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By Root 977 0

Preparations and doses are mentioned, and brief therapeutic and toxicological notes are usually given. A materia medica can be combined with therapeutics and these works are called Materia Medica and Therapeutics. These works include the same stuff which is found in a materia medica, plus extensive information on the physiological, chemical, and toxicological action, as well as the therapeutic usage of the medicines considered. A materia medica will reveal the individuality of its author. What the author includes is usually what she or he has personal knowledge of and interest in, or which meets with her or his approval. In this aspect it differs from a dispensatory, which is designed to be a book of general reference.

MEDICINE

Medicine is whatever you choose to help you focus on well-being, to help reduce any resistance to the flow of life force, and to revive your experience of health. Medicine is any agent that helps revive your physical, mental, and emotional vitality, and uplifts and promotes your natural state of wellness, joy, and prosperity. All medicines are equally creditable; different things resonate differently with different people.

MENISCUS

Due to the capillary attraction of a liquid to the wetted glass walls of a (graduated) cylinder or pipette, the surface of a liquid in these containers presents a cup shape called a meniscus. A line drawn through the bottom of the meniscus is normally selected as the point at which to read a measurement.

MENSTRUUM

A menstruum is the solvent used to make extracts. The word menstruum comes somewhere out of the ancient language of lunar astrology. It is derived from the Latin word menstruus, monthly (from mensis, a month), which, according to Caspari’s 1906 Treatise on Pharmacy, “was applied because of some influence which the changes of the moon, and consequently the time of the month, were supposed to exert upon the preparation of solvents.”

Herbalists strive to prepare an extract that represents as much of the whole plant as is possible and practical. The best menstruum for extracting an herb will dissolve and bring into solution all the desired principles of the herb, will leave behind the principles which are not desired, and will retain the desired soluble constituents in a stable form that will not be injured by light, heat, or air during consequent use and storage.

The ideal menstruum for extracting a given herb’s constituents is determined mainly by experimentation. The formula used to prepare a menstruum differs with each individual herb or type of herbal preparation. A menstruum may be pure water or pure ethyl alcohol; a mixture of alcohol and water; a mixture of alcohol, water, and glycerin; pure glycerin; glycerin and water; wine; vinegar (acetic acid); or whatever combination of solvents the medicine-maker determines to be the most efficient for making an extract of the particular herb at hand.

MAKING YOUR “MOJO”

In spite of the common notion a mojo is not an X-rated item. A mojo is four medicine power-roots that are housed in a small red pouch. One’s mojo is carried in a pocket, hung on a belt, carried in a purse, or dwells in a frequently used drawer. This little red bag full of root allies is painstaking prepared and privately carried so the active spirit of the plants can assist an individual to remain in constant touch with her or his creative essence, freedom, wit, safety, and well-being. Preferably, the roots are wildcrafted; roots that the individual has personally taken from the soil with deep respect and full recognition of the powers embodied in the plant entities; roots that have been dug while the digger maintained clear, undisturbed focus on his or her requests for the plants’ services; roots that have been anointed with specific herbal oil infusions that have been previously prepared for the making of a mojo. A mojo is personal, a mojo is private, a mojo is a man’s and a woman’s intimate herbal companion. It carries the visionary vibrations of their secret dreams, the passion of their desires, and the power of their intentions.