Herbal wines

Bitters infused in alcohol have been used in Europe for several hundred years. They usually contain bitter herbs that help with digestion by stimulating bile juices. Bitters have also been traditioanlly added to beer for the same reason.  Angostura Bitters are a famous member of this category and are well-used in hundres of cocktails for a splash of complexity, and to this day only 5 people in the world know the well-kept secret of the herbs used in this special recipe. Though this mexture was hoped to help soldiers in WWI suffering from severe fevers and digestive disorders, it now serves to enliven many of our most special happy hour drinks today. Bitters are usually made with alcohols other than wines, but it might be fun to experiment with bitter herbs when making a more medicinal wine.

There are lots of super tastey concoctions that can be made in your own kitchen. I often make herbal simple syrups to add to gin or vodka drinks for something herbaceous, but it’s really fun to go directly to the source and create an alcoholic beverage that is lively and compex all on its own! This is why going the herbal wine route is worthwhile. Most people can afford a decent white or red wine to start with.

Making Herbal Wines

1. Place Herbs in a bottle (1 oz herbs to 1 pint wine)
2. Pour wine over herbs to fill the bottle (generally a ‘sweeter’ wine w/ about 12% alcohol)
3. Cap tightly and shake well
4. Store in a cool, dark place
5. Shake well every day for 2 weeks
6. Strain herbs.
7. Add sugar or honey to taste (optional), particularly for liqueurs
8. Some liqueurs need maturation time, in which case you might wait a month or more.
NOTE: herbal wines should last about a year. Herbal liqueurs may last longer.

Rose Petal Wine
(Medicinal Uses: for headaches, heart disease, stomach pain & fever)
600 g rose petals (Rugosa preferred), dried and unsprayed
10 liters combination grape juice and young wine OR all young wine

1. Tie rose petals in a small bag & place in a container with the liquids
2. Infuse in a dark place (covered) for 3 months
3. Filter, pour into a sterilized bottle or jar and store again.

Ref: adapted from an article in The Herb Quarterly by Barbara MacPherson.

The balm is an effective way to utilize the power of pure botanicals for aromatherapeutic uses: rub on the temples or under the nose to ease tension headaches, ease into sleep or a state of calm, relieve anxiety and stress, use in ritual manner to induce a state of relaxation. I find this an incredibly effective balm for all of these reasons, and more.

It can also be used as a lip balm or body balm. And it is certainly safe for children. In fact, children love the nighttime ritual of a scented balm to ease them into dreamland. It is perfectly safe for babies, especially those infants who get fussy at the dinner hour or at bedtime. Just rub a little onto their temples or perhaps a little dab under the nose. You may even treat patches of dry skin or eczema on children, babies, and adults with this great skin salve.   

The base of the Dream Balm itself is made from nourishing natural oils and waxes (beeswax). Safflower and sunflower oils, are not clogging and have a nice consistency and shelf life. The oils have been infused with organic herbs, including lavender, chamomile, rose, and mugwort. Rosemary oil extract & vitamin E are added as potent anti-oxidants to protect the balm.

Chamomile provides wonderful anti-inflammatory action (topically) and has aromatherapeutic qualities all by itself. It’s a remarkable, calming herb that not too long ago deserved a post all its own.
Lavender is one of my absolute favorite herbs for all reasons, and its aromatherapeutic, calming activity is well-established. Topically, lavender is an analgesic, which means that it helps relieve pain. Lavender is a wonderful herb and essential oil for topical application to scrapes, insect bites, and burns, and I include it in my All-Purpose healing salve. Need I say more? The balm smells strongly of lavender.
Mugwort is a wonderful herb that grows everywhere here in the NorthEast, favoring waste places and empty lots. However, it’s an herb with an old history as a “dream herb”. People would hang it over their beds to bring good dreams at night, and the dried herb has traditionally been stuffed into dream pillows. I have a special love for this fragrant member of the Artemesia family.
Rose imparts a feeling of comfort and well-being, lifting the spirits and easing the mind. It’s a romantic touch to the Dream Balm, and a welcome addition.

Once again the balm is an excellent, alll-purpose body salve, so you can *certainly* use it to soothe the skin, including insect bites, scrapes and scars, dry skin, and eczema conditions. Lavender is excellent on burns for its analgesic properties, as noted above. The infused chamomile also makes the balm anti-inflammatory. So I tend to think of it as a medicinal balm that also has aromatherapy — these plants give us gifts from all angles, as you can see.

SALE! In honor of the lovely Dream Balm, you can purchase a nice 5 oz container of it in my Etsy store right now for $11 ($3 off!). This size tin will last a long time and travels well. You’ll love it!

Making lip balms, or any kind of balm or salve, is often the first step towards making your own skin care products. In my study of herbal medicine, I know I started with making herb-infused oils and then salves. Lip balm is basically the same thing, though you can choose whether or not you want to start with a homemade herb-infused oil or just a neutral oil such as olive oil. Adding essential oils such as peppermint or sweet orange provide a nice scent and in the case of peppermint, a minty tingle. Lavender essential oil is a wonderful addition, as the heavenly fragrance floats from your lips right into your nose! I generally use beeswax in my lip balms, but a vegan alternative is carnuba wax, with which I’ve had good success, though you may need to add a tiny bit more wax. I recently created a vegan lip balm scented with orange and basil – herbacious goodness!

Basic Lip Balm Version 1:
2 tsps neutral oil (jojoba, olive, sunflower, safflower, sweet almond, apricot kernel, etc)
1/2 tsp beeswax beads (or grated beeswax)

Basic Lip Balm Version 2: (if you want a richer balm)
1 tsp neutral oil
1 tsp coconut oil (saturated)
1/2 tsp beeswax beads (or grated beeswax)

Step 1: Use a double boiler to very gently heat ingredients stovetop. Becuase of the small amounts, the wax should melt very quickly.
Step 2: Remove immediately from the heat when melted.

Variations & Additions:
a. a few drops of essential oil (lavender, sweet orange, peppermint, spearmint). Don’t add too much! Try 5 drops.
b. If desired, add a few drops of skin ‘superfood’ such as blueberry seed oil or carrot seed oil.
c. a few drops of Vitamin E oil to protect the balm from rancidity. This is not necessary but suggested, if possible.
d. if you love vanilla, you could add 1/8 tsp vanilla extract for a vanilla taste. As an alcohol extract, however, it may not blend perfectly with the oils.
e. to stain your lips a berry color, try adding 1/8 – 1 tsp beet-root powder to your desired strength. It may not mix perfectly when stirring it in to the melted oils, but it will emulsfiy when cooled.

Step 3: pour into a clean, dry container, such as a 1 oz balm tin. You can buy balm tins individually from packaging suppliers. You could also recycle old lipstick tubes or even film canisters (if you still have any around!) When your container is empty, wash it out, dry completely, and make your balm recipe again. Balms usually last quite a while.

If you are looking to make your balm with an herb-infused oil, check out my process for making infused oils in a post for Herb Companion. Some herbs that would be great in a lip balm are as follows:
calendula (healing)
chamomile (anti-inflammatory & aromatic)
lavender (aromatic, anodyne)
plantain leaf (healing)
comfrey leaf or root (healing)
yarrow (healing)
thyme (anti-septic)
violet (soothing; emollient)
marshmallow root (emollient)
rose (aromatic & tonifying)

Share your favorite lip balm combination!
Some of mine are my Lavender & Green Tea Lip Salve and my Mint & Lemon Balm Lip Salve, which has a menthol-induced tingle. I love that

Facial Cleansing Grains

Hello my dear readers. Oh, I wish I could blog more often. The intensity of my full-time day job combined with a busy craft season (actually, every season feels really busy) makes it tough. I am so looking forward to what amounts to an “herbal retreat” for me this June, the Medicines of the Earth Herb Symposium , Black Mountain, North Carolina. Check out the cool PDF brochure if you’re interested. Not only can immerse myself in the world of herbs for a nice, long weekend, but I also get to learn from some of the greatest herbal teachers of our time.

When I begin to shift into a new paradigm or even have some ideas for changes to be implemented, it seems that it takes me a very long time to migrate into a new place. I muse about changes for what seems like months, even years, before I make a move.  A true taurus! I confess. This slow drifting towards change can extend from new curtains to new Lilith’s Apothecary products, to new life practices. Why is this? I’m not sure, but I’ve come to accept that it is just my process. On the flip side, I’m also impressionable. When I read about great ideas, hear convincing arguments about ideas, growing practices, food, and so forth, I can internalize them with a passion. But I don’t flit from one thing to another; rather, I deeply internalize things that make sense to me until they become part of my own personal tapestry. And I’m finding that unlike Athena, who sprang from Zeus’s head fully formed in all her philosophical, conceptual, and ideological glory, it’s taken me 34 years to get me to where I am now. Maybe that’s just how it is for we mortals. Given my nature, I fully anticipate changes ahead to be a gradual, growing process. This is why I fully believe in the power of the third phase of life, the Crone’s stage, as one’s potential arrival at wisdom. Before that, it’s not really possible (as I see it anyway), though we try. We do.

I have some goals for the future of Lilith’s Apothecary. I will begin to slowly move towards the accomplishment of these goals over the next year, following my last craft shows of the Spring, The Art Star Craft Bazaar and the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival.  Last summer was a time of rest. This summer will be a time of careful implementation of new practices in my business.

1. I am going to move away from the use of Plastic. Yes, the plastics I use are all recyclable, but it just doesn’t make sense. I will probably keep certain components, such as pumps, caps, or mister tops, because at the moment, I don’t really see a way around it.

2. I am going to be focusing my product line much more exclusively on Facial Care. This is my area of expertise, and in an effort to keep my customers happily contented, I have often created products that are not really in this sphere. As they are lovely products, too, it’s hard to part with them! I have far too much diversity in my offerings, however, and I am spread too thin in production, which means that people often need to wait for staples such as facial creams and serums. What I may do is offer certain body creams, lotions, etc on a limited basis from time to time, but they may not be as regularly available. An exception to this is my Chamomile & Calendula lotion, as far too many people depend on this lotion to treat various dry skin conditions.

3. I’m going to have to eliminate my Tea line, which I have been pairing down for the last few years. I am still available as an herbal consultant to make specialized blends for pregnancy, post-partum, breast feeding, insomnia, anxiety, etc, however. Feel free to contact me directly, but realize that custom orders can sometimes take up to 4 weeks.

4. By paring down my offerings, I will be able to put more time into the development of new products that fit into my Facial Care line, such as creams that address skin discoloration (in development), products specific to acne issues, and others that have been bouncing around in my head for months!

5. I’m going to invest the necessary time in the development of my website, www.lilithsapothecary.com which was started over 2 and a half years ago, but for which I have rarely felt the ability to devote the necessary attention and time.

So, there are exciting changes ahead! And as I progress along my learning curve as a business owner and developer of natural bath and body products, I hope all my learning shows!

The main thing is that I love my business and I want to continue working on it in a way that is sustainable for myself, for my customers, and for the earth itself. I always welcome a dialogue with my readers and customers and would love to hear about your own personal experiences as well as favorite products. Thank you, as ever!

I have long wanted to include some ‘practical’ instruction in my blog for the all important preparations that all herbalists and family healers use on a regular basis. This post will be devoted to a simple alcohol extract of a botanical, called a “tincture”. The extracting can actually be done with cider vinegar or glycerin, alternatively, though alcohol does work best. It is important to note that some herbs are better taken as infusions or decoctions, particularly if the vitamin content is what one is after (i.e. nettles).  It is also important to note that some herbs are absolutely best taken as a *fresh* herb tincture rather than a *dried* herb tincture. This post is for making tinctures from *fresh* herbs. Some examples of herbs that should be tinctured fresh are turmeric rhizome, ginger rhizome, St. John’s wort, Milky oat tops, and skullcap. Other herbs I prefer to tincture fresh are motherwort and tulsi.

Oat Tops in the Milky Stage

Step 1:

Organize the necessary container for tincturing. It should be big enough to hold all the herb you would like to tincture. There should not be a lot of excess room in the jar, however.

Step 2:

Put the herbs in a glass jar. I have a gallon sized glass jar here and I’m using fresh oat tops in the milky stage, shipped to me from Pacific Botanicals organic farm in Oregon.

Step 3:

After the herbs are in the jar, pour 95% (190 proof) grain alcohol over the fresh herbs. The percentage of alcohol you use is probably the most important part of tincturing aside from the quality of the herbs used. The percentage of alcohol for fresh herbs shouldn’t dip below 50% or the tincture will probably spoil. Because fresh herbs contain a lot of water already, you can assume that just by using fresh herb, you’ll be diluting the % of alcohol in the preparation. So, if you use (40%) 80 proof vodka, for instance, you may end up with a tincture that is only 20% alcohol, and that tincture would certainly spoil. Many herbalists use 100 proof (50%) vodka and have success, even with fresh herbs. I prefer to use a higher proof for fresh. Using 100 proof (50%) vodka for *dried* herbs is certainly okay, though more complicated formulas are used by professional herbalists.  Keep in mind that some herbs require glycerin at about 10%, including milk thistle seed.

So, you pour the alcohol over the herbs and fill the jar to the top. Leave about 1/2 – 1 inch between the alcohol and the rim of the jar. Try to make sure all of the herbs are under the liquid.

Step 4:

Use a chopstick or spoon to press the herb down and stir in order to release any air bubbles that may be trapped in the jar.

Step 5:

Cap the jar. I often like to put a piece of wax paper between the rim and lid so that the lid doesn’t ‘stick’ to the jar. It’s not that this is really a problem, because you can run it under hot water, but it just makes it easier.

Step 6:

Label the jar with the herb, date, and percentage of alcohol. Store in a cool/dark place and allow to do its tincturing  magic for 4 – 6 weeks. You can really leave it for longer if you don’t get to it in that time frame.  I have left herbs in 180 proof alcohol for a *year* and it doesn’t go bad because of the high alcohol content. Sometimes I do up to 3 gallons at a time, so I don’t always decant everything right away!

Step 7:

When you decant, strain the herbs out and compost them after squeezing the alcohol out of them. You can wring out the herbs with a thin, clean dishcloth or cheesecloth. There are also professional herb presses that are available for just this purpose. The herbs will often become quite dessicated, actually, so sometimes it is incredibly easy to extract as much alcohol as you are going to!

Be sure to label your decanted tinctures with the Date and the Herb, as well as the alcohol used. Keep in mind that the % of alcohol is no longer 95%!!! Though it’s not easy to exactly determine, it’s probably closer to 50%, depending on the herb used.

Resources:

Gladstar, Rosemary, Herbal Healing for Women, 1993.
Weed, Susun, Healing Wise, 1989.
Tierra, Michael, The Way of Herbs 1998
Hoffman, David, Medical Herbalism, 2003.
Tilgner, Sharol, Herbal Medicine, 1999.

Good luck with your first tincture. Feel free to comment below if you have questions!
My tinctures can be found on my Etsy site.

Atelier Oker is a stunning Etsy shop by talented Belgian ceramicist and teacher, Jeannine Vrin. Each piece in her shop is a beautifully designed work of art that is meant to be used functionally. They all seem to fulfill the mission of this studio, in finding the “poetry of ordinary things.” Her exquisite ceramic tea strainer is no exception. It’s a gorgeous piece that would truly turn every cup of tea into a special tea ceremony. I am a great proponent of the need for such rituals in every day life. Be forewarned: Jeannine tells me that these tea strainers sell almost as soon as they are posted, so if you see one and like it, snap it up quickly! If not, contact her directly to pre-order if possible. Dank u, Jeannine!

Spring has sprung! There are lots of local events coming up for Lilith’s Apothecary. If you are in the Philadelphia area, I do hope you’ll come to visit me. I often have things at craft shows that I don’t have posted on Etsy, such as a large selection of soaps, lotions, bath salts, and other goodies for your home spa.

April 17
Herbal Medicine Making @ City Planter
{Facebook Event Page}
Location: City Planter, 814 N 4th St, Philadelphia, PA
Time: 2:30 – 3:30 PM.
Come join City Planter’s expert staff to learn about how to grow and maintain common medicinal plants such as Sage, Thyme, Lavender, and Rosemary. And then join me in a discussion and demonstrations about kitchen medicines using these herbs, including tinctures, salves, infusions, and decoctions.
Cost: $10 — but you get two free take-away herbs! Register here {City Planter Events Page}

April 23
Fishtown Shad Fest
{http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fishtown-Shad-Fest/130484343685205}
{website}
A fabulous craft, food, and music event taking place in Penn Treaty Park on the Delaware River. This is always one of my favorite events of the year! Check out the full schedule of events in the latest version of http://www.gridphilly.com/. {May 2011}
Location: Penn Treaty Park, Fishtown
Time: 11am – 6pm

May 14 & 15
Art Star Craft Bazaar
{website}
Location: Penn’s Landing
Time: 11am – 6pm both days
An outdoor retail art/craft show that is organized & juried by Philadelphia’s Art Star Gallery & Boutique. Over 100 local & national artists have been chosen to set up shop & sell their wares along the beautiful waterfront @ Penn’s Landing. For this event, Lilith’s Apothecary will be partnering with Melo Studios, a lovely, local mom-owned company that specializes in beautiful hand-poured soy candles in vintage and upcycled containers. The cut glass goblet candles are especially gorgeous.

May 21
Trenton Avenue Arts Festival
Location: Trenton Avenue, East Kensington
Time: 12 – 5 pm
Another favorite! In connection with the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival is always a great group of local vendors with a wide range of crafts/art on display. Live Music, good food, beer from our favorite Philadelphia Brewing Company.

Can’t wait to see you there!

By the way….where can you find Lilith’s Apothecary products in Philadelphia?
Local Locations:
Affordable Skin Care Salon, Girard Avenue (facial & body care)
Greensgrow Farms (garden products, tea)
Contessa’s French Linens (soap) @ Reading Terminal Market
Herbiary (herbal facial care) @Reading Terminal Market

Coming Soon to:
Bee Natural (infused honey) @ Reading Terminal Market
Barefoot Doctor Community Acupuncture Clinic (east Girard Ave)

* Fine Art Photography image “Tulip Tree” by Magbug (Mary Anne Morgan Photography) on Etsy.com *

Mint (mentha), whether one is referring to peppermint, spearmint, apple mint, pineapple mint, lemon balm, or any other variety, is a stimulating herb that is well known for its internal benefits (as a great digestive tonic and cure for indigestion, for example). But have you yet tried it externally in a skin care ritual?

For identification purposes, you can always recognize a mint by its square stem, though mints such as peppermint and spearmint are best known for their potent volatile, or essential, oils.  Mint’s delightful aroma makes it even more appealing to use as a skin care treatment, because it provides some aromatherapy, stimulating & clearing the mind. In skin care, mint is used as a deodorizer, cleanser, and skin soother. The toner below is particularly grand for oily/acne-prone skin because the citrus peels are marvelously anti-septic and ideal for further astringing the skin.

Rule of thumb: Dried mint 1 Tbsp = 3 Tbsp Fresh.

Citrus Mint Toner
3 Tbsp fresh mint leaves (lemon balm would be quite wonderful!)
peel from 1 orange
Peel from 1/2 lemon (Meyer lemons are really lovely)
Peel from 1/3 grapefruit
1 cup boiling water
1 Tbsp witch hazel extract or 1/2 cup witch hazel distillate.

1. Place mint leaves in a bowl and bruise with a spoon in order to release their volatile oils.
2. Add citrus peels.
3. Pour boiling water over leaves and peel and allow to cool completely
4. Strain to remove solids.
5. Add witch hazel extract (tincture) or distillate.
6. Pour into a clean container

*NOTE: as an unpreserved toner, this is essentially a “fresh” product that must be kept refrigerated and used up in a week or so. Don’t store it in your warm bathroom! Also makes a wonderfully refreshing facial mist for a pick-me-up any time of day.

Milk Bottles by Old Crow Black Cat (Etsy)

Guest Post from Sarah Outlaw

Raw milk is a passion of mine. In college I drank the cafeteria milk that came from the seemingly always full silver dispensers and had the worst digestive problems and stomach pains I had ever experienced. I did not realize what it was from until later. The milk I was drinking was powdered, skim milk and my body could not tolerate it. From that point on I had trouble with milk. At that time I was convinced that low-fat was the way to eat so I would buy low-fat or skim milk. I would be doubled over in pain within twenty minutes of drinking it. I began to avoid milk. When my first daughter was weaned and began drinking milk, she experienced stomach discomfort so I assumed she was lactose intolerant and changed her over to soy milk. After extensive research into unfermented soy I did not feel it was the healthiest option for our family so we stopped consuming it. I came across some information about grass-fed, organic raw milk and the health benefits of not pasteurizing or homogenizing it. We decided to give it a try. Much to my surprise, neither I nor my daughter had any digestive issues when drinking raw milk! We were hooked! When friends and family heard that we were drinking unpasteurized milk they were concerned for our safety. They were worried that we would get sick from all the bacteria in the milk. After all, the reason pasteurization exists is so that we will not get a food-borne illness. After showing them existing research that demonstrates that one is more likely to get sick from pasteurized milk than from raw, most of them were convinced that raw milk is the way to go.

Conventional milk goes through quite an extensive process to get it from farm to table. The cows are confined to crowded pens, fed grains and are rarely given grass to eat. They are routinely injected with hormones to increase milk supply and antibiotics so that they won’t get sick. These chemicals get into the milk and into the consumer. The processes of pasteurization and homogenization change the chemical makeup of the milk. Heating the milk destroys the enzymes making it more difficult to digest. Most people diagnosed lactose intolerant are in reality reacting to the denatured milk void of necessary enzymes. It also damages the proteins and diminishes vitamin potency. Synthetic vitamins and minerals are added to conventional milk to replace those destroyed. Homogenization is the process that mixes the milkfat into the milk so that it cannot separate and float to the top. To accomplish this, the milk is extruded through small holes with use of extreme pressure to break up the fat globules. It also undergoes additional heating and high temperatures with can further alter nutrition content. Milk in its raw state contains an enzyme called xanthine oxidase or XO. This enzyme is mutated during homogenization and is linked to heart disease.

Milk Jug : Art by Carey (Etsy)

In sharp contrast, grass-fed, organic cows are allowed to roam in large pastures with plenty of grass to eat and fresh air. If you have ever been to a family farm you know this to be true. There are fewer numbers of cows on these farms and they are taken care of properly with natural medicines and proper food. Cows are ruminants. They have four stomachs and chew their cud. They are meant to eat grass, not grain. When a cow eats too much grain, her body becomes more acidic which affects digestion and milk composition. They friendly bacteria in the gut are diminished thus making her more prone to illness.

Raw milk is a complete food and contains all eight amino acids. It is a healing food and has been known to help prevent or lessen the instance of allergies, asthma, and ear infections. There are also over sixty enzymes present in raw milk aiding digestion and protecting the milk from bacteria. Probiotics in the milk also prevent harmful pathogens. Conjugated linolic acid (known as CLA and also in breastmilk) is plentiful in raw milk. It is an Omega 6 fatty acid that aids in strengthening the immune system and lowering food allergy reactions. No vitamins or minerals need to be added to raw milk. The milk literally goes from the farm straight to your table. There is a recent study that suggests that raw milk from older breeds such as Jersey of Guernsey cows are more healthful because of something called the A1/A2 Factor. This is something that definitely warrants further study.

There are so many benefits to raw milk and so much more information about it that I suggest delving further into the subject using the resources listed at the end of this post. Where you get your milk is very important. Know your farmer and the farm. Know the breed of cow and what they are fed. It is wise to be informed so that you can make an educated decision about raw milk.

Real Milk www.realmilk.com

Raw Milk Facts http://www.raw-milk-facts.com

Raw Milk Advocacy and Resources http://www.raw-milk-facts.com

The Devil in the Milk http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/the-devil-in-the-milk-dr-thomas-cowan-on-how-a2-milk-is-the-answer-to-the-mystery-of-why-even-raw-milk-sometimes-does-not-seem-to-be-enough-of-an-improvement-over-store-bought/

Sarah Outlaw is a work-at-home wife and mother of 3 who is passionate about natural living, natural medicine, and real food. She is the owner of 90210 Organics, an Eco-boutique, and is a Certified Health Coach & Natural Living Consultant.

PAINTINGS/ IMAGES:

“Milk Bottles” by Old Crow Black Cat, on Etsy.
“Old Fashioned Milk Jug”, Art by Carey Pavlik on Etsy.