever I have a question or want to make something.  Now for a few definitions just so we are all on the same page and understanding.

 

  Teas may be made from fresh of dried plant materials- leaves, blossoms, roots, bark, or fruit or a combination if these. A few cup of tea may be made for each dose taken or a large amount may be made ahead of time and drunk throughout the day.  Any tea made ahead should be refrigerated and then the right amount reheated when ready for use. Most should be drunk while hot or warm by it depends on the plants dosage, type, etc.

  Two ways to make a tea:  Infusion - when the compounds are extracted by pouring boiling water directly over the plant material (using tea bags, strainers, tea balls etc) Usually the rule is 1tablespoon of dried herb to 1 cup boiling water steeped for 15-30 minutes.  Fresh herbs double the amount.

  Decoction is made when the plant material is woods like roots and bark.  In decoctions the herb is placed directly into the water before heating, water is brought to a boil and simmered for a few minutes.   With both infusion and decoction plant material is strained off before drinking ;)

 

  Tinctures- is a concentrated herbal preparation in which a liquid other than water has been used to extract medincial compounds from the dried or fresh herbs.

  tinctures are more stable than teas, meaning they can be stored for long periods of time (note: my references mention they can be stored indefinately, however to be safe, due to various factors I wouldnt store more than a year,,, again I always error on the side of caution plus I dont use tinctures that often myself so I dont make larger quantities than I think I will use in a years time). The extraction liquid preserves the plant components, which is why they say it can be used indefinately. 

  Mediums most commonly used are high-proof drinking alcohol (not rubbing alcohol), natural glycerin and cider vinegar.  For various reasons...mostly because I can get alcohol cheap and in larger qualities than I can anything else I personally use alcohol.  However if you suffer from or have suffered from drinking issues, or otherwise cant/shouldnt use alcohol  PLEASE use one of the other mediums.  Alcohol is also one of the best mediums. It breaks down darn near everything and gets into the blood system faster than anything else.  Cider Vinegar is safest just because of toxicity level (virtually none) when taken in moderate doses.

  Alcohol you want a 110 proof (55% alcohol).  Cider vinegar you want between 5-14% acidity (86%water) 14 is the highest available. Glycerin is a chemical compound and is the lowest medium useable which means even tho it is sweeter (kids may take it easier) you have to take more (example 30 drops 1/4 teaspoon  of tincture from alcohol vs 100-120 drops or a whole teaspoon from glycerin) The less water in the medium the better it is. 

 Tinctures can be made from fresh or dried herb.  I usually use fresh because the drying process cuts some of the potency.   Fresh tinctures are basically one part plant to one part liquid.  When making tinctures make sure the plant material is cleaned and free of any damaged leaves or blossoms.  You want to use perfect or near perfect (avoid bug bites etc) plant material when making medicals.  If using root scrub them carefully and well, cut away any bad spots and check for damage (you dont want to use a tincture and find a bug or worm floating in it!)

  Chop or cut the plant material into very small pieces and place in a glass jar (you can use a canning jar if you keep it in a cool/dark place otherwise use a dark glass not clear)  Depending on how much you want to make and the size of the jar is how much herb you add to the jar before adding the liquid.  I usually use a pint jar fill it about half way then fill the jar to just below the top leaving about 1/4 of an inch from the top.  But make sure that you completely cover the plant material otherwise the tincture wont be a good.  Tightly cap the jar and mark what is in it and the date you made it. Place the jar in a dark cool place (as mentioned above) for 2-6 weeks (alcohol takes about 2 weeks to be ready, and glycerin and cider vinegar take about 6 weeks) You MUST make sure you take time to shake the tincture every day that is it stores to make sure the liquid gets good exposure to all of the plant material. I usually shake it hard  for several minutes and then turn it back and forth for a few more minutes.  After the tincture has set for the right amount of time (letting it set longer wont hurt it) pour off and strain the liquid through several layers of cheese cloth or coffee filters.  You can wrap the plant material in cheese cloth and squeeze out and remaining liquid if you like then discard the herb (it composts great!)  Tincture should be bottled, labels and stored in a tight container.

  A double extract (makes a stronger tincture) can be made with fresh plant material.  When the original is ready simply start a new batch, but instead of using fresh liquid  pour the original tincture over it cover the jar and store for another couple of weeks.

  When using dried plant material run it through a blender or hand crush the herb until you have a coarse powder.  When using dried, weigh the powder in grams,  You want to add 250 ml of liquid to 50 grams of herb.  Everything else is done the same as with fresh plant tincture.  This is for alcohol.  If you use cider vinegar but the amount of liquid is 5x the weight of herb.  With glycerin you should add water to the mix (ex when making 100ml of liquid its 20ml of water and 80 of glycerin then add it to herbs. 

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

by Michelle Turner
Thank you for the info Aisha!

Have some recipes I thought I would share:

Basic Salve

1 pint of herbal oil
2 ounces beeswax

heat all in the top of a double boiler (ban marie) and pour into small STERILE containers

You can add more or less beeswax depending on how hard or soft you want the finished salve. Stick a cold spoon in the mixture when completely melted, put the spoon in the freezer for a few seconds and give it a feel.

Making herbal oils are simple...I use either fresh or dried herbs...chopped coarsely...enough to fill a pint jar about halfway...then I add olive, grapeseed, sweet apricot, or meadowsweet oil. I start this always on the day after the new moon and filter the day before the next new moon.

Simple and Compound Suggestions

Itch Relief
1/2 pint chickweed oil
1/2 pint comfrey oil

Pain Relief
chickweed oil
wormwood oil
few drops of tea tree essential oil

Muscle Pain
Mustard oil
Cayenne oil
lobelia oil

Good Basic First Aid Salve
calendula oil
comfrey oil
chickweed oil
white willow oil
St. Johns Wort oil

FYI making lip balm is this simple also. I like to add a little cocoa butter to the balms and honey...I'm a honey freak...so that may not be for you...but the healing properties are outstanding!

lol I have some basic recipes for cold process soap if anyone is interested...this post is long enough!!

Hope someone finds this useful!

Michelle

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

by Michelle Turner

This is the smallest batch of soap I know how to make...I thought it might be best to start off with a small amount so that your initial investment wouldn't be too high. A note about the oils...I use mostly infused olive oils for my soaps. You can try almost any herb to see how you like the soap. My favorite this year (so far) is dandelion...it turned out really well. I try to make sure when giving people recipes that most of the ingredients can be found locally or at least wildcrafted...you can make gourmet soap bars with lots of exotic oils and herbs...but honestly I have found that the simple bars are just as good or better without the expense.

Safety is a big concern when making soap because of the lye (sodium hydroxide). This stuff can and will burn holes in your feet (made the mistake of stirring too wildly and being barefoot) hands, arms, counter tops, and anything else it splashes on. There is no way to make homemade soap without lye. The process is called saposonification (lol I hope I spelled that right) and when that process is complete there is no lye left in the finished product. Just be careful when handling the lye mixture and don't splash when you are stirring your liquid soap and you should be fine. And remember always add the lye mixture to the oil mixture not the other way round and don't use aluminum of any sort in soap making, it causes a violent reaction. Most books will tell you to wear safety glasses and heavy plastic gloves and it is a good idea because accidents can happen.

Like most older type crafts making soap is part art and part science. I was lucky enough to learn the hot process from my Grandmother and the cold process from some very nice ladies she knew. The science part is easy...measure every thing carefully and watch your temperatures. The art part takes some practice...stay in your temperature range...rhythmically stir for as long as it takes...and watch for trace. It's not hard to learn how to make soap or anything really...just keep at it.

Equipment is something that most people don't think about...but you need to because the stuff you use for soap making cannot be used for cooking or simpling again, ever. You will basically need a large stock pot for melting the oils (I do use this one for cooking in, all that touches this pot is the oils), a large glass or ceramic bowl, a very good beaker like container for mixing your lye (a pitcher will work, but make sure it pours well, you don't want your lye running down your container) a good set of scales, a couple of candy thermometers, and a few good heavy duty plastic spoons (do not use wood the lye eats at them). Molds are another thing...with the cold process you can't use the flimsy candy type molds, one they are too small and two the soap gets too hot in the molds...it will melt them. What I used to use is a shoebox lined with a plastic trash bag, what I prefer is PVC pipes...if you use the pipes, don't forget to grease them...lol it can be really hard to push the soap out if you don't.

I know there are things that I am forgetting to tell you (especially if you are new to soap making...idk) but if you have any questions fell free to contact me.

Basic Soap (40 oz)

Cocoa Butter 1.5 oz
coconut oil 11 oz
Olive oil 18 oz
Soybean oil 10 oz (you can use crisco...but don't use the cheapy stuff)

Water 10oz
lye 5.75 oz

the temps that i use are between 100-110 for the incorporation of the lye into the oils...and i pour at a light trace...idk if I can explain that...it's kind of the consistency of a half done boiled pudding...lol...at light trace the mixture will stay on top of the surface of the soap when dripped off the spoon only slightly...you just about have to get down and look across the surface of the soap to see this...as you can tell this is the 'art' part...different people pour at different times...so experiment and see what works for you.

Michelle

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

by Michelle Turner

The way that I do it I incorporate essential oils and botanicals at light trace right before I pour the soap into the mold. If I am using an herbal infused oil most of the time I infuse the olive oil used in the soap itself and use the herbal oil in place of plain olive oil.

Since Red Devil has stopped being available...I have found 100% lye flakes at Tractor Supply...you can order it online...but the shipping is outrageous! Just make sure that you are buying 100% lye, no fillers, no other additives...I will look up the exact name later...lol got the Sunday Afternoon lazies...I think the brand name is Roebic.

The best book I ever found for beginners is The Soap Book, Simple Herbal Recipes by Sandy Maine. It is a small, simple book and gives you lots of things to play with.

Your welcome to the info...it makes me happy that there are people that still want to learn. One of these days I will have beginner kits on my site...lol...

Michelle