DEEP IMMUNE TONIC

10-12 cups water in non-aluminum pan
Several bones from organic turkey or lamb
7 Astragalas roots
7 Codnopsis roots
2 - 4 ounces Reishi mushrooms, cut into small pieces
1 good-sized handful each of Shiitake and Turkey Tail mushrooms
1 good-sized handful of Burdock root (fresh or dried)
1 good-sized handful of Eleuthero root

Place pan full of water and herbs on a very low flame on the stove. Simmer for 3 days, leaving the top slightly ajar, replacing water as it evaporates. At the end of the simmering time, add 2 organic carrots and 4 stalks of organic celery (cut into small pieces). Simmer one more hour with cover on. Cool the entire contents. Strain the brew through cheesecloth. Place in ice cube trays. When frozen pop out the cubes and store in freezer bags in freezer.

Dose: 1 "tonic cube" per day as a deep immune tonic for those whose reserves and energy has in some way been compromised. Can be added to soups or water or taken alone once melted.

HERBAL PILL BALLS
great for kids & other cry-babies

Place powdered herbs in a bowl & moisten with enough water & honey to make a sticky paste. Add a tiny drop of an essential oil, such as peppermint or wintergreen, to the mixture & mix in well. Thicken with additional slippery elm or comfrey root powder. Add enough of these herbs to form into a nice smooth paste. Knead until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough. Roll into small balls the size of pills. You can roll them in carob or more slippery elm powder for a nice finish. Place on a cookies sheet & dry in a very low oven for several hours or sun dry for a day. These pills, once dried, do not need to be refrigerated & will last indefinitely. If you choose not to dry them, they must be stored in the fridge.

THROAT BALLS: great for sore throats
Powder all herbs -

• 1 p licorice root
• 1 p comfrey root
• 1 p slippery elm
• 1/2 p Echinacea
• 1/8 p goldenseal

HERBAL SYRUP

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 ounce (about 2 cups)
fresh herb leaf or flower
or
1/2 ounce (about 1/2 cup) herb root or bark
(reduce by half if using dried herbs)
1 cup honey, maple syrup, rice syrup, or other sweet syrup

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Remove from heat & add herb leaf or flower. (If you are using root or bark, do not remove from heat, but allow to simmer over low heat until water is reduced by one-half.)
3. Let stand about half an hour.
4. Strain out herbs, reserving liquid in saucepan. You now have a very strong cup of tea.
5. Add honey or other sweetener to the reserved liquid. Simmer over a very low heat on the stove or in an electric warmer (crock pot) that maintains a temperature between 90º and 100ºF until most of the liquid is evaporated and the liquid is the consistency of syrup.
6. Bottle (if bottling syrup warm use cork or do not tighten screw on top), label, and store in a cool dark place or the refrigerator.

INFUSED OILS
The Simpler's Method

Solar Infused:

• use food-grade oil of choice
• fill jar with dry* plant material, not tightly packed
• pour oil over plant material filling at least 1 inch above plant material (you may have to top off oil the next day, once plant material has absorbed some of the oil)
• cover tightly and let sit in sun for 2-4 weeks
• strain plant material and retain clear oil; compost plant material
• store in cool, dark place in air tight container

Stove Method:

• use quart sauce pan (ideally stainless steel)
• put in plant material (2 cups packed well)
• pour oil over plant material, making sure it is covered by oil
• on a very low heat (below simmer), heat oil for 3-4 hours. DO NOT LET OIL BURN!!!
• strain plant material and retain clear oil; compost plant material
• store in cool, dark place in air tight container

* if using fresh plant material, dry wilt for a few hours.

SALVES & BALMS

• OIL: Organic Extra Virgin olive oil is preferred for medicinal purposes or use your own infused oils. Oils like apricot kernal, grapeseed, jojoba, sunflower or sesame are fine for cosmetic purposes
• BEESWAX: Pure, do not use bleached or refined.
• Options: Essential oils (for therapeutic purposes and scent). Vitamin E oil (for preserving and emulsifying, as well as for moisturizing and healing purposes)
• Parts: The ratio that is usually used to make a medicinal salve is 3 parts oil to 1 part beeswax. This means if you use 3/4 cup oil you would use 1/4 cup beeswax. To adjust this formula, just make sure that you keep your measuring consistent!
• Melt beeswax and Heat oil: the best way to do this is the double boiler method. An easy way to help simplify clean-up is to take a soda can and cut off the top; pinch one of the sides to make a pouring spout. Put beeswax and oil in can and place in pot of boiling water. Be watchful, so can does not tip over.
• Test: Take a teaspoon dip it into the blend, now put it carefully into the freezer for a minute. Take it out and feel for the consistency --if it is too soft then you'll need to add more beeswax, conversely if too hard you'll need to add more oil. Just add a little bit at a time.
• Pour into container. Fill to top and add essential oil and Vitamin E now; you might want to stir lightly with a toothpick.

TINCTURE MAKING
The Simpler's Method

• Find wide-mouth jar (make sure lid is very clean). Choose menstruum-that's the liquid you'll be using.
• Choose herbs. If herbs are fresh, you'll want to "dry wilt" them. Let them sit for a few hours to reduce the amount of water in the plants. Cut plant into small pieces. Fill the jar approximately 1/4 full for dried material and 1/2 full for fresh. [A precise ratio is 4 oz of dried herb to 1 pint menstruum].
• Place herbs in jar.
• Pour menstruum over herbs. Make sure liquid is about 2" above herbs; this is so there will be no bacterial growth. Cover and tighten lid.
• Store in cool, dark place.
• Check next day, you might need to top off menstruum; the plant material may have absorbed a bit. Keep that 2" level above plant material.
• Every day shake jar so alcohol and herbs mix together. Do this for 6 - 8 weeks.
• After 8 weeks, strain tincture. Using a (fine mesh) strainer lined with cheesecloth. Place over large bowl. Pour herbal alcohol mixture into strainer. Herbs will collect in cheesecloth while liquid will run thru into bowl. If there are still herbs in liquid strain again. Squeeze herbs in cheesecloth to wring out any extra liquid remaining. The plant material should feel very dry (like autumn leaves). Compost plant material and wash all jars and utensils.
• Pour contents of bowl into clean jar and cover tightly. This is your tincture.