One of the best things to do with off-cuts of herbs, left-over spices, and bits if medicinal veggies, is to create a Medicine Bottle!
What is it?
A Medicine Bottle is a jar that is filled with healing ingredients that combine to form a strong kitchen-medicine for you and your loved ones. This technique is very old, and has been used for centuries in the kitchens of healers and old-wives in Africa, Europe, India, and all around the world.
How do I make it?
- Take a jar (glass, never plastic), and ensure it is cleaned in boiling water. Make sure all soap is rinsed off.
- Add to it your preferred menstuum - I personally prefer vodka as a solvent, but you can also use apple cider vinegar (ACV). See below for why I prefer using vodka.
- Now comes the fun part! Over the next few days and weeks you can add any ingredients to the jar that have healing (or medicinal) properties. "What kind of ingredients?" you might wonder. Well, I have provided a list below to get you started. I use any herbs that might be trimmed from the garden, or small leftover bits of spices from when I'm making dinner.
- As you keep adding the herbs and spices, keep topping the jar up with the menstruum. I also enjoy adding a nice big dollop of locally-sourced honey to make the medicine more palatable. In fact, ACV and honey mixed together is called "Honeygar", and has really potent healing properties.
- Ensure you shake the jar regularly.
- When the jar gets full, strain the liquid and bottle it.
How to use:
Use your medicine as a tonic for daily health. You may drink a few drops (a tincture), or take it by the spoonful when you feel any bugs or sickness coming along.
Renowned South African herbalist, Margaret Roberts, used to suggest this kind of remedy as a daily tonic for overall health, vitality, and as a potent natural anti-bacterial medicine.
I suggest you use EITHER vodka OR ACV + honey:
Vodka is preferred over apple cider vinegar (ACV) for making tinctures because it is a more potent solvent, extracting a wider range of plant constituents (resins, alkaloids, and essential oils). Alcohol acts as a superior preservative, ensuring the tincture remains stable for several years, whereas vinegar-based preparations (properly called "aceta" or medicinal vinegars) have a shorter shelf life, generally around 6–12 months.
However, ACV + honey is a very potent medicine for the gut biome, and still has quite a long shelf-life. It depends on you. You can also use the herbed honeygar as a salad potent salad dressing!
Types of ingredients to add to the jar - and their healing benefits:
Off-cuts of herbs from the garden
- thyme (fights infections)
- nasturtium (anti-biotic, high in vitamin C)
- rosemary (memory)
- lemon balm (mood enhancer)
- lavender (calming)
- olive leaf (immune boosting)
- borage (loads of minerals)
- sage (for sore throats)
- lemon grass (pain reduction)
- comfrey (healing)
- yarrow (also a terrific healer), etc.
A pinch of spices from the pantry
- cinnamon (balances blood sugar)
- cloves (reduce pain)
- nutmeg (promotes good sleep)
- cardamon (antioxidant)
- ginger (digestion)
- black pepper (blood cleanser)
- turmeric (inflammatory)
- even a clove of garlic (natural antibiotic)!
Remember that each ingredient has its own special spiritual and chemical properties. I suggest getting to know the healing powers of the herbs and spices you have right there at home in your kitchen and garden.
More about "Honeygar":
Honeygar is a traditional tonic blending raw honey and apple cider vinegar (often with "the mother"), acting as an ancient health remedy for digestive aid, immunity support, and reducing arthritis symptoms. It acts as an alkalising agent, providing antioxidants, and is used as a daily tonic (1 tbsp) or in dressings.
Fresh Vs. Dried Ingredients:
I also had a question this morning about adding FRESH vs DRIED ingredients into the mestruum (a very old word used in apothecaries to mean a medicinal solvent) - this is a very important question, so I will write a full blog post on it for those interested in going deeper into herbal medicines for the home.
For now just know that the Medicine Bottle is meant for regular/daily use as an all-round tonic for health. It is not designed to be kept for a long shelf-life. We will get to those later ☀️🐝
Drink a spoonful in the morning by adding it to your glass of water and drink on an empty stomach - esp if choosing to make the ancient Honeygar version!! What a great way to kick-start the day!!
HINT: Buy the ACV in the store that has "The Mother" in it (ie: all the good live cultures).