A tincture combination that I make every year is a very simple one. I'm breaking a "rule" by tincturing two herbs together, I know- purists insist on making each tincture separately and then combining the finished tinctures if they wish a combination product.
But I did this the first time almost 22 years ago, when I was just starting out and didn't have a clue....
Hubby called it "the Recipe" and the name stuck. It's the best simple skeletal muscle relaxant I've found- even better than most of the Rx muscle relaxants.
It's simply a combination of peppermint (black peppermint- the purely strong stuff is best) and lemon balm. About half and half is the way it usually ends up... but I'm not terribly picky about it.
I usually make it with high proof vodka (160 proof) and the fresh herb, but it can be made with the dry leaves as well.
I oack a gallon jar full of fresh herb, pour the vodka over it and let it steep. Strain and bottle it when I get the time- usually a few months later when things settle down on the farm in winter.
A teaspoon to a tablespoon will generally relieve back spasms or other muscle spasms better than you'd believe possible. If you can, it's best to add it to a warm herb tea- possibly one made with skullcap, kava kava or valerian if you want a very sedative cure. But we usually either add it to fruit juice or lemonade or to a simple mint/lemon balm and chamomile tea.
I've offered this to friends and guests over the years, almost always having it accepted with a gracious but skeptical attitude. I remember a distant relative visiting who was having so much back pain he could barely stand to sit in the chair. I offered him a cup of tea with "recipe" added, and 30 minutes later, he was relaxed and had a stunned look of disbelief on his face. Apparently, even heavy meds the doctors had prescribed hadn't worked as well.
Often, someone will drink it and go on with what they were doing, not expecting much. And an hour or so later, they'll stand up and look around and say "hey! What happened?!" LOL!
It can also really help tension headaches, especially if you add a bit of kavakava tincture to the mix.
Summerthyme
But I did this the first time almost 22 years ago, when I was just starting out and didn't have a clue....
Hubby called it "the Recipe" and the name stuck. It's the best simple skeletal muscle relaxant I've found- even better than most of the Rx muscle relaxants.
It's simply a combination of peppermint (black peppermint- the purely strong stuff is best) and lemon balm. About half and half is the way it usually ends up... but I'm not terribly picky about it.
I usually make it with high proof vodka (160 proof) and the fresh herb, but it can be made with the dry leaves as well.
I oack a gallon jar full of fresh herb, pour the vodka over it and let it steep. Strain and bottle it when I get the time- usually a few months later when things settle down on the farm in winter.
A teaspoon to a tablespoon will generally relieve back spasms or other muscle spasms better than you'd believe possible. If you can, it's best to add it to a warm herb tea- possibly one made with skullcap, kava kava or valerian if you want a very sedative cure. But we usually either add it to fruit juice or lemonade or to a simple mint/lemon balm and chamomile tea.
I've offered this to friends and guests over the years, almost always having it accepted with a gracious but skeptical attitude. I remember a distant relative visiting who was having so much back pain he could barely stand to sit in the chair. I offered him a cup of tea with "recipe" added, and 30 minutes later, he was relaxed and had a stunned look of disbelief on his face. Apparently, even heavy meds the doctors had prescribed hadn't worked as well.
Often, someone will drink it and go on with what they were doing, not expecting much. And an hour or so later, they'll stand up and look around and say "hey! What happened?!" LOL!
It can also really help tension headaches, especially if you add a bit of kavakava tincture to the mix.
Summerthyme
I drank some like wine and it was dry and kind of bitter. I suppose you could sweeten it with something. My neighbor and I found a whole bunch of wild elderberries growing in a back woods area so we have a huge supply now. She is helped immensely with elderberry for her mast cell disease. I went along making this mostly for her benefit but hope we can benefit as well. Thanks for this thread. Please add if you all have anything new to share.
