Making herbal tinctures at home/prep for SHTF situations

[CrowintheSnow]

For any SHTF situations, prepping for the future....or sadly in our current climate, situations where medical help is either: stupid, impossible, or restricted (think vaccine passports).

For many things herbal medicines work, except really bad stuff that needs a hospital/surgery etc and is severe.

 

Making herbal tinctures is something worth considering. An alcohol-based tincture will last for years and still be potent 5-8 years later if bottled in dark glass, kept in a dark and cool-ish place (not the fridge).

 

All that's needed is large glass jars with screw caps, some dark glass bottles for the finished product, a plastic jug, the dried herb or root, and some ordinary supermarket Vodka. A small fruit press (maybe off ebay?) comes in handy too because squeezing the stuff out in a cheesecloth or tea towel by hand is painful.

Then put 100g of the dried herb or root  in the jar, and cover with 1 litre vodka.  Screw the top on tightly and keep in a warm-ish dark place (airing cupboard?) Shake at least once a day. Brew for about a month.
(For fresh herbs wild gathered, use twice the weight ....200g.)

 

When ready, set the fruit press up on the drainer with a plastic jug in the sink to catch the liquid.
A small fruit press will come with a short -ish plastic tube which juts out so the liquid will run  into the jug.

 

Extract the liquid, strain through a coffee filter if necessary, and bottle up. Label with the name and date it was made, then stash in a cool cupboard somewhere.

 

I usually have at least one of these on the go. Even if not needed now they are useful for the future. The right herbs used in combination are as effective as antibiotics. And others do as good a job as some OTC meds.....which may or may not be available on the day we'll need a vax certificate to go to the chemist's.

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by CrowintheSnow
dratted keyboard hates "d"