What on earth are herbal extracts?

There are certain health promoting compounds that can be found in the plants around us, whether they be wild or cultivated. Herbal extraction is the process of drawing out the therapeutic components of a chosen herb or plant. In many cases, the beneficial compounds we want are tucked away within fibrous material of the plant that is challenging for our digestive systems to fully break down. You can use herbal extracts to help solve this problem by increasing bio-availability.

Each extraction can be singular (one plant or herb and concentrated compound) or there can be a combination of herbs together for a larger desired effect, but most of the time you will see these in a liquid based form ready to be ingested.

The liquid used to extract an herb is called a solvent or the carrier, or in traditional herbal language the menstrum.  it is the means by which the wanted compounds can be best introduced to your bodily systems. Common solvents are water, alcohol, vinegar, and glycerin. Each solvent has specific things it’s good . . . and not so good . . . at drawing out, so you use different ones based on the type of herb you’re working with, and the desired effect you want have.

Elixirs – Part X

An elixir, which I hope you agree is a magical sounding word, is basically a sweetened tincture. To make one, you simply made a standard tincture, except you use a 50/50 blend of honey and alcohol instead of just alcohol. Easy peasy.

Elixirs are made from tasty ingredients and can become a favorite preparation for general use. I, in particular love this type of herbal preparation because elixirs don’t require exact scientific measurements and is more of a culinary adventure than a precise formulation.

They can be made from a wide variety of herbs and are sweet, rich, and strong. The combination of alcohol and honey extracts numerous constituents and also does a great job with long term preservation. They don’t have to be just with alcohol, it can be vegetable glycerin or apple cider vinegar as well.

Shelf life off an Elixir can vary, generally speaking, water based has the shortest, and alcohol (Brandy, Vodka) has the longest

Here are a few Elixir Recipes that you can try –

Mind Support Elixir – All the ingredients are geared toward mind wellness, destressors and assists to help regulate mental anxieties.

Luv Yer Gut Elixir -Gain a step up on the Leaky Gut Diagnosis you may have received

Adaptogens Elixir -Getting a powerful Adaptogen Boost on a daily basis to maintain your healthy lifestyle

In this series you will be able to see and gain recipes for your home apothecary remedies that will become the mainstay in your household. Here’s what you can see and learn more of:

Come and join us in bringing back the knowledge known by our ancestors and practiced for the health and benefit of those that came before us!