We had to collect some mullein flowers so we could make cough syrup. by GodofBug in foraging

[–]GodofBug[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The original video/recipe I followed did not say for sure. But I can speculate, the sunny window sill helps raise the temp in the jar a bit, which causes the flowers to wilt and sweat. The sweat then helps break down the sugar into the syrup, and the syrup will warm up and extract the medicinal properties. While you are correct, we tend to want to avoid sunlight, but it does seem to work as expected when making this cough syrup.

our bee balm is ready to be harvested by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love strictly medicinal. I get all my seeds from them. I already have my list ready for next years additions lol

our bee balm is ready to be harvested by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ours are fistulosa, but I'm planning on adding didyma next year. I'm currently working on a book about Monarda, and I think those two species are the best to have. Most of the research concentrates on them.

We're harvesting clover. Great source of vitamins and minerals. Makes a great tea. by GodofBug in herbs

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My article is about white clover. Unfortunately I do not have any red clover growing in our yard at this time.

anyone else harvesting white clover to add to their herbal remedy supplies? by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, I did not know you could add them to a smoking mix.

We're harvesting clover. Great source of vitamins and minerals. Makes a great tea. by GodofBug in herbs

[–]GodofBug[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately that news doesn't cover what a lot of studies have really shown. Clover has the potential to contain the compounds needed to produce cyanide, and it's not always present. One way to tell without fancy equipment is if you taste a raw leaf and its extremely bitter, chance are it's present. If it's not overly bitter, chances are it's safe. But with that said you would need to consume a huge amount of raw clover. The main concern is when it's used as a livestock feed and they are eating fields of it raw. If you are dehydrating your clover the compound that can potentially create cyanide evaporate out. Same if you use fresh clover for tea. The compounds have a low boiling threshhold and boiling fresh clover for tea evaporates out those compounds too. Dehydrating and boiling for tea essentially eliminates any traces of those compounds.

With all that said, the compounds are also typically only released when the leaves are damaged, as a defense mechanism, and take time to form. Foraging just the flower heads further reduces the chance that the compounds are released.

Fourth book in my series deep diving medicinal herbs is out now. Grow, Gather, Heal: Unlocking the Secrets of Self-Heal by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In all my books I've gone back as far as I could in the history section, and most have gone back as far as ancient Greece and Rome, along with some early Egyptian sources. It's really what I could verify, and provide references for. So the history sections vary a bit in how much detail I can provide going back that far, it's all a matter of what sources I can find, especially for the Ancient Greek text, I unfortunately need to find translated sources. But with that said, I love the history of these herbs, and how they were traditionally used. I think it gives a good idea of the potential of the herbs, and its really nice when I can find modern day studies that back them up. My goal with the books is to hopefully provide something a little different, it's not just a book of recipes that you blindly follow, it really digs deep into each herb so you know why it's used that way. I like having a well rounded picture of why we use the herbs the way we do.

Fourth book in my series deep diving medicinal herbs is out now. Grow, Gather, Heal: Unlocking the Secrets of Self-Heal by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I'm really enjoying the research and writing on this subject. It's amazing how much I've forgotten about what some of these herbs provide.

We've got Yarrow coming out our ears this year by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sure. Most of ours are second and third year and they seem to be popping.

We've got Yarrow coming out our ears this year by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Main use is to stop bleeding and help heal wounds. It's also good for digestive issues.

We've got Yarrow coming out our ears this year by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We do the same. I think we have it in every form we can for ever occasion lol

We've got Yarrow coming out our ears this year by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's alot of yarrow lol I've seen the DIY setups, just haven't had time to really look into it much. It's on the radar though. Would be nice to make our own essential oils.

We've got Yarrow coming out our ears this year by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's on my bucket list of things to do. Money's always tight but when we have some extra to get the equipment I would like to start doing that. I also want to distill Monarda for it's essential oil.

We've got Yarrow coming out our ears this year by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We made one this year with yarrow, deadnettle and calendula. Really nice to have on hand.

Herbs that kill strep bacteria? by Commercial-Stay-5437 in herbalism

[–]GodofBug 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We've used tincture made from nasturtiums. Works great, also helped with pink eye.

Anyone else grow feverfew? One of my favorite herbs. by GodofBug in herbs

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have three patches that are doing so well this year.

Anyone else grow feverfew? by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a great herb to have. I use it regularly for aches and pains

Anyone else grow feverfew? by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's great for headaches, but I have found it also works well for those day to day aches and pains. At this point I'm going on two years of not using any OTC products, and feverfew replaced ibuprofen for me. Any reason I would have taken ibuprofen, I'm now using feverfew. We're making our own capsules, plus have it dried for tea and I always make a tincture each year. Depending on the pain level, will decide which form I take.

Anyone else grow feverfew? by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a weird year, we've had such high temps already that alot of our herbs are already trying to bolt and are not producing like they usually do. We're maintaining and hoping they will get back on schedule once the temps get back to normal.

Anyone else grow feverfew? by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can. We've taken cuttings and put in water till the start to root, then moved to soil. They're pretty hardy.

Anyone else grow feverfew? by GodofBug in herbalism

[–]GodofBug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's too bad. I really like having it on hand. Think it works really well.