Episode-1769- Making and Using Herbal Medicines
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Comfrey is an Amazing Plant.
Today we are going to cover Making and Using Herbal Medicines. Note the making and using are not 100% connected. What I mean is not only will I cover how to make your own and use those but also some off the shelf stuff you can buy and use as well.
Sometimes you can’t get a certain herb, sometimes a more professional preparation of extraction is better, sometimes well you just need it and don’t have the time to make it.
Remember that today show was chosen in the new voting poll for the shows on Tuesday, they are always stand alone just Jack shows. Next Tuesday we are doing Outdoor Cooking and that will end things for April. But remember the poll for Mays shows has 10 choices and there will be 5 winners. If you want a voice in those shows, remember to vote here for your top 5 choices.
In addition to this show you may want to go back and listen to my previous series on herbal actions. Understanding the language of herbs is highly beneficial, that also shows you their capabilities and makes it easier for you to do your own research.
Join Me Today to Discuss…
- Why I love herbs
- What herbs can and can’t do
- How to Make Herbal Preparations
- Water and Oil Infusions
- Hot
- Cold
- Eliminating the risk of botulism in oils
- Decoctions
- Herbal Syrups
- Herbal Salves
- Tinctures
- Water and Oil Infusions
- Things I Prefer to Just Buy
- Capsules
- Essential Oils
- My Favorite Book for Learning about all of this stuff
- 10 Herbs I Love to Work With and What they Do
- Plantain
- Comfrey
- Lemon Balm
- Garlic
- True Cinnamon
- Turmeric
- Rosemary
- Ginger
- Valerian
- Dandelion
- Final thoughts, this is all as safe as you make it
Resources for today’s show…
- Join the Members Brigade
- The Year 1769
- Join Our Forum
- Walking To Freedom
- GenForward.com
- TSP Gear
- PermaEthos.com
- TSPaz.com – Support TSP When You Shop on Amazon
- Vote on the Next 3 Tuesday Shows
- Forlife Fine Strainer Tea Infuser
- Herbal Medicine Makers Handbook
- Four Part Series on Herbal Actions
- 40 Hour Week – Alabama
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Hi Jack, in relation to garlic I read a book a while ago called “Eating on the wild side” by Jo Robinson. In it she describes the ways to eat and prepare foods to get the most health benefits from them. When it comes to garlic she says that crushing, slicing or grating garlic and letting it sit greatly increases the health benefits. Letting it sit and oxidise for at least 15 minutes and maxing out at two hours increases the medicinal potency of garlic. Here is the best part, it doesn’t lose any of its medicinal value when you cook it! So I now always prepare my garlic first when cooking and let it sit on the bench for as long as possible. It seems to increase the flavour intensity as well
Thanks for sharing. I do this as well, but will cook half and then toss the other half on after cooking.
If there are two options why not do both? Cooked and raw.
I do the same thing with lots of veggies that I like both cooked and partially cooked.
I like the taste of cooked more that’s all. According to her research cooking didn’t effect the medicinal benefits so I just throw it all in. I use a lot of garlic in my cooking as well 😉
I know a wonderful 95+ year old lady who is more spry than most 50 year olds. She attributes it to living at the top of a 5 story walk up and eating a clove of raw garlic (with bread and butter) every day.
It’s amazing how many of these herbs are regular ingredients in Vietnamese cooking. Jack, have you ever used comfrey for hot spots on dogs?
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If you see a recipe for tea for a dry herb and you only have the fresh stuff growing in your backyard can you just use the fresh stuff and use 3-4 times more? I’m talking about things that leaves/flowers like marshmallow, passionflower (flower/vine/leaves), dill, etc.
Or does it really depend on the herb?
As always it depends but yea you generally use more of a fresh herb than a dry one. Making a lot of teas from both is a good way to get experience. It lets you come to a spatial relationship in your mind.
I have used comfrey to repair a damaged bone in a horses foot. The bone was confirmed cracked per x rays at the vet hospital. The foot was stabilized with a special shoe and a pad. I put a poultice under the pad made from comfrey root. It took several months, however, the horse came sound again and was confirmed healed with follow up x rays. This particular injury is generally not a recoverable situation. At best they become pasture sound but are not able to return to work.
It was a pretty cool outcome and saved his life and put him back to work. I got some very strange looks from my farrier and the vet was skeptical at best. My Mom found the information in an old medical handbook so we gave it a try, the year was 1970.
If you make a tincture from comfrey leaves would that sterilize the wound since it is made with alcohol and then let the comfrey heal it?
Let me repeat, don’t treat deep wounds with comfrey. Sure the alcohol sterilizes what it touches but that doesn’t mean it would reach any and all infections lying deep in the wound.
You previously did a show on some favorite herbs. Does anyone know the show number. I would like to hear it again. Thanks.
I found the answer to my above question. It was episode 1343 in case anyone is interested.
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/10-medicinal-herbs-perennial Sorry I was too slow to post the link, but here it is.
Previous episodes on herbal actions:
Episodes: 580, 585, 590, 594
Or do a search for Herbal Actions and they are the first to come up in the results.
Great podcast. You are correct this info is worth hundreds of dollars.
I recently bought an elderberry concoction to help with a cold. It knocked
it out in three days. It is a mixture of echinacea root, elderberry, echinacea top, elderflower, cinnamon bark, ginger root, and cayenne in an alcohol(20-25%) and raw honey.
Do you think I could duplicate this at home?
Of course you can.
Listening to this episode Jack repeatedly says to use a grain based alcohol for tinctures. Does that mean you can not make tinctures from the sugar based alcohol recommend by Steven Harris?
Of course you can.
I never realized there were so many different types of plantains.
Are there any significant differences between the different varieties of plantain?
Specifically, I seem to always see broadleaf on mentioned on many herbal websites. I have a ton of narrow leaf around where I live.
Should I just harvest what’s around me or should I buy some broadleaf somewhere?
Late to the game again (still catching up). Narrow leaf plantain is a very common (but disgusting) tea in Germany for colds and especially sore throats. Jack, have some after a long podcast session 🙂 but add some honey it’s not the best tasting tea.
My mom makes her own elderberry liquor and it works every time. When either of us was coming down with a cold, even as kids (this is Europe!), we would get send to bed at night with a shot of the elderberry liquor. Cold gone the next day!
Listening for the third time. I love this!