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. 

Herbal medicine doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes all we need is an herbal soak to make things right. 
After working endless hours with beautiful, albeit thorny and cold flowers, my hands were begging for relief. 
I knew exactly what they needed.
I filled a deep bowl with warm water. 
I put about a 1/4 cup of rolled oats into an old, clean sock and I tied the open end. 
I put the oat filled sock in the water and I gently started squeezing it. Within a few minutes the water turned milky, silky, soothing. 
This soak will help with rashes and itchy skin as well. Small children will find it fun to take an oath bath.  

That tickle in the throat, the feeling of rawness is the first signal for me that my body is fighting an intruder. Most cold-like sicknesses follow a similar pattern so paying attention and acting fast is important.
Do you have any strategies and tools in place to reach for when the need arises?
Having a potent, artificial color and flavor free throat spray is one of those tools for me.
It’s inspired by soft, velvety, cooling #sage, the classic throat/mouth helper. It will be joined by #echinacea angustifolia-one of the most overused and often misunderstood herbs. To this batch I added #calendula and #chamomile as well for their skin/mucus membrane healing attributes. And since the pines threw some twigs at me they became part of the formula. Wish I had some propolis tincture ready!
1 part Sage
1/2 part Calendula
1 part Chamomile
1/4 part Echinacea Angustifolia
1/2 part Pine
Cover with glycerin (diluted with water: 60% glycerin, 40%water), leaving a 3/4" headspace in jar. 
Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.

Nettle, a deeply nourishing, green food can be part of our daily routine in the form of infusion (tea), Nettle Salt (see post in Kitchen medicine) or as an addition of Spring tonic soups. 
A lot of people think of Nettle as a great ally in heading off uncomfortable symptoms of seasonal allergies. The most potent form of Nettle for this purpose is its fresh form, or freeze dried form. However, to be successful in this quest, we need to start the protocol late winter when fresh Nettle isn't available around these parts.
This is where tinctures come into play. Making tinctures can be as simple or scientific as we want it to be.
Folk medicine suggests simply filling a glass jar with fresh, clean plant material and cover it with a solvent, most often alcohol. 
If you like to follow a recipe or keep a better track of what works, here's a suggestion:
1 part Fresh leaves
2 parts Alcohol (95%)
Let it sit in a glass jar for 4-6 weeks, shaking it daily for the first few days. 
Strain and squeeze out plant material and bottle your tincture. 
Take 1-3ml three times daily for allergies.