Astragalus ( Astragalus membranaceus).
This plant is a staple in my kitchen and medicine cabinet. Most often I add it to soups, stews, broths, rice or pasta water as a way to support our immune system. Recently, my beloved pup was diagnosed with Lyme's disease and I needed a way to boost her immune system consistently for a long period of time. Besides adding immune boosting broth ( with astragalus and medicinal mushrooms) I also wanted to include some tinctures. Astragalus like many mineral and polysaccharid rich herbs benefit from double extraction. There are a few different ways to go about this process. For more info check out Maria Noel Groves' great write up here. I started out with 3 oz of dried Astragalus pieces from Mountain Rose Herbs. I added 13 oz of water. ( accounting for some of the liquid to evaporate.) I brought this mix to a gentle boil then turned the heat down and simmered it for 2 hours. I strained the liquid and held it in a separate container. I added the plant material into a quart size mason jar. I measured 12 oz of the cooking liquid and added this to the jar as well. After it cooled off, I added alcohol to make a 20-25% alcohol solution. If you have 100 proof vodka, you would add 12 oz of it. I used 190 proof organic cane alcohol so I added 3 oz. This will give me a 1:4 tincture with about 20-25% alcohol.
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April 2022
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