Herbal medicines have been mainstays throughout human history, serving as the foundation upon which modern medicine has developed. In fact, many of the chemicals used in modern medicines come from common plants that are now used mainly for ornamentation despite their medicinal properties. For anyone with a green thumb, learning how to create homemade medicines from plants may be beneficial for curing minor maladies and saving you some money.
Ingredients
To begin, consider some of the more popular and common medicinal herbs as you learn how to make and perfect remedies before moving on to others.
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Often described as a revival herb, rosemary is a stimulating alternative to caffeine that can be infused with teas for an energy boost and for sharper concentration by allowing more oxygen to your brain.
- Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla): Renowned for its soothing effects, chamomile is commonly found in teas as a sedative for anxiety and relaxation. It can also be used to reduce inflammation and swelling when applied as a compress.
- Ginger (Zingiber officinale): This herb is a helpful supplement to ease nausea and motion sickness, particularly nausea caused by pregnancies, making it a helpful herb for expecting mothers.
- Hemp (Cannabis sativa): CBD oil extracted from hemp plants has become increasingly popular for sedating anxiety and soothing chronic pain. CBD is one of the more effective herbal remedies.
Extraction Methods
Next, we’ll cover the extraction process that works best for these three herbs.
- Hydro or Steam Distillation: This is the best extraction method for rosemary; you’ll need a distillation apparatus. What you’ll do is boil water, and as steam forms, it will pass through the rosemary and make it release the medicinal oils within. As the vapor passes through the condenser, two separate layers of oil and water will form.
- Maceration: It takes a long time and isn’t very efficient, but maceration is a simple process for extracting chamomile oil. What you do is immerse the plant in a container of water or alcohol and seal it so that it’s airtight. From there, you simply wait for the solvent to penetrate the innermost cells and get the oils to separate from the plant.
- Decoction: For ginger, you’ll boil it with water in a pot. As the mixture boils, the plant material will begin to dissolve the chemicals and create a soup-like paste. This extraction method is common, as the product can be directly consumed when all the stems and leaves are dissolved in the mixture.
- Ethanol extraction: This process removes the THC content from the hemp plant so that you can avoid the “high” sensation for which cannabis is known. The process is incredibly easy with the advances in ethanol extraction machinery, which makes creating homemade remedies from plants as easy as using a coffee machine.
