The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [5]
“Down with lawns; up with herbs.”
—RYAN DRUM
Once you have found some Dandelions, harvest an entire plant including the root, leaves, buds, blossoms, and seed heads, if there are any. If a portion of the root breaks off and remains in the ground, great! This root piece will regenerate and produce a new plant—yet another vegetable contribution to Earth’s dynamic theater of perpetual abundance.
Now that you have properly identified and graciously harvested this plant, offer gratitude once again for its life. Consider leaving an offering, like a strand of your hair, a prayer, a song, a story, whatever; plant spirits are known to be deeply touched by simple gestures of appreciation. Wash all the soil off the plant, and bring it home to your kitchen. If the Dandelion plants you find are small, you might want to harvest six or seven of them.
If you are unable to locate any living Dandelions in the neighborhood, or if you suspect the plants that are there have been sprayed or are too close to the road and might be coated with odious residues of auto exhaust, the next best thing for you to do is harvest organically grown or wildcrafted, freshly dried (dehydrated) Dandelion from an herb or natural food store. Purchase an ounce of the highest quality Dandelion root you can find and an ounce of Dandelion leaf. Make sure the dried root material is a deep rich brown color and has a full bitter flavor when you chew on a piece. Make sure the dried leaf material shows a rich green color and also has a discernible bitter flavor. This leaf, dried properly, should definitely not be brown. If it is brown, don’t bother with it. It’s no good; shop somewhere else.
Now, lay your fresh medicinal plant(s) on your kitchen countertop. Cut the root and other parts into small pieces. How small? As small as your patience and enthusiasm permit. The smaller the better, because more surface area is exposed. If you are using dried plant materials, crush or grind them into small pieces, using a small coffee bean grinder or a mortar and pestle (See Chapter Four, “Kitchen Pharmacy Equipment”). Place these tiny pieces in ajar with a tight-fitting lid. Use a pint- or quart-size jar depending on the amount of plant material. Pour 100-proof vodka into the jar, filling it to the top of the plant material. If you are working with fresh plant material, at this point you might pour the plant with its menstruum into a blender and liquefy it to expose more surface area to the solvent. Wipe the top ridge of the jar, cleaning off any stuff that might be clinging to it. Put a piece of wax paper over the opening as a gasket, and screw down the jar lid. Tighten it firmly. Shake your tincture energetically. Now, take a moment to look at it. Admire it for a while, because it is indeed precious. It is your plant medicine, the enchanted doorway through which you just entered the enthralling world of Herbalism. Label the container appropriately. On this label include the name of the herb, the part of the herb used, (i.e., Dandelion root and top, Taraxacum officinale) and the date that will arrive fourteen days from the date you are preparing this extract. This date you write on the label is the day your tincture will be ready for you to separate the saturated liquid (the tincture extract) from the then-depleted plant material (the marc). During those fourteen days, at least once, even better two or three times a day, affectionately and vigorously shake your tincture (the “sixth” rule of good medicine-making) with your mind focused on your appreciation of the plant and your intention for its use. This is an important routine to attend to, for it maintains the extraction energy of the menstruum at a more efficient rate, and it permeates the maturing medicine with your mindful attention and the healing power of your personal energy.
After a minimum of fourteen days and nights, separate the spent plant material from the liquid extract. A simple