Wild Crafted: Project #1 Burdock (Arctium Lappa)

As a homeschooling project, the children and I are going to catalog all of the medicinal and edible plants and herbs on our property and surrounding areas (if we get to that).

Yesterday we dug Burdock root. It has large leaves that look like elephant ears, and common in field and road sides.

It is best to dig the roots of a 1st year plant (the low to the ground plant pictured above, no flowers). The root is tender not woody as it is with more mature plants. We cleaned the root and coarsely chopped it, and placed it on a screen to dry in the sun.

We plan to make a tincture from our dried Burdock root. To make a tincture: place dried Burdock root in a glass mason jar about 3/4 full. Add grain alcohol until the jar is filled 1/2in from the top. Cover and place in a dark, cool place. Shake several times per week. Strain through cheesecloth after (a minimum of) 14 days.

Burdock root has been used to treat : urinary tract infections(which happens to be what we were treating), kidney stones, arthritis, allergies, bronchitis, gout, rheumatism, rashes, acne, boils, eczema, and psoriasis, and many other conditions. It is a known blood cleanser if used consistently over a long period of time.

You can also make Burdock root tea, or eat the root boiled as you would any root-vegetable.

Drying and Storing Herbs

Now is the time to dry your fresh herbs for storage. Don't wait until late summer or fall when you are busy canning! Now is the time!

The plants should then be gathered as follows:
*barks in the spring,
*leaves before the plant flowers,
*flowers on the first day of opening, and
*roots are best in the autumn (when lifting a root an effort must be made to get out the entire root, so a long spade or fork is needed)

The best time to cut herbs for drying is just before they flower. This is when the leaves have the most oil. Different varieties of herbs flower at different times of the season, so look for buds or newly opened flowers as your clue for harvesting. But, if your herbs have already flowered, they can still be harvested and dried. It is better to harvest herbs mid-morning when the leaves are dry but before the hot midday sun, but early evening is also good!

For some herbs you can cut and hang. For other herbs you must dry them quickly due to moisture content, or they will mold, ruining the entire bunch.

For herbs such as lavendar, cone flowers, goldenrod, oregano, and sage:

To harvest, cut the whole stems within a few inches of the base of the plant, gather into groups of 5-6 stems, tie and hang in a warm, airy location. When dry, strip off the leaves, store in a covered container such as a jelly size mason jar.

You can then tie them in loose bundles, and hang in a warm, airy place until dry. Make sure they aren't crowded so that air can circulate around them.

If you are harvesting echinacea (cone flowers) for medicinal purposes see this page, as you will also need to harvest the roots.

For high-moisture herbs such as lemon balm, basil, tarragon, mints, dandelion, nettles, and red raspberry leaves:

Remove individual leaves, or dry on stems. Lay in a single layer in a food dehydrator and dehydrate until very dry. Remove leaves from stems (if you haven't already) and place into air tight containers (mason jars, vacuum sealed bags, etc)

You can also dry these types of herbs in an oven. Heat over to 200 deg. Turn off. Place your herbs in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in warm oven. When dry, place into air tight containers (mason jars, vacuum sealed bags, etc).

You can also lay herbs on mesh screens in front of a dehumidifier over night, and store when dry.

All herbs need to be stored away from direct sunlight or heat as these rob the herbs of their potency. Enjoy your herbs!

Coming soon: herb butter, and vinegars and oils infused with herbs..

Echinacea: More than just a pretty...flower.

Every gardener recognizes echinacea as that purple daisy like flower better known as a purple coneflower. It's drought tolerant and pest resistant, it's colorful and easy to grow and care for (and it comes back year after year).

But it's more than just a pretty flower. It's a very powerful, and effective anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and immune-boosting, medicinal herb!

How do I use it? It can be used both internally and externally. Internally, drop droppersful of tincture under the tongue (or into juice for children). It strengthens the immune system, and ward off colds and flu. We use it more as a preventative. But it also works well for colds, flu, and sore throats, etc.
Externally we use it on cuts and wounds. Echinacea is antibacterial. After I clean out a wound with water, I squirt Echinacea tincture liberally right on the wound. I use it like my mom used “Bactine” when I was a kid. After that, I usually apply a salve or bandage as you usually would.

Let me tell you how easy it is to make your own tincture by harvesting fresh echinacea root from your very own garden.

Directions for making echinacea tincture:
In spring (before flowers bloom), or fall after flowers die off.
Dig up, and wash and chop roots.
Fill a quart jar 2/3 full of echinacea root.
Pour 80 proof alcohol (I use cheap vodka)over root, filling jar.
Cover jar tightly and label. Place in a dark place.
Steep herb for at least 4 weeks, shaking jar every day.
After 4 weeks, tincture can be strained if desired. The finished tincture will keep indefinitely.
Store tincture in a darkened area. Store in colored glass if possible.
Strain tincture through fine cheesecloth, if desired.
Do not use anything but glass to make your tinctures.

Super Tonic

I thought I'd post something different today. I love herbal and home remedies. Many you can prepare at home for a fraction of the health food store price. This is one of them.

Super tonic kills the harmful bacteria and virus that cause colds and flu, and it's a natural decongestant. Gargle it (and swallow) when you feel a sore throat coming on. Take it liberally when you have sinus congestion.

"SuperTonic destroys bacteria, virus and fungus ON CONTACT. It breaks up and relieves congestion in the sinus and lungs, promotes expectoration and helps your body manage a fever.
The fresh juices of organic Horseradish root drive this formula to your head, sinus, throat and lungs where you need it. The organic Garlic juice and its next of kin, organic Onion juice are the two best virus and bacteria killers in the herbal world. The organic Ginger root juice and organic Habanero pepper juice stimulate your blood and lymphatic flow like no other herbs to get your immune cells to the bad guys as fast as possible. The organic, raw unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar preserves all of these plant juices and cleanses your body too." ~Dr. Shulze

Ingredients:
10-12 habanero peppers, chopped (leave seeds and veins, don't discard)
1-2 garlic bulbs (yes, the whole bulb) chopped or pressed
2 white onions, chopped
2 large thumb size pieces of ginger, chopped
1-2 cups chopped horseradish root
Good quality apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's) DO NOT use white vinegar.

Chop all ingredients and place in a large glass jar (I use a big pickle jar). You can mix the veggies and place them in several quart size mason jars. Cover the veggies with apple cider vinegar. Place in a dark place, and shake each day. Does not have to be refrigerated. After 14 days it is ready. You can strain now, or leave it to steep several more weeks or even months. The longer you leave the veggies in it, the stronger it will be. Once it is stained you can begin to administer it a teaspoon or dropperful at a time.
It is strong, and HOT, so please use caution if you are giving it to your kids, or unsuspecting husband!

If you aren't interested in making this at home , but do want to try it, I recommend Dr. Shulze's. His is awesome! Here is the link.

green tea

I love green tea. Hot. Cold. It doesn't matter. In between many, many cups of red raspberry leaf tea (VERY beneficial for pregnancy) I drink green tea. My friends Janet (and Jen) turned me on to peach flavored green tea extract (drops). I put it in my distilled water. It tastes good, and it is very good for you.

The latest issue of Vegetarian Times has an article about the many benefits.

Green tea has long been known for its health promoting properties. Its powerful antioxidant, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has numerous benefits, including: increasing metabolism, managing cholesterol, boosting the immune system, promoting healthy blood flow, maintaining blood sugar, reducing aches and more!

*in a study of 40,000 Japanese adults, those who drank green tea daily were less likely to die of cardiovascular disease. Green tea lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol.

*drinking green tea daily reduces the risk of high blood pressure

*higher intake of green tea is associated with a reduced risk of adult leukemia. A recent report in the journal Cancer Biology & Therapy showed that green tea may halt the spread of malignant breast cancer cells.

*green tea extract may help reduce body fat