Village Wisewoman 7-20-04

C’mon in and sit a spell. Just got back from the market, so I think I’ll join you for a minute. What’s on your mind? Ah, I understand! It can be confusing sometimes, trying to figure out the best way to use your herbs. Just so happens I need to make up a few things, so why don’t you stay and watch? Give you some ideas what to do with the things your herb pantry. First off, there are several ways to use most herbs. I need to do a tincture for one lady, and a salve to keep on hand, then we’ll talk about the difference between an infusion and a decoction. Oh, don’t look so worried! It’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds.
Let’s get the tincture started first. It’s gonna take the longest, so we can let it sit while we do the other remedies. I have some little jars over here that I already washed out and sterilized with some boiling water. I just love these little mason canning jars, because the lids seal so well, but just about any good, clean jar with a tight-fitting lid will do. I like the eight-ounce ones for tinctures and extracts, and the little four-ounce ones for salves. Old baby food jars, the short ones, work well for salves too.
	This nice lady I know wants some tincture of dandelion root. I already pulled up some dandelions from the yard, cleaned off the roots, chopped ‘em up into chunks and let ‘em dry on a screen. That’s the best way to do it, on a screen. That way the air gets all around and you don’t get little fuzzy places. We’ll just put the root pieces into this jar. Now, hand me that bottle of vodka. No! I’m not “needing a nip” thank you! I’ll confess to an occasional small sip on special occasions, but never to excess and never, ever while I’m working!
To make a good tincture, you need drinking alcohol and water, mixed half and half, and without a lot of colors or flavors added. The easiest thing to use is 100-proof vodka. If you don’t or can’t have alcohol, you can use vinegar; it’s not quite as effective, but it’ll do in a pinch. Most tinctures, you don’t use more than a few drops at any one time, so you don’t get enough alcohol to be a bother.
Now, let’s pour some in the jar; enough to cover the root pieces plus about an inch, no more. Put the lid on good and tight, like so, and stick it in a coolish, shady spot. I’ll put it in this cabinet over here. Twice a day for a week or so, I’ll give it a gentle swirl in the jar and at the end, when the color’s turned nicely, I’ll just pour it into another clean jar through a strainer (coffee filters are wonderful for that – get all the bits out). Voila! That’ll be it, it’ll be all done and ready to use.
Alrighty! That’s setting nicely, so let’s start on the salve. I’m just restocking my pantry with this one. I like to keep a good, all-purpose skin balm on hand for small cuts and scrapes and burns and such. A dear friend of mine works with lots of papers; she keeps a jar at work and calls it her “Paper Cut Salve.” For this one we’re going to need several herbs, some olive oil and some shredded beeswax. Here, let me write down the ingredients so you can take it along if you like: 4 ½ ounces olive oil 5 tablespoons St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) 3 tablespoons Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) 1 teaspoon pure Aloe Vera gel or juice 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3-4 tablespoons shredded beeswax Just put all the herb bits in this pan and cover it with the olive oil. Let’s get it good and warm, but not too hot – there’s a fine line between steeping your herbs and frying them! Keep the aloe and wax out for the moment. Once that gets nice and warm, we’ll turn the heat down to very low and let it sit for ten minutes or so. Here, have some iced tea while we wait.
Okay, see how nice and brownish-green that oil is now? That’s what we want! The oil has absorbed all the good stuff from the herbs. We’ll use this fine-mesh strainer and run it through to get all the plant pieces out. Now, back into the pan with it. Let’s warm it up a bit – again, not too hot, just enough to melt the beeswax. Here, you stir in the aloe first. Get it mixed well through while I grab the beeswax. Depending on where you shop, you can either buy it in slabs and chop it up yourself, or in granules. I chopped this up myself; it’s a little cheaper that way, when you use as much as I do. You keep stirring while I dribble the pieces in. You just want to use enough to make it thick enough to stick to the wound; if the salve cools and it’s not thick enough, all you have to do is re-heat it some and add a little more wax. If it’s too thick, heat it up and stir in a little more olive oil. It’s easy to adjust. Let’s turn the heat off, but you keep stirring for a bit. Once it starts to thicken, but before it’s too thick to pour, we’ll pour it into this jar. After it’s in there, we just let it set up the rest of the way in a cool place, then pop the lid on. You can make more than one jar at a time, of course. Just adjust the amounts of ingredients for the number of jars.
	Now, about the difference between an “infusion” and a “decoction.” It’s easy! An infusion is simply a tea – you probably make them all the time. For an infusion, you put the leaves of the herb in a cup or tea ball or bag, then pour the hot water over them and let them steep. Infusions need less heat, but more time. Decoctions are just the opposite – they need more heat, but less time. Decoctions are for when you’re using things like stems, roots or bark, harder parts than leaves. For a decoction, you put the plant parts in water, then boil it for a few minutes.
You’ve learned a lot today! I appreciate your help, too. Well, you look like you’re fidgeting to get going. Think I’ll have another glass of iced tea and maybe a few minutes with a good book. Take care now, and if you get stuck on anything or have any questions, you just let me know. You can always find me at Pug Manor.
Editorial Note: These articles are meant to increase knowledge of the use of plants in treating various conditions. They are not intended to, nor can they, replace the advice and treatment of a licensed medical provider. A licensed practitioner of medicine should always be consulted for an accurate diagnosis and for supervision of the use of any herbal treatment. Pug Manor urges all visitors to seek the best medical advice available to receive the best, most informed treatment. Pug Manor is not responsible for any unsupervised use of any herb or alternative treatment for any condition by any visitor to our site.
It's growing season! There's still time to read my article on Growing Your Own Herbs? Click here to read it in the Pug Manor Library. It'll take you right to it! Got that feeling of Spring Romance? I've got some great herbal ideas to spice things up! Click here to read it in the Pug Manor Library. It'll take you right to it! Bless you! Did you miss my article on Cold and Flu Remedies? Click here to read it in the Pug Manor Library. It'll take you right to it! Plan ahead! Tips for Herbal Remedies for the Holidays? Click here to read it in the Pug Manor Library. It'll take you right to it!

Miz Otter's House 11/03	Miz Otter, as she is known to the inhabitants of the small forest village she serves, was born in a riverbank burrow as Evangelina Otter quite a few years ago (she refuses to specify exactly HOW many, only that it was “oh, a little before that flood.”). She has never liked her full name and as a young otter miss was known as Evy. It’s a nickname that she carried into adulthood, though these days, it’s used only by a few close friends. To most of the village, she is simply “Miz Otter.” She was married, after a properly lengthy courtship, to Franklin Otter, a fisher otter respected in the village for his honesty and kindness. Sadly, Mr. Otter was lost to her in an unfortunate fishing accident several years ago. She prefers not to discuss it, as it still brings a tear after all this time. They had one kit, Arthur, who now lives with his own wife and kits in a pond on the other side of the woods.
She is beloved by her friends and neighbors, but also just a little feared. Her paws are gentle with every ill or injured creature and she will spare nothing if she can help. At the same time, if her treatments are not followed or her advice ignored, her tongue can be as sharp as her claws. She rarely becomes annoyed, but anyone who has been on the receiving end of a lecture rarely forgets the experience, and she never snips at little ones, only, in her words, “them what are old enough to know better.” Even those villagers who have had their ears burned still respect her and would be a little lost, without her comforting presence in her little house, by the river on the edge of the village. Editor's Note: If you'd like to drop Miz Otter a line with questions or comments, you can find her at MizOtter@aol.com. When Puff lets her use the computer, that is. ;)
Kyla, aka Miz Otter, has been an herbalist for a dozen years now. Born in Indiana “some time ago,” she has a BS in Journalism from Butler University. When not playing among the plants, she can be found in Ohio, writing and editing for a national credit card bank, and playing with her three dogs, four cats, two parakeets and Lifemate. She is also an involved member of Ohio Pug Rescue and assists with transports and fundraisers.