Herbal Remedies Three

My herb collection just keeps growing, yes. A man does need a hobby after all. My tinctures are done as well, so I can testify towards the effectiveness of some of these herbs in that form. The others I've only used externally so I can give them a thumbs up in that respect(as can over a thousand years of herbal lore).

Pokeroot - This is probably the most dangerous herb I'll mention, so take note of that. You are to take a single drop of the tincture per day to help overcome colds, chest infections, etc.. as it works as cleanser of the lymphatic system among other things. Do not use for more than two weeks and dear lord, do not overdose(I've heard stories of people becoming lightheaded and ill from 2-3 drops a day). From my experience it's quite effective though.

Pleurisy Root - It is an herb for the affliction within it's very name, "Pleurisy"(known to me as "The Royal Clusterf*ck", but that's another discussion). Pleurisy is when the pleura, a membrane between your lungs and chest wall become inflamed to a viral or fungal infection(rarely the latter). It's insufferably painful, causes severe, unexplainable weight loss, and basically makes you meaner than a rabid wolverine on cocaine. So basically, anything that can help with it's pain is a godsend(the hospital just gives you tylenol or vicodin and tells you to duke it out). It's an expectorant, a diuretic, a cathartic, and an anti-spasmodic. As well as helping with the inflammation a bit. The only thing to worry about is the diuretic part, as it could cause a potassium or calcium deficiency if used in the long term.

Devil's Claw Root - This is probably one of the more popular up-and-coming herbs used today. It's an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer used for chronic issues such as arthritis and cancer(I've heard first hand about it being a supplement for cancer patients from doctors). It's also sometimes used as a digestive aid, though that is up in the air. This is easily found in Europe in Standardized extracts, especially in Germany(Germany has a regulated medicinal market of herbs, unlike the US). It needs to be used continuously to be most effective, but it has been shown to be effective.

Yarrow - This is a perennial herb of ancient renown. It was known as herbal militaris because the fresh or re-hydrated leaves can be applied to wounds to help staunch the blood flow and as an antiseptic. It is also used internally for the treatment of severe bruises and inflammation, both useful after battles. Yarrow is also said to help induce sweating, lower fever, help digestion, and aid in menstruation. It's a must have in the cabinet of just about anyone.

Myrrh - Yes, Myrrh. As in "Frankincense, Myrrh, and Gold" kind of Myrrh. This tree resin, likely originating in what is present day Somalia/Yemen Region, used to be worth it's weight in gold to the people of the biblical times. This is because it's a potent anti-septic, often used today to ensure oral sanitation and hygiene. Myrrh is also a component in some perfumes/incense and liqueurs. I use it to make a toothpaste along with a few other things.

Almond Milk & Extracts

First off: Fuck you, Silk soymilk. I naively drank this in quite significant quantities(not necessarily drank, but used it in all kinds of cooking as well) and was therefore messed up for the rest of this week due to the corn in it. However, I have now recovered and have time/energy to tell of the many things I created this week.

The first thing I made this week were extracts. I made spicy pepper oil and peppermint extract(both still brewing actually). The oil is absurdly easy to make, just take two hot peppers per quart of olive(or your preferred) oil, chop them up, put them in a mason jar and let them sit for a few weeks, shaking every few days. I would recommend using Serrano peppers in the mixture, but you can use whatever kind that you prefer depending upon how hot you want it; either way, make sure no seeds are wasted. After the few weeks run through a fine colander or cheesecloth and store it like a normal oil.

After my realization that pretty much all toothpaste in existence has corn in it(I've heard Tom's Of Maine "Silly Strawberry" does not but I cannot verify this), I started using a 4:1 mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide as my toothpaste. Cheap? Yes. Terrible Tasting? Yes. Hence, the want of peppermint extract to mix into the paste to make it slightly less horrendous tasting. To make it, buy a fresh bunch of mint, pull it all apart, bruise the mint with a mortar and pestle(or with whatever you have handy, they're friggin' leaves), put it all in a mason jar. Fill the jar until the mint leaves are just covered with potato vodka. Potato vodka is superior due to a complete lack of corn, fairly neutral flavor, and not being overly expensive for a quality product. I used Luksusova and it cost $13 for a fifth of it, so it wasn't that pricey(or that bad tasting). Let this sit for 2-3 weeks depending upon how strong you want it; Strain it through a cheesecloth when finished.

Since I can't have any soymilk around here and I'm now weary of even the unflavored rice milk, I decided to make my own nut milk. Since the nut I have the most of is almonds, almond milk was the one I chose to make(that and almond milk is the most commonly made one and I'm new at this). The recipe for making the milk is as follows, read the comments after it before you start making it though:

1/2 cup raw almonds(or other nut/seed)
2 cups cold water
1 tbsp natural sweetner(I prefer agave nectar)
1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla(make sure it's corn-free! Mine is from Mexico)

Crush the nuts into fairly small chunks and then grind them finely inside of a coffee-grinder. If you don't crush them first the size of the almonds will impede the grinding process. Pour the nut powder into the blender with one cup of cold water, the sweetener, and the vanilla. Have this whip for at least five minutes. Add the other cup of water slowly to the mixture will it is still mixing and let mix for another five minutes(*If you want more cream for milk or the like then stop before you add this water and just mix longer). Mix for another five minutes. Double layer cheese cloth within a colander and pour in the mixture and allow it to pour through without tampering. You'll probably want to do this yet again to ensure that there are no particulates in your milk, unless you fail to care that much.

A few very important notes about making the milk:
1. I highly recommend getting a separate grinder for nuts if you're going to do this consistently. If not, you will end up with coffee in your nut milk and nut residue in your coffee. Not as nice as one would hope.
2. The nuts powder may very well clump up as its being ground, so make sure it's all going through the machine fine so you don't break it.
3. The second straining is very important if you're using the same grinder as your coffee. Otherwise the bottom of the glass is like gritty coffee.

In the next week I plan to set up vanilla extract seeping, make pickles(I have a large amount of pickling cucumbers from the garden), and I'm heading to Toronto for some shenanigans. Good stuff. Oh, and pictures will return as soon as I get a non piece-of-shit camera. Working on that.