All Seasons Herbal Tea Blend
We prepare and blend herbs that we grow to be enjoyed throughout the seasons. These seasonal blends may vary depending on what herbs are available and what we may like. The all-season herbal blend that we drink often includes a mixture of Holy basil, milky Oat tops, Calendula and Elderberries, as these are some of the herbs that we tend to cultivate easily in our area and enjoy.
I suggest working with the herbs that you like and that grow around you; and experiment with combinations that you and your family enjoys. We usually start with a base blend of about three to four herbs at a time. You may want to make a tea of each of these herbs separately and then begin creating your blend. We add or omit different herbs as needed to individual cups of tea, such as one teaspoon of Sage or Monarda sp. to the seasonal blend to help with opening the nasal passages. For a sore throat we might add thyme and/or a decoction of licorice root. There are so many great herbal options to consider!
Ingredients:
1 part dried Elderberries
1 part dried Holy Basil leaves
1 part dried Calendula flowers
1 part Milky Oat Tops or Comfrey leaves and stems
Option #1 : Add or replace one part dried Thyme, Common Sage, Monarda sp, or Hyssop (for sinus and throat care)
Option #2 : Add one part Echinacea root and flowers, (at onset of flu symptoms) Option #3 : Add fresh slices of Ginger (especially if feeling chilled)
Method:
1. Harvest and dry herbs or purchase them from a reputable grower.
2. Mix herbs. Place one teaspoon to one tablespoon of herbal blend in a teacup. Pour boiling water over herbs. Cover and let herbal mixture steep for 30 minutes. Strain and drink up to 3-4 x /day if needed or to simply slow down and savor tea time! 3. Compost the spent herb.
Autumn Immune Tea
This is a beautiful and colorful blend of roots, flowers, berries and leaves that can be harvested throughout late summer and into fall to make a delicious herbal blend to sip on cool Fall days as the weather changes. (This tea can be enjoyed all year too; perhaps a new name is in order).
Ingredients:
1 part Echinacea flower and roots
1 part Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis)
2 parts Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum)
Optional: Fresh Ginger slices to taste
Filtered boiling water
Raw, local honey to taste (if desired)
Method:
1. Harvest and dry herbs or purchase them from a reputable grower.
2. Mix herbs. Place one teaspoon to one tablespoon of herbal blend in a teacup. Pour boiling water over herbs. Cover and let herbal mixture steep for 30 minutes. Strain and drink up to 3-4 x /day if needed or to simply enjoy the flavors and healing effects. 3. Compost the spent herb.
We enjoy this tea hot with or without a spoonful of raw and local honey, drinking several cups a day throughout the fall and winter when we feel the first sign of infection coming on (that feeling of exhaustion and fatigue). We often incorporate some Elderberry syrup to the tea during an illness. Once the illness subsides, we take a break from drinking this herbal tea blend and enjoy the many other herbs that are available to us.
Whole Plant Echinacea Tincture
A tincture is a highly concentrated liquid herbal extract usually made with alcohol and water as the solvent (and sometimes glycerine). This method of preservation makes a convenient way to dispense the herb and preserve the herb for longer periods of time. Tinctures may be used externally and internally in small amounts and are often dispensed in water. This method uses a traditional folk method and can be done quite easily in your own kitchen or garden without a lot of fancy equipment or precise measurements.
Ingredients:
Fresh Echinacea flowers, leaves, roots (Dried root can be used)
80-100 proof vodka or brandy (or grain alcohol of choice and preferably organic)
Clean jars, scissors or knife, strainer and labels
Method:
1. Harvest the Echinacea flowers and leaves in summer when blooming. Dig roots in Fall.
2. Clean and Chop in small pieces, using durable scissors or a knife to cut the aerial parts or roots of the Echinacea and place in a clean jar to fill it approximately 2/3-3/4 full.
3. Pour alcohol of choice over the Echinacea herb and stir to ensure all of the herb is immersed, covering the herb by two inches with the alcohol. Seal the jar with a tight fitting lid.
4. Label jar with contents and date. Place the jar in a warm location for four to six weeks so that herbs macerate. Swirl solution daily, infusing it with healing and positive energy.
5. Strain solution after the allotted time by pouring the macerated mixture through a strainer into a clean jar so that the solution is separated from the herbs and a clear solution remains. (I often use a metal funnel under the stainless steel strainer for support, and maybe a designated tea towel placed inside the strainer). Squeeze out the herbs so that you get all the medicinal constituents from the herbal infusion. Ideally, a d ark colored jar is used to store the newly made tincture. Label the jar with the contents and date and then store in a cool and dark place. Some of the solution can be poured in smaller amber jars for use later. Alcohol based tinctures should last for several years.
For more information on which herbs are best suited for this method, which herbs are better extracted fresh or dry, and how to measure the strength in grams and milliliters, consult Tina for an herbal educational workshop on making liquid extracts or tinctures
Echinacea Throat Spray or Mouthwash
This spray is a mixture of a tincture, an infusion, and honey. Sprays made with tinctures may be used as healing remedies for external and internal application in small amounts and sometimes mixed with other herbal infusions. This spray may be used on a sore or scratchy throat.
Ingredients:
1 part Echinacea tincture
1/2 part Tea of Monarda fistulosa (1-2 tsp flowers steeped in 1/2 cup filtered water)
1/2 part raw local honey (do not need honey, if making this as a mouthwash)
Optional: 1-2 drops of sweet orange or essential peppermint oil
Clean spray bottle (2 oz )
Method:
1. Make a tea with 1 -2 teaspoon of Monarda fistulosa flowers in 1/2 cup boiled water and steeped for 15 minutes. Sage or Thyme could also work here if you do not have Monarda.
2. Mix 1 part Echinacea tincture (2 oz or 1/4 cup is a good place to start) with 1 oz or 1/8 cup of Monarda tea and and 1 oz or 1/8 cup of of honey in a 2-4 oz amber glass spray bottle.
3. Add 1-2 drops of desired essential oil if you would like the solution to be tastier.
4. Label the jar with the contents and date and then store in a cool and dark place, the refrigerator is ideal.
5. Use this with a sore throat by spraying into the back part of the mouth so that the throat receives the application directly. This can be sprayed 1-2 x an hour throughout the day.
Echinacea-Yarrow – Comfrey Herbal Liniment or First Aid Spray (for External Use)
Herbal liniments are topical remedies that are rubbed onto the skin. They are made in a similar manner as a tincture, often using alcohol, vinegar, oil, or witch hazel. Liniments can easily be made in our kitchens or gardens without fancy and expensive equipment. Liniments are often used as a counter irritant, for pain from sore muscles and ligaments and to disinfect wounds. We have used this liniment as a first aid spray for minor skin irritations, inflammation, and animal bites and stings.
Ingredients:
1 part Echinacea flowers, leaves, and roots (fresh or dry)
1 part Comfrey leaves, stems, and/or root (freshly picked and wilted for 24 hours) 1 part Calendula flowers (freshly wilted)
1 part Yarrow flowers and leaves (freshly harvested after the dew has dried)
Another herb to consider including is Barberry root if it is growing in your area.
1/2 part 1/4 – 1/8 Cayenne pieces or flakes (dried)
Rubbing alcohol, Vodka, or vinegar
Method:
1. Harvest and clean the herbs. Dry or wilt the herbs as needed.
2. Chop or cut the herbs very finely and place in a clean and dry jar. Pour alcohol or vinegar to cover the herbs by two inches. Secure the lid on the jar and let sit in a warm location 4-6 weeks.
3. Strain the herbs after the allotted time period and pour into a clean jar or spray bottle.
4. Label and store in a cool and dark place. To use the liniment, pour a small amount into hand (or spray onto desired area). Gently rub and massage the liniment towards the heart, using long and steady strokes. A compress can be made with the liniment by soaking a clean cotton cloth and applying it directly onto the desired area. If the liniment bothers the skin, try making the same recipe infusing the herbs in oil.
Echinacea -Yarrow – Calendula Herbal First Aid Salve
After returning from a trip to the UK in 2017 with my family, and learning about even more ways in which different people have worked with herbs for hundreds of years, I was excited to return home to continue my ongoing herbal studies with inspiration and ideas of experimentation. My interest is in working with the plants that grow around me, where I live in mid-western Illinois, and incorporating the many lessons learned from what others have done and are doing so that perhaps new connections are explored in ways that are accessible and helpful. Because I enjoy creating all sorts of herbal salves with these familiar plants that grow in my midst, I experimented with infusing the aerial parts of Yarrow and Echinacea in organic olive oil (each of them separately) with the plan to combine them together with Calendula infused oil to make a salve. I have been happy with the results and have found this blend to be beneficial for skin irritations such as cuts, scrapes, animal bites and stings, as well as lending an antiseptic quality and assisting in relief of inflammation and pain.
Ingredients:
1/3 c Echinacea infused organic olive oil (made with freshly wilted flowers, leaves, and root)
1/3 c Yarrow flowers and leaves infused in organic olive oil (freshly wilted)
1/3 c Calendula blossoms infused organic olive or oil of choice (freshly wilted) Good quality Beeswax, cleaned and grated
Method:
1. Prepare an herb infused oil of each herb separately. Strain after 6 weeks. See recipe for making herbal oils under Calendula Herbal Recipe
2. To make the salve: Blend the different infused oils in a 500ml pyrex glass measuring container or a 1 pint heat proof jar.
3. Add 1/4 cup grated beeswax to the mixed oils in the 500 ml pyrex measuring container or jar, place in a pot of gently boiling water or a double boiler to melt the beeswax.
4. When beeswax is melted, remove the glass measuring container from the hot water and pour into small jars or tins. It will thicken and harden as it cools. If the consistency is not to your liking, simply remelt salve and make adjustments (more beeswax for a firmer salve or more oil for a softer salve).
5. Apply lids with labels that include ingredients and date to each slave container. This makes approximately eight ounces of salve.
6. How to use this salve: Apply a small amount of salve to a small area to ensure this particular herbal salve works with you and serves you in the way you need it.