Past to Present Apothecary

✨️Monday motivation!

🌀I created this spiral garden last fall. I started by laying cardboard down where I planned on putting it. Then I used rock found all around the property to form the spiral shape. It was fragile, but once soil was added it kept its form. I cannot recall how many bags it took, but I do know I should have used more. 😫A problem for another day. 😅

🌿 During the fall I directly sowed some leafy greens (lettuce & spinach)seeds in the front bottom portion of the spiral. It absolutely thrived! I have since put 3 tomato plants in place of that. They seem to be doing well so far.

🍃Starting from the top center I have rosemary, lemon balm, thyme, sage, tomatoes, nasturtiums, apple mint, oregano, 1 very sad lavender plant, calendula seedlings, and 1 Echinacea seedling.

💜❓️I bought a beautiful lavender plant today, debating on repotting it or finding a place in my spiral garden for it. I fear I have planted certain plants in the wrong spot and will hinder their full growth. What do you think I should do?

🎥The latest post on making an oil infuion has been uploaded to YouTube.

Check it out! https://youtu.be/vIiKlETBqBk?si=q0Vh45nNO4W3K53b

✨️I appreciate everyone's support! These videos are way out of my comfort zone, and I am sure it will get easier. No matter - I will continue to create and share because I love what I do. 😊

💬If you have any requests for future content leave a comment and I will do my best to get it done!

Again thank you all!! 🤍

Creating an oil infusion This video covers how to make an herbal oil infusion. Using dried c...

🧉🧉Sippin' Sunday

☕️Refreshing tea infusion

🗝Key actions include: cooling body & digestive support

🌿Ingredients:
1 tsp dried hibiscus petals (cooling)
1 tsp dried peppermint (refreshing, aid digestion)
½ tsp dried lemon verbena or lemongrass (notes of citrus)
optional : ½ tsp dried rose petals (floral, calming)

📝Directions:
--Combine herbs into tea bag or herb infusion ball and place in a mug with 1 cup of boiling water.

--Make sure to cover the tea infusion for 10-15 minutes to steep.

--Remove cover, let cool, and you can add honey, or stevia for taste. You can also chill in the refrigerator for later or add ice to make a cold tea.

✨️❓️This is a great tea to drink on a hot summer afternoon after lunch! What are some things you like to add to your summer time teas?

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Lets make something today!

Our chamomile & lavender oil infusion is incredible. We go onto use the infusion to create our wellness salve.

If you're interested in how we make these products and others like them you can follow us on YouTube for full length videos.
https://youtube.com/?si=fWWes-uBXqKV9UGz

Thank you all for your support!

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If you have have any requests on what I make next drop us a line! We love to hear input from everyone.

Knowledge is wealth. 🤎💙💚

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE AND FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER! - The Arkansas Homesteading Conference has completely revamped its website - www.arkansashomesteader.com - to provide informative articles, online resources, free classifieds and more to help you on your homestead journey in the Natural State! In addition, we have also launched our new monthly email newsletter called Arkansas Homesteader. Just like our website, it will be filled with informative articles and resources as well as a listing of homestead-related events in Arkansas. You can sign up for the free newsletter as well as check out the first two issues here: https://tinyurl.com/42kzuct8

🌱Comfrey, Symphytum officinale

🌿This perennial plant grows to be 3ft in height and has a bell-like flower in shades of white, pink, and purple. Native to Europe, and part of the Boraginaceae family, it is now grown all around the world.

✨️Comfrey is known for its rapid healing properties. Also referred to as knit-bone, it has been used for thousands of years for healing wounds and broken bones. A somewhat controversial herb, comfrey is important to learn about. In the past it was thought to be safe to use both internally and externally. However, studies have shown that ingesting it can be toxic to humans.

🗝Key actions:
-Astringent
-Anti-inflammatory
-Wound healing

🧬Constituents:
-Allantoin
-Phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid)
-Tannins
-Triterpenes
-Pyrrolizidine alkaloids

🌿There are many ways this wound healing herb can help externally. (DO NOT apply to open wounds. Ensure a clean surface prior to application)
-Bruising
-Strains
-Sprains
-Small cuts/wounds
-Scars/Skin inflammation
-Acne

🫙Ways to use comfrey:
-Non-diluted tincture directly on troubled acne (do not ingest)
-A compress with infused comfrey oil/fresh ground leaves on a sprain or fractured bone
-Ointment for bruising
-Salve for joint and muscle pain
-Poultice with fresh leaves for boils and more…

❔️❓️What are some ways you have used comfrey? Have you ever used to help with wound healing?

⚠️Containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids, toxins that plants produce in defense against herbivores. To humans these PAs are highly toxic to the liver and cause acute and chronic liver toxicity. It's unknown what part of the plant holds this constituent, and so it is recommended to use externally only.
⚠️Check with a doctor prior to using if you are on any medications.

Follow for more information.

💧🫖Water extraction

⏳️Sometimes you simply cannot wait for a tincture/glycerite to sit and extract. With water you have the ability to extract in a number of ways, and get faster results.

🌿Every herb is made up of different constituents. Some water soluble constituents include volatile oils, mucilages, flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins. The way you decide on your extraction method is by understanding how the different constituents interact with water.

🔥💧Hot water infusion/Tea (10-15min steep): best for dried or fresh leaves/stems/flowers, and some roots. This method will extract alkaloids(caffeine), aromatic volatile oils, and tannins(antioxidants). Keep in mind that dried herbs tend to have a higher concentration of volatile oils than fresh herbs. To execute this you can use a covered tea pot, french press, or coffee mug with a cover of some kind. Steep, strain if needed, and enjoy. A few ideal plants include chamomile, cayenne, green tea, ginger, mints, lemon balm and more.

🫕Decoction (30-45min simmer): best for roots, barks, berries, and dense herbs. This method will extract tannins, saponins, minerals, and glycosides. To execute, coarsely grind up contents for more surface area coverage and add to a pot. Cover the contents with cold water and bring to a simmer over med-low. Let simmer per recipe or standard for herbs being used. Strain and discard left over plant materials. Drink decoction as you would tea, or you can go on to make a more potent tincture with it, known as a double or dual extraction. Most mushrooms work in decoctions as well as, blackberry roots, elderberries, echinacea root, willow bark and more.

❄️💧Cold water infusion (2-10 hours steep): best for fibrous plants, barks, and some flowers. Certain plant material/constituents will break down and dissolve in high temperatures. Antioxidants, crucial vitamins and minerals can all be lost in heat. Choice herbs to use for cold extraction are chamomile, crampbark, nettle, uva ursi and marshmallow root. To execute this method simply add the coarsely ground contents to cold water and let sit refrigerated for the needed time.

♨️🫙Hydrosols (20 min-3hr) best for aromatic herbs, leaves, and flowers. This method is used to capture the aromatic volatile oils of plants. A way to harness those powerful scents and combine them into cosmetics, culinary dishes, or use as is topically and internally. The process uses steam distillation for extraction. This is more complex than the others and requires more in depth explanation. I will make a separate post soon. The best plants to use in hydrosols are rosemary, rose petals, lavender, lemon balm, and orange blossoms.

⁉️All of these methods are great to learn and remember in a pinch. I love to make a warm cup of tea before bed to get relaxed. What is your favorite form of water extraction