Herbal medicine in the form of a tincture is a effortless, yet potent way to bring herbs and healing into your daily life. A simple way to reweave the natural world back into our lives. Bringing the medicine of the earth back into our systems through to our mind, body & spirit. Plant medicine is not a 'quick fix'. It is deep healing on a transformational level. Plants carry the innate wisdom & primal intelligence of nature. Specific plants will direct you to systems within the physical & spiritual body, guiding you towards the pathway of healing.
A ritual. Morning, noon & night. Whether you keep it in the kitchen, on the nightstand or in your bag on the go. It’s there to support you. The small act of taking a moment to feel into its presence is enough to bring about healing within you. There to hold you, embrace you & love you unconditionally as the Earth does. Once you’ve tasted the medicine, begin to notice the shift, consider what’s happening physically, emotionally & spiritually. Herbal medicine is subtle and is not always immediate & may take time to weave itself through your systems. It is not broken down into parts & pieces. It is whole plant medicine, holding every magical aspect of the plant. The beauty of plants is the way they work in the subtle ways as nature does. Add a few drops to any beverage or straight to the tongue.
Plants all have different signatures, which is one way to determine what their medicinal properties will be. One of the most obvious is their taste, from sweet to sour, to aromatic, bitter and pungent. As a tincture, the plants are extracted (most commonly) in alcohol which draws the most medicinal constituents from the plant, but it does intensify the taste. Be aware that if you're taking an astringent, bitter or pungent plants it may not be the most pleasant tasting medicine. But please do not let that stop you, it is medicine after all and in quite a potent form. Alcohol extraction is my preferred method but apple cider vinegar & vegetable glycerin are common as well and great substitutes if you are trying to avoid alcohol. You can always dilute the tincture in some water or another beverage, but I highly recommend taking it straight & allow it to work it's magic. In some cases you can add a few drops to your herbal tea to get an extra boost! Another wonderful benefit of taking herbs in the form of a tincture is they absorb directly into the bloodstream with immediate effect without having to work though our digestive system!
Now that you know a little about how the plants work in a more slow & subtle way, you may wonder how much you should be taking. Of course it varies from herb to herb or formula so this is generally speaking. For a gentle digestive or nervine tincture I typically recommend 1-2 droppers full 3 times a day for at least 2-4 weeks, then discontinue use after 2-3 months for at least 2 weeks. This allows the medicine to fully find its course into your system and work its magic. By discontinuing use for a few weeks you can see where there’s been shifts in what had been ailing you. Also, unlike allopathic medicines we do not want you to become reliant or having to use a formula forever. The point is to heal you as gently and quickly as possible! Although, there are a few herbs that make wonderful lifelong allies.
I hope that this was a helpful guide and gave you a little taste of the magical workings of herbal tinctures. I truly love making herbal medicine as well as making it a part of my daily rituals. I hope it finds you when you need healing. There’s so much magic in plant medicine and the healing gifts of Mother Earth. She has everything we need to live a full and healthy life. All we have to do is slow down, open ourselves up and listen. Step away from the frenzy of the world and return to the Earth and begin to heal ourselves, our families & our communities.
This is the first of (hopefully) many herbal musings. Stay tuned in and follow along on social media @quartzintheclouds. Sending you all the love & gratitude. Thank you for reading my words.