I am looking for websites where I can buy dried herbs, dried flower, bark and equiptment (grinders morter pestle). I am preparing tinctures, would really prefer organically grown. Any leads would be greatly appreciated.
hello there
a good source for hebs
are herbalcom they have great prices and i have used them for a while now.i myself make all my own tinctures and have found there herbs good quality.
as for supplies look at some home centres for mortar , grinders etc you will be suprized to see what you can find there as well as look at some secondhand stores for supplies.i use mason jars to let things steep in.
and then i decant into coloured glass bottles for storring.
hope this helps.
feel free to contact me with any other questions.
moederheks
Do you have an Internet source for the preparation of the actually tincture and recipes. I have the herbs, oils and brews by Scott Cunningham. Unfortunately the instructions seem a bit vague to me. Please let me know thanks.
One site I know of that's pretty decent is Make Your Own Simple Herbal Recipes
And I know youtube has all sorts of step by step videos on how to make all kinds of herbal remedies!
And if you want a more detailed book with really informative guides and recipes. The Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Andrew Chevallier is wonderful. It has 550 herbs and remedies and for each one it tells you what it's used for and what you can use it with (tinctures, capsules, infusions etc) and how much of each herb you should use for what. It's a great book to keep around the house! :)
Like moederheks, I've always used mason jars to steep my tinctures in (and also for brewing infusions - keep the lid on to keep the steam contained). I keep my finished tinctures in amber glass bottles, stored in a cupboard away from heat and light.
You can get really technical if you want, and separately calculate each herb's required alcohol/water ratio. For that, you'll need a triple-beam balance scale, among other things. Or you can recognize that most herbs fall within a 40-60% ratio and use a 50/50 water/alcohol ratio. This can be accomplished with 100 proof vodka or equal parts pure grain alcohol and water (measure them separately and then add to your jar - water and alcohol are miscible, which means their molecules slip together so when you pour a cup of pure alcohol and a cup of water together, you get much less than two cups of resulting liquid).
Hope this helps. I find that experimentation and trusting your gut intuition lead to knowledge and success :-)
A number of years ago I made a tincture of wild ginger root in brandy and it was delicious - tasted almost like a liqueur. Brandy is usually about 45% alcohol so it's a good choice for tinctures, especially herbs that taste good :-)
One thing you need to be aware of on herbalcom is they sell only by the pound. Mountain Rose or San Francisco Herb Co. are a better choice for lesser quantities. Or ... you can try me http://www.thistleandmoon.com. I only list ounce packages on the site but you can contact me for quarter- or half-pound prices. I also sell some mortar & pestle sets.
Permalink Reply by Kara on November 16, 2009 at 12:55pm
Hello,
Try St Francis Herb Farms in Ontario Canada their Quality is good and there Immune
Formula is exceptional ! (Combats the flue)
Also try MontEagle Herb farms~ ontario (Peter Benner~ Contact)
These site can be found on the internet.
Much healing Light to all.
P.S. essential oils are important, if you can tolerate Balsam EO this applied to gland area of neck help immensely for the flue
Kara