Mountain States Medicinal Plants by Briana Wiles

Author:Briana Wiles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Timber Press
Published: 2017-03-12T05:00:00+00:00

Elixirs

Elixirs can be made in various ways. For a simple elixir, extract an herb in alcohol first, then after straining the herb out, add honey for a sweetened taste (an infused honey could be used instead of plain raw honey). Herbs infused into honey can also be strained out of the honey and covered with brandy to make an elixir. Try formulating herbal blends; for example, grindelia extracted into alcohol and chokecherries infused into honey can be combined for a flavorful medicinal cough syrup.

Infused honey or maple syrup is one of my favorite methods of administering osha. The honey mixed into warm water or tea can be taken for colds and flu viruses. Combine it with other herbs for fighting respiratory illness: plantain, mallow, or grindelia to accompany a dry cough; yerba mansa, beebalm, balsamroot, and usnea for fighting bronchial infections. Osha tea can also help to quell a nauseous stomach and reduce vomiting.

The root can be used for those who are trying to quit tobacco-containing products. It helps to heal the lungs and work out the crud for smokers, and is useful when combined with spikenard and usnea. Leaves can be used for smoking blends. They add a sharpness and body to blends that have flowers such as fireweed, pedicularis, rose, or pearly everlasting. For those who use chewing tobacco, the root can be a spicy and flavorful replacement in the lip as a dip.

Use the leaves for teas and oils. They can also be added to root tinctures and honeys. Osha root can be infused into oil for antifungal blends or antimicrobial salves or skin applications. The root can be lit and used for a cleansing smudge stick against illness and bad energies. Leaves can also be bundled fresh along with artemisias and juniper for a smudging stick.

Remember to find ways to reuse the osha roots you have. After using a piece of osha root in a quart of hot or simmering water—even a jar of cold water extracts this root well—simply pull the root out after you have infused it for at least 20 minutes, let it dry, and reuse it when another bout of the cold has you wanting osha tea.

I infuse dried or fresh roots into honey at a 1:4 ratio. I place my jar of osha honey into a water bath—a pot or crockpot with water—at its lowest temperature, leaving it to infuse in the warmth for at least a day. I then take the chopped roots out of the honey and turn them into candied osha pieces by drying or dehydrating them. Or I fill a new jar with the honeyed roots and cover them with brandy, making an elixir. Sometimes I add other herbs to the elixir, like redroot or alder, which bring lymphatic support while fighting illness.

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