Welcome to the formulary! This is where you can learn how
to do all the "basics" so you can make your own "herbal" concoctions.
The material provided is based upon personal applications, so don't be afraid to try these
preparations for yourself. As you practice, you will find your own hand for making plant
brews and come up with your own unique creations! So take notes, and get on your way to
green kitchen witchery!
Basic Tea: The standard water based herbal preparation,
sometimes called a "tisane".
Infusions: The most medicinally potent of water based
preparations. Some consider an infusion a "tea" - however, some methods result
in a fairly thick brew specifically designed for medicinal purposes.
Decoctions and Syrups: A decoction is an infusion that
has been reduced to one half of its volume by slow evaporation. This results in an ultra
potent and viscous liquid. Double decoctions can be produced by further evaporation of the
infusion to one fourth of its volume. Add sweetener to the decoction and you have a syrup.
Tinctures and Liniments: A lineament is when herbs are
prepared in rubbing alcohol. They are used ONLY externally. Tinctures are prepared in
digestible spirits like vodka or brandy. They are concentrated infusions lasting longer
than water based preparations due to the fixative quality of the alcohol base.
Infused Oils and Ointments: Infused oils and ointments
are generally used externally. In this regard normally fresh plant materials are used.
Ointments are the inclusion of beeswax into a preparation to make a solid more creamy
preparation.
BAD FORMULA COMBINATIONS!
This is a list of plants that, in tincture form, should not be mixed.
Tannins generally bind with alkaloids to form insoluble compounds,
rendering your Golden Seal / Oak Bark mouthwash rather inert.
| PLANTS HIGH IN TANNINS | PLANTS HIGH IN ALKALOIDS |
| Abies (Spruce) | Aconitum (Aconite) |
| Agrimonia (Agrimony) | Argemone (Prickly Poppy) |
| Alnus (Alder) | Berberis vulgaris (Barberry) |
| Arbutus (Madrone) | Cineraria (Dusty Miller) |
| Arctostaphylos (Manzanita, Uva-Ursi) | Coptis (Goldthread) |
| Betula (Birch) | Corydalis |
| Ceanothus Red Root) | Datura (Jimson Weed) |
| Cinnamomum (Cinnamon) | Dicentra (Turkey Corn, Bleeding Heart) |
| Cola nitida (Cola Nuts) | Ephedra vulgaris (Ma Huang) |
| Ephedra (Ma Huang or Mormon Tea) | Eschscholtzia (California Poppy) |
| Fraxinus (Ash) | Garrya (Silk Tassel) |
| Geranium (Cranesbill, Alum Root) | Gelsemium (Yellow Jasmine) |
| Granatum (Punica, Pomegranate) | Hydrastis (Golden Seal) |
| Guaiacum (Lignum Vit) | Hyocyamus niger (Henbane) |
| Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) | Jeffersonia (Twin Leaf) |
| Heuchera (American Alum Root) | Lobelia (all) |
| Jatropha cineria (Sangre de Drago) | Lophophora (Peyote) |
| Juglans (Walnut, Butternut) | Lycium (Wolf Berry) |
| Krameria (Rhatany) | Mahonia (Oregon Grape) |
| Ligustrum (Privet) | Nicotiana (Tobacco) |
| Myrica (Bayberry) | Nuphar (Yellow Pond Lily) |
| Orobanche (Broomrape) | Passiflora (Passion Flower) |
| Paullinia (Guarana) | Peganum harmala (Syrian Rue) |
| Polygonum bistorta (Bistort Root) | Petasites (Western Coltsfoot) |
| Potentilla (all) | Pilocarpus (Jaborandi) |
| Prunus (Wild or Choke Cherry) | Ptelea (Wafer Ash, Hop Tree) |
| Quercus (Oak) | Sanguinaria (Blood Root) |
| Rheum (Rhubarb) | Scoparius (Cytisus, Broom Tops) |
| Rhus (all) (Sumach) | Senecio aureus (Life Root, Squaw Weed) |
| Rosa (Rose) | Solanum carolinense (Horse Nettle) |
| Rubus (Blackberry, Raspberry) | Solanum dulcamara (Bittersweet) |
| Rumex hymenosepalus (Canaigre) | Tribulus (Puncture Vine) |
| Trillium (dry) | Tussilago (Coltsfoot) |
| Vaccinium (Blue-/Huckle-/Bilberry) | Ustilago (Corn Smut) |
| Xanthium (Cocklebur) | Vinca Major (Periwinkle) |
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