Plants from this land

Making Medicines

Recipes and Resources

On this page you will find recipes, how to sheets, and resources for workshop facilitators.

The recipes below are all ones we use in Solidarity and Community projects. They include complete medicines and the component parts that we bring together to create final recipes.

In our projects we aim to make medicines that are effective; safe across various contra-indications; consistent, traceable and reproducible in quality.

If you would like to learn to make herbal medicines or work with experienced medicine makers please check our Events page.

If you would like to help by delivering workshops or co-ordinating harvesting and making days please get in touch

Links

1. Recipes
2. Making Component Parts
3. Practitioner/workshop leader resources

1. Recipes

Cough Syrup

Here is the marshmallow, cinnamon and fennel cough syrup recipe that has been used in camps in Northern France since 2016. It is sweet and gloopy, yet contains no sugar as is made with glycerine. We always need plenty of this. Good on its own for children or for mixing with the anti-microbial vinegar for adults.

Ginger, mushroom and Echinacea soup

This recipe comes from the Living Medicine website, and their great downloadable hand out on Allergies, Colds and Flu

Ingredients:

7-10 cm root ginger, peeled and shredded
1-2 medium chilli(s), finely sliced
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
12 shiitake or other mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tbs dried Echinacea angustifolia/purpurea root, tied in small muslin/cloth
5 tbs elderberries or rose-hips, fresh or dried •
2 litres vegetable or chicken stock •
8 crushed garlic cloves •
1 tbs chopped fresh...

Adult chest rub and infant recipe

This is the recipe for our adult and our infant chest rub. This is a key recipe, as chest rub is something that can be very effective, and yet can be distributed by non herbalists from many different outlets - the first aid stations and women and children’s center - but also from shops , schools and other community hubs.

Initially we plan to to distribute these in the Dunkirk camp in the coming weeks, and may find a way of reaching others with them soon

Simple bruise ointment recipe

Note this recipe contains 5% essential oils so is strong and not suitable for children.

If you are making this for general family use then 2% essential use is a better ratio; and this is a large solidarity mix quantity, you may want to divide the ingredient amounts by 5

To make 0.5 of a litre

Ingredients

200mls of daisy or arnica infused oil (or a combination of these)
150 mls of comfrey infused oil
100mls of St John’s wort infused oil
50g of beeswax
16 ml lavender essential oil
11 ml...

2. Making Component Parts

Making an infused vinegar

Vinegar is a good preservative because certain pathogenic bacteria don’t thrive in an acidic environment, whereas other commensal bacteria such as lactobacillus which add to the rich diversity of the human gut do.

To harness the properties of both preserving and nourishing to the gut biome, the the vinegar needs to be ‘live’, i.e., unpasteurized. Raw apple cider vinegar with the ‘mother’ present is a good option.

Approximate proportions for dried and for fresh herb and...

How to make a glycerite

Glycerites are made by macerating fresh or dried herbs in glycerine. .

Glycerine is a clear, viscous, sweet liquid extracted from animal fats or vegetable oils. It was originally discovered as a by product of soap making in the late 1700s

As well as extracting and preserving properties Glycerine has the added advantage that it tastes very sweet but does not behave like a sugar in the body.

If you are making a component part for a Solidarity project, please use...

Making an infused oil

Most infused oils are best made with dried herbs, some notable exceptions are St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and Daisy (Bellis perennis). Some herbs contain so little water that you can use them fresh e.g. Bay leaves, and up to a point Rosemary and Ivy, though always leave the oil to stand after straining to check if a watery residue gathers at the bottom.

Light olive oil is a good carrier for making infused oils. Sweet almond oil is good but the intensive cultivation of...

3. Practitioner/workshop leader resources

Delivering a chest rub workshop

Each workshop will reflect the practitioner/workshop facilitator’s own style and strengths, but these notes may offer pointers and resources. This document includes learning outcomes, planning tips, costing, preparation, publicity and online background reading and other resources. These are work in progress, so please feedback your experiences and send us any links to resources that you have found helpful. click on the image opposite to view.

Sample Flyer

This is a flyer that Caroline Butler in Bridport used, up loaded here to inspire you, or to be used as a template

workshop report

Caroline Butler describes her workshop delivering learning curve , including having to deal with torrential rain and the unexpected appearance of Father Christmas and ten elves.

Sample chest rub recipe

Some workshop facilitators will devise their own recipe before a workshop rather than confuse attendees with a large choice of recipes. Here is a recipe from Caroline Butler’s workshop as a sample of this.