Echinacea Tincture
Here is my complete instructions for whole plant echinacea tincture.
I have had a few people ask me how to make it and what I use it for. I have even gotten some strange looks, but for me, I can say it works. Try it out for yourself and see!
Here is the general recipe I follow. I got it from Rosemary Gladstars “Medicinal Herbs" book.
Take a quart glass jar.
Gather leaves from your plant. I like to do this in the spring when the leaves are young and tender but it can be done anytime. Loosely place them in the jar, about half full or so. Pour vodka over the top until the leaves are covered by an inch or so. Leaves that poke out of the vodka will spoil.
Later in the summer gather flower buds and add them to the jar. When they are ready add almost opened buds and freshly opened flowers.
Top it off with vodka as needed.
In the fall dig up a little bit of the plant and remove the root, clean it off good, chop it up and add it to the jar. If you have a young plant and you do not want to hack into it you can use dried echinacea root from the store. I buy mine at harvest health but Mountain Rose Herbs is a good place online.
Shake the jar regularly, wait about 6 weeks and strain. It should be a dark liquid. If you taste a little bit of it you will notice it numbs or fizzes on your tongue. That means it’s good stuff.
Stick with the medicinal echinacea, it comes in pink. The yellows and reds are really pretty but lacking in medicinal value. Echinacea is also called coneflower. It is found readily at nurseries and is very easy to grow.
Personally, I try to keep mine as organic as possible, so I don't use sprays and other chemicals on it. I don't usually have a problem with pests or disease.
Ok, now how and why do you use it!?
Echinacea is an awesome cold and flu remedy. Anytime you feel and little sickness coming on is the perfect time to take it. If you have been exposed to a sickness take echinacea. The trick is to take it consistently. This is not an herb you take everyday. If you take it everyday it becomes useless. I take 1 tsp every hour when I feel like I am getting sick. My husband works so he can't do that so he takes a tablespoon three times a day. If you are really worried a 1/2 tsp every half an hour works well. It’s all about consistency. Less is more. Take it consistently throughout the day in small doses. That’s the trick.
If you have been exposed to a sickness and want to take it as a prevention then 1 tablespoon a day works well. You can up thr dose if you start to feel sick.
It works! I have had it completely iradicate a sickness or shorten the intensity and duration of it. I have even used it with other herbs to treat strep throat. It goes really well elderberry syrup - recipe coming soon!
Ask me any other questions you have?? I love this kind of thing!