New tinctures coming soon…

I started a new batch of tinctures before the new moon this week.  My usual browse through a catalog turned up some very surprising items that grabbed my attention.  Most of them have leaned toward organs I have not had much contact with in the body as far as remedies.  Including the urinary system, feminine support and others.

The shelves to the right, I have the following herbs soaking in alcohol and water for tinctures or oils for salves.

Blue Vervain: A diuretic used to treat bladder infections, an analgesic tea for hemorrhoid sufferers, an expectorant used to treat chronic bronchitis, and an antirheumatic used to relive joint pain.

Boneset: An excellent remedy for colds and congestion. Boneset treats colds by raising body temperature to kill the colds virus, but it also treats fevers by inducing perspiration to lower body temperature.

Borage: Borage has been used since early times in teas to relieve depression and reduce fevers.  The flowers or leaves are helpful for relieving the symptoms of bronchitis, and also act as an anti-diarrheal remedy.

Pau d’Arco: used as whole herb to treat infections, for pain, arthritis, fever, dysentery, and some reports suggest cancer.

Saw Palmetto: In cases of prostate infection, the berries gently stimulate urination, causing the infectious microorganisms to be “flushed out” with urine. It has the power of affecting the respiratory mucous membrane, and is used for many complaints which are accompanied by chronic catarrh.

Reishi Mushroom – More information found here

Wild Cherry Bark: Astringent tonic, pectoral, sedative. It has been used in the treatment of bronchitis of various types. Is valuable in catarrh, consumption nervous cough, whooping-cough, and dyspepsia.

Oils:  Arnica Oil, Calendula Oil (the base of many salves) and Terra Healus, an oil containing white willow bark.Other herbal tinctures I have in the works in the near future consist of:

Astrgalus Root – Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years, often in combination with other herbs, to strengthen the body against disease.

Black Cohosh most commonly used to treat menopausal symptoms and other menstrual problems, including painful menstruation, hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. Contains several different medical properties that may help if you have osteoporosis as well as other medical conditions

Blue Cohosh Native American Herb To Ease Childbirth and regulate menstrual flow.  Affects uterus, nerves, joints, and urinary tract.

Bugleweed used for treating high fevers and fevers associated with malaria. Bugleweed was used as a sedative and astringent, and as a treatment for coughs, internal bleeding and urinary incontinence.

Burdock Root has been traditionally used as a “blood purifier” to clear the bloodstream of toxins, as a diuretic and as a topical remedy for skin problems such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis. In Chinese Medicine, burdock is often used with other herbs for sore throat and colds.

Eyebright is slightly tonic and the actions are anti-catarrhal, anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, and astringent.  The anti-catarrhal property of eyebright works first on the upper portion of the respiratory tract and then on the mucous structures of the throat and bronchial tubes.

Galangal Root used against nausea, flatulence, dyspepsia, rheumatism, catarrh and enteritis. It also possesses tonic and antibacterial qualities and is used for these properties in veterinary and homeopathic medicine

Nettle leaf is among the most valuable herbal remedies.  It is a slow-acting nutritive herb that gently cleanses the body of metabolic wastes as a spring tonic.  It has a gentle, stimulating effect on the lymphatic system, enhancing the excretion of wastes through the kidneys.

Passionflower was used traditionally in the Americas and later in Europe as a “calming” herb for anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and hysteria. It is still used today to treat anxiety and insomnia.

White Oak Bark is a powerful astringent that has been used for centuries to control diarrhea, internal and external bleeding, excessive menstrual flow, nosebleeds and hemorrhoids.  It is also a potent antiseptic that has helped to control bacterial invasion and infection and has been employed to relieve vaginal and bladder infections, among others. White Oak Bark’s anthelmintic qualities help to destroy and expel parasites and intestinal worms.

Wood Betony: Once a celebrated cure-all, wood betony is now best known as a natural remedy for headache.

Yellow Dock: It is used in treating all diseases of the blood and skin. It is very high in iron, making it useful for treating anemia. It nourishes the spleen and liver, detoxifies the liver, and cleanses and enriches the blood.

An additional segment of bad news, while pressing a wonderfully anticipated oil, the piston I have been using for almost 5 years in my herb press cracked.

I was pressing the oil, things are going along smoothly and I hear this “pop” in the press.  I look down and see the crack.  I was done pressing oils for the day.

I have another one on order with a couple of other goodies.