Page 97 - Lost Book Remedies

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

in a glass jar and cover with vodka. Seal the jar tightly water. Cut a small hole in the bottom side of the tub for
and place it in a cool dark place to brew. Allow the tinc- the copper tubing to exit the tub. Seal the exit hole with
ture to steep for 4 to 6 weeks, shaking the jar daily. a stopper or silicone sealer. The tubing now runs down
Strain the tincture through a coffee filter. Store it in a from the pressure cooker, into the cooling tub, out of
cool, dark place for up to 3 years. the tub into your collection vessel. Place the chopped
flowers, stems, and leaves into the pressure cooker.
Lavender Oil Distillation: Distillation equip- Add water as needed to cover the herbs and fill the
ment: a still OR small pressure cooker, glass tubing, pressure cooker to a level of 2 to 3 inches (5 cm to 7.5
tinned copper tubing, flexible hose, tub of cold water, cm). Heat the pressure cooker gently and watch for the
collection vessel, thermometer. You’ll need lavender oil to begin collecting in the collection vessel.
flowers, stems, and leaves chopped fine or ground, wa-
ter to cover the herbs. If you have a commercially avail- The oil will begin to distill near the boiling point of the
able still, follow the instructions for steam distillation water, but before the water boils. Watch for oil produc-
of essential oil. Otherwise, proceed with my directions tion. Monitor the still to make sure it does not boil dry.
to use a pressure cooker for steam distillation. Build a Collect the distillate until it becomes clear or until most
cooling coil out of tin-plated copper tubing. Wrap the of the water has distilled. The cloudy oil and water mix-
tubing around a can or other cylinder to shape it for ture indicate oil in the distillate. Once the distillate is
cooling the oil. Use a small piece of flexible hose to con- clear, it contains only water, and the distillation is fin-
nect the copper tubing to the pressure cooker relief ished. Transfer the distilled oil to a dark glass bottle
valve. with a tight lid for storage. Lavender Essential Oil is
much gentler than most other essential oils and can be
The steam will rise through the valve and flow into the safely applied directly to the skin as an antiseptic to
copper tubing to cool. Bend the copper tubing as help heal wounds and burns.
needed to place the coil into a pan or a tub of cold

Leeks, Allium porrum

Leeks belong to the Alliaceae (Onion) Family. They are
eaten as a vegetable and are quite tasty roasted or in
soups. The flavor is mild compared to most members
of the onion family.

Identification: Leeks grow from a compressed
stem with leaves wrapped in overlapping layers and
fanning out at the top. Commercial leeks are white at
the base, caused by cultivation methods of piling soil at
the base of the stem.
Wild leeks will not exhibit this blanching. Shallow, fi-
brous roots grow from the stem plate, and the plant Leek Flower Heads, Photo by Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) - Own work,
grows upward reaching approximately 3 feet (0.9me- CC by SA 2.5
ters). If left in the ground, it produces a large umbel of Medicinal Use. Heart Disease, High Blood
flowers in the second year. The flowers produce small
black, irregular seeds. The flower appears from July to Pressure, Lowering Cholesterol: Leeks are
August and has both male and female parts. It is toler- beneficial to the heart and circulatory system in a num-
ant to frost. ber of ways. They contain enzymes that help reduce the
harmful cholesterols in the body while increasing the
Edible Use: The leek is used extensively around the beneficial HDL cholesterols.
world as a vegetable and as a flavoring. It contains vit- They also relax the blood vessels, arteries, and veins,
amins, antioxidants, and minerals and is low in calo- reducing the blood pressure and they reduce the for-
ries and high in fiber.
mation of clots and help break down existing clots. In
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