Herbal Brews:Kombucha, Kefir, Sodas and More

Herbal Kombucha, Water Kefir, Lactofermented herbal infusions & herbal sodas

By Darcey Blue French, Blue Turtle Botanicals
www.gaiasgifts.blogspot.com
www.blueturtlebotanicals.com

Water extraction of herbs
Minerals
Vitamins
Contact with tissues
Volume of medicine
Easy, safe
Whole plant medicine

Fermentation of water extracts
-increases nutritional value and bioavailability of nutrients
- preserves infusion for longer period of time
-introduces friendly flora for the digestive tract
-increases and synergizes herbal constituents not available in infusion by water alone.

Kombucha
Ingredients:
Tea (camellia sinensis) 6 -8 bags or 4 tbsp loose leaf
1 cup Sugar or maple syrup
Herbs of choice
1 SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast)
1 gallon Water (non chlorinated)
how to:
boil water, then remove from heat. Add tea, non aromatic herbs and sugar. Steep until cool. Strain. Pour into a gallon sized jar. Add scoby to the cooled tea & sugar. Cover with a cheesecloth or towel. Ferment for 3-4 weeks. Healthy SCOBY will not grow mold. Remove SCOBY and 1 cup of kombucha, set aside. Add several handfuls of any herbs you wish to flavor the brew with, and cover again, let brew for an additional 4-7 days. Strain and drink! (Prepare a new batch of tea to add the SCOBY to.)


Herbs that work well in kombucha brewing are non aromatic:
Elderberry, st johns wort, nettles, oatstraw, rosehips, dandelion, burdock


Herbs to add after primary fermentation:
Rose, tulsi, elder blossom, cinnamon, ginger, lemongrass, hibiscus, birch, schizandra, lemon balm, lemon or orange peel, fruits or juices

Favorite combos:
Nettle & St John’s Wort
Rose and Tulsi
Elder blossom and orange peel
Ginger and birch
Vanilla bean
Elderberry & cinnamon
Hibiscus, ginger & lemongrass



Water Kefir
Fast and easy! Less than a week brewing time.
Ingredients:
1 qt Non chlorinated water or coconut water
¼- ½ c water kefir grains. (purchase fresh or dried from www.kefirlady.com)
¼ c sugar
10 drops trace minerals

How to:
Dissolve sugar in water. Add kefir grains and minerals. (Kefir grains use minerals to build structure- it helps them grow, but you can do this without minerals as well.)

Cover loosely and let ferment 3-6 days. This will depend on your ambient room temp and how sweet you like your kefir. In cold weather it takes a full week. In warm weather 2-3 days is sufficient.

When bubbly, strain kefir grains from the water. (Coffee filter works well). Add grains to a fresh batch of sugar water/coconut water.

Add handfuls of herbs, fruits to the strained kefir. Let brew for a day or two.
Favorite combos:

Coconut water with pinapple and ginger
Rosehips
Elderberries
Hibiscus and schizandra w cardamom
Lemongrass & Goji
Orange Ginger
Rose Tulsi
Vanilla bean
Frozen berries


Herbal/Fruit Soda

This brew harvests the power of wild yeasts in the environment. It is slightly more troublesome with regards to mold and temperature.

Start with a GINGER BUG:
2 tsp fresh grated ginger root
2 tsp sugar
1 c water

Mix all ingredients in a clean jar. Cover loosely with cheese cloth or paper towel and rubberband.
Each day for 3-4 days add 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp grated or ground ginger to the brew. It should start to bubble and fizz after a few days. If it grows mold, toss it out and start fresh.

You may continue to feed this culture daily or every other day to keep it going indefinitely, but it is sensitive to cold. Keep in a warm spot!

Soda How To:
1 cup herbs of choice
½ gallon water
1 c sugar
1 c ginger bug starter

Make a strong decoction or infusion with the herbs and water. Add sugar to the brew and dissolve.
Once the brew has cooled, transfer to a ½ gallon jar and add ginger bug.
Cover loosely with jar lid. Set aside in a warm spot for 3-4 days.
Once the soda is bubbly, tighten the lid down to increase the fizziness.
After another 3-4 days, strain herbs, and serve or bottle for later.

Favorite combos:

Nettle ginger
Birch, vanilla, ginger
Elderberry
Burdock, dandelion, cinnamon, ginger
Rosehip
Berries
Lemongrass and cardamom
Lemon balm
Hibiscus
Green tea


Lacto-fermented tea
This is just like making yogurt or pickles! Full of friendly flora! Use whey from raw milk or yogurt to culture a sweetened tea. Keep in a warm spot for several days until it gets fizzy!

To obtain whey from yogurt, pour 2 c live yogurt into a coffee filter, in a strainer, and place over a dish in the fridge. Leave overnight. Collect the liquid whey from the bowl for your ferment. Save the yogurt for dips, cooking, or just eating. Thick like Greek yogurt!

Ingredients:
1 qt water
½ c herbs or fruits of choice
½ sugar, maple or honey
1 c whey strained from yogurt or raw milk

How to:
Brew a strong tea or juice with your herbs and fruit. Add sugar. Cool. When at room temp add whey. Cap and keep in a warm spot for a few days. (oven with the light on, top of the fridge, by the stove).
When the ferment is slightly sour, and bubbly, it is ready. Strain herbs. Serve! If you let this sit too long it will become very sour. FYI.


Favorite lacto fermented brews:
Elder flower
Chamomile orange
Elderberry
Berries
Hibiscus
Ginger
Yarrow (bitter but good)
Dandelion, burdock, ginger
Apple cinnamon (use apple juice)

Elderberry Shrub and Other Delights

Its elderberry season in New England.  Time to start checking your favorite stand of bushes for ripe fruits and getting there before the critters get them all!

Elderberry is my favorite antiviral ally- I use it frequently (almost always) during cold, flu, and have seen it work work wonders in cases of HSV1 & 2 and Shingles.  I use it all winter long as a tonic and the recipe I'm sharing below is a most delicious way of getting elderberry goodness on a daily basis.  If I feel like I'm coming down with something, I take elderberry every hour, or as often as I remember.  In addition, if you know you'll be in a place or period of time nearby others who are ill or are susceptible to getting the winter blarghs, take elderberries before, during and after exposures.

Most famous is Elderberry Syrup.  This is my recipe for elderberry syrup that is uncooked and made from dried berries.  I prefer not to boil my fruits to death when making syrups.  If you have fresh berries, you can modify the recipe to cook the berries slightly to get them to release their medicine.

Elderberry Elixir, is a favorite among herbalists all over, and is another delicious and easy way to get your elderberries everyday.

But my favorite, which I can never make enough of, is Elderberry Shrub!  What is elderberry shrub?  I mean, we know elder is a shrub...but huh?
A shrub is a mixture of fruit, vinegar and often honey. It can be made with any delicious summer fruits or berries you like. Rose hips, raspberries, black berries, blueberries, hawthorn etc. This is used as a concentrate to add to refreshing beverages all year round.  I like to mix my shrub concentrate with sparkling water for an almost soda like treat, with a medicinal punch.  But it is delicious added to juices, water, or even by the spoonful!  I use approximately a tablespoon or two of shrub per 8 oz cup of sparkling water.  Your milage may vary.

Elderberry Shrub
1/2 qt fresh or dried elderberries
1 qt (more or less) apple cider vinegar
1/3 c raw honey ( you may use more if you like it sweeter)

Place berries in a jar, add honey, and pour vinegar over the top of the fruits until the jar is full.  Cap well (keep in mind vinegar will eat away at metal lids, you may choose to use a plastic lid or line your metal lid with waxed paper) and shake vigourously.  Wait 4 weeks.  Shake frequently.
Strain, and reserve liquid in a pretty jar for gifting, or in another container for storage. I keep mine in the fridge right next to the sparkly water, but you don't need to keep it cold once it is made.  It should keep 3-6 months or possibly longer stored in a dark, cool area.

Drink frequently! Yum!

What are your favorite Elderberry preparations and how do you use them!?

Wild Things: Nettle Kraut

Gather nettles. A lot.  This recipe yielded one quart, and I had about 4 -6 cups of chopped nettle leaves.

Chop your nettles coarsely, and put into a large bowl with 1 tbsp salt.  Chop 1/2 cabbage head finely.  Add to the bowl of chopped nettles with another tbsp of salt.  Slice 1/2 red onion finely.  Add to the bowl.

Massage the nettles and cabbage and salt with your hands for 5-10 minutes, until they begin to release their juices.  If you are concerned about getting stung, you can beat the cabbage & nettles with a mallet, clean jar or other tool, but I used my hands, and didn't have any problems with getting stung.

Stuff into a jar, and press firmly until the juices flow over the top of the kraut.  Top with a grape leaf to keep it crunchy.  Cap firmly- after ensuring the liquid completely covers the kraut (if not, add brine (salt water) to cover.)  Set aside on a dish to catch any overflow, for a week, minimum.  Longer makes a more  sauer kraut

YUM!

Wild Things: Nettles for Breakfast!

Oooops. It was so delicious I forgot to take a picture before I ate it all up.
June is Nettles month for the Wild Things round-up.  

My favorite combination is nettles with preserved lemons.  Here's a handy, tasty breakfast recipe.  Switch the eggs up for chicken, or sausage for a lunch or supper.


Nettles with Preserved Lemon & Garlic

2 cups chopped fresh nettles (use frozen if you don't have fresh.)
1-2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 preserved lemon, chopped 
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs per person ( or more if you like)

add butter and garlic to a hot pan and sautee for 2 min.  Add nettles, tomatoes, and preserved lemon, plus salt and pepper to taste.  Sautee gently until the nettles and tomatoes are soft and the garlic is cooked to your liking.  ( I prefer mine a bit undercooked.)

When cooked plate out. 
In some extra butter, fry two eggs per person.  Or scramble them, or poach them.  Whatever old way you like your eggs.  Plate on top of the nettles.  Top with kim chi, sauerkraut, pickled carrots or beets or what have you.

Serve immediately!  YUM!
This serves one.  Pick more nettles if you are feeding a family.  A lot more. Bagfuls and bagfuls!  There are never enough nettles!

Wild Things:Dandelion Walnut Pesto

Dandelion Walnut Pesto
2 good handfuls of fresh dandelion greens (washed)
1 c olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 c toasted walnuts
salt and pepper to taste

blend in a food processor, serve! YUMMY!

Wild Things: Spruce Steamed Baby Artichokes and Spruce Mayonnaise

Rebecca at Crockpots and Cauldrons has a blog round-up or blog party on WILD THINGs each month. This month was devoted to spruce tips.....
So I was all stoked to take part, then i realized, spruce tips are a ways off...so I did spruce needles instead.  I think the tips work better tho.  The needles are poky and stiff even when cooked or blended up.   But nonetheless, the taste is fresh, citrusy and suprisingly delightful! 
Spring is coming soon...and I found baby artichokes at the market. 

So I steamed them with spruce twigs in the water.  It gently flavored the tender baby chokes with a fresh flavor.

Then I used some more spruce needles stripped from the branches to add to a luscious bacon fat based mayonnaise. 

The steamed chokes topped with a creamy fresh mayonnaise were a perfect spring lunch!  Recipe below.



8 Baby artichokes, cleaned and trimmed.
3 Palm sized spruce twigs

Toss the cleaned and trimmed chokes in a steamer basket, and add spruce twigs to the bottom of the pan, with just enough water to cover the twigs.  Turn on medium heat and cover chokes and spruce and water and steam for 20 min.

For the Mayonnaise:
1 c bacon fat, warmed to liquid
1/2 c spruce needles or spruce tips
1-2 slices of preserved lemon
1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
salt to taste

Whip the eggs,salt, lemon and spruce in a blender, and slowly add in bacon grease, blend until creamy.
Serve over warmed or chilled baby artichokes.

But

Nourishing the Wild Self: Part 2 -What is True Nourishment?

What is true nourishment then?
What does it mean to nourish yourself? Beyond self?

Nourishment:
Etymology: Middle English nurishen, from Anglo-French nuriss-, stem of nurrir, norrir, from Latin nutrire to suckle, nourish; akin to Greek nan to flow, noteros damp, Sanskrit snauti it drips
Date: 14th century
1 : nurture, rear
2 : to promote the growth of
3 a : to furnish or sustain with nutriment

From Merriam-Webster dictionary online (www.merriam-webster.com)

Nourishment is that which sustains, promotes growth and nurtures and tends. Healthy and vital food nourishes our body. But we are not just a body, nor are we separate from the Earth which is nourishing us from her body. We must also nourish and tend our spirit, our hearts wild desires and needs, our families and communities, and in turn nourish and tend the Earth from which it all comes.

The Wild Self requires nourishment on all these levels to thrive and become vital. Thus one cannot eat food which nourishes the body on a purely biochemical level, and expect it to nourish ones spirit if it fills your heart with remorse, heartache, guilt or disgust. Likewise, does the food you purchase and feed to your family nourish your greater community? Does it provide livelihood, health and connection for the farmers and laborers who grew or harvested it? Does the farm or rancher from which the food you eat comes from tend and nourish their land with attention to the soil and the long term sustainability and well-being of the land.

Ask:
In those terms, when you hear the words, Eat Wild! what comes to mind?

How can we find ways to “eat wild” that nourish our bodies most deeply, nourish and tend our hearts and spirits connection to the wild Earth, and directly nourish and tend our communities, and the Earth/land on which we all depend- human and non-human alike?

I realize that some of these suggestions go against what the conventional knowledge of our culture tells us, and require extra expenditures of time, effort and/or money. Some of these suggestions will not be completely achievable by each and every person, but I urge you to find that wild place inside you, and feel deeply what calls most to you. What CAN you commit to in your life, where you live? What feels most urgent and insistent in your wild heart?

Nutrition
What nourishes our wild body most deeply?

Activity:
Tune into the place in your body where you feel your wild self. Now Take a moment and contemplate what the “wild body” is, looks like, feels like?

The ‘wild body’ isn’t about being perfectly svelte or in perfect health at all times. The wild body feels deeply, senses deeply, knows intuitively what it needs to be nourished. The wild body is able and vital, it is capable of performing the tasks which the wild heart insists upon, the wild body is challenged, and the wild body rests. The wild body is respected, appreciated and tended.
The wild body will tell you what it needs to be nourished, if you can learn to differentiate between cravings and true nourishment, and if you can move past the ‘shoulds’ and moral judgements about what is “good and bad” to eat.


Activty:
Tune in again to your wild self. Listen deeply- if you could have any one food at this moment, what does your wild body desire? Feel where in your body you sense that. Now, take a moment and think about your favorite craving, something you feel you might be a little addicted to, or something that is “bad for you” as deemed by culture/society . Where in your body do you feel that craving? Notice the difference between a craving, an addiction, a judgement from a culture that is not “wild.”

Use this as you go ahead in life to take a moment and feel in any situation what FEEDS and NOURISHES that wild place in your self, and what is coming from outside- either as judgement, moral, addicition or craving. It is important to differentiate between an unhealthy addictive craving or civilized judgement on what is good for you, and what your true wild nature KNOWS intuitively is good for you.

July Blog Party: "Adventures in herbalism: What wouldn't we do for our herbs"

It's here! The July blog party: Adventures in Herbalism!  If you have something coming please feel free to send the link and I'll add it!  Still working on my own piece for this!


The Primal Posture of Motherwort by Wendy at Garden Plum

The Lessons of Elder by Amanda at The Mountain Kind

The things we do for herbs- Nettles by Leslita at Ohio Herbalist
A beautiful piece by Lucinda at Whispering Earth about the Things we wouldn't do for herbs
Deep as Root and Song by Kiva Rose at Medicine Woman's Roots
Rosalee's Photographic Herbal Adventures at Methow Valley Herbs
Sean of Greenman Ramblings  beautiful tribute to Harvesting Skunk Cabbage



Guest post contribution by Robin Rose Bennett-

I was living in NYC and was in Central Park, in the upper 90’s on the east side, gathering yellowing leaves from a tall beautiful Ginkgo biloba tree. There were a few low branches that I could just reach, as well as an offering of freshly fallen leaves on the ground. They looked so vibrant they’d obviously just fallen. I was alternating standing up on tiptoe, body leaning into the tree to gather leaves, and bending down low, bowing to the ground to gather. I was very happy.

     After awhile I sat down on the ground to continue gathering in comfort and soon became aware of a man a bit in the distance, watching me. He wasn’t a park ranger, but I saw he was in some kind of institutional looking outfit, perhaps hospital pajamas. ‘Hmmm.’ I thought to myself. He began coming closer and closer and I could see that he might have recently come from a halfway house or some kind of mental health clinic. I slowly rose back up to my feet and tried to stay so immersed in what I was doing he’d pass me by, but it was no use. I’d gotten nervous and distracted. He was talking to me, or at least at me, not making lots of sense, but clearly looking for a response.

     I turned to him and gave him my full attention. I did what I usually do when I have no idea what else to do in a potentially dicey situation. I told him the truth. I said, “Look, man, I’m really sorry, but I can’t talk with you right now. I’m deep in meditation with this tree. I’m gathering medicine and I’ve got to concentrate, ok?”

     He looked at me and for the first time really focused his eyes for a moment. “Huh!” He said, “Huh!”  He shook his head and looked from me to the tree and back again quite a few times. He began backing away slowly. He muttered something and turned away. Then he turned back quickly,

     “I get it! I get it!” he shouted to me, really excited. “That tree is God!!!!

Right????”

     I answered him, “Well, in a way, yes, kind of.” 

     He smiled knowingly. “Yeah, I get it.” 

     I smiled back and he began leaving again, got a little farther away this time, then he turned back once more and called out to me,

“Hey! Will you marry me?”

I smiled again. “Can’t,” I told him. “But thanks for asking. I’m going to get back to my tree now.” He nodded, smiled, “yeah, ok.”

     And I did.

 “You sure?” he called out once more. 

 “Yeah, I’m sure.”

So when asked how far we go for our herbs, I guess in remembering this story I see that I’d go so far as to turn down intriguing marriage proposals if they get in the way of my harvest season!

Weedy and Wonderful: The Healing Medicine of Evening Primrose

Oneothera biennis, O. hookeri

Flor de San Juan

Evening Primrose

Evening primrose is yet another one of our beautiful healing herbs that has been somewhat forgotten and definitely pigeon-holed by the supplement industry and herbal commerce. Evening Primrose Seed Oil, well known in the stores, is a source of gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a fatty acid useful for skin problems, asthma, PMS and menopause. But Evening Primrose is so much more than that, and sadly, is extremely underused, while being abundant and widespread across climates and bioregions. It even grows here in the desert. There are many species of Oneothera that grow in my bioregion, some of which grow low to the ground in small mounds, but the ones I use medicinally, are the more upright variety, including O. biennis, the weedy species found anywhere the ground is moist and disturbed. I start noticing the large branching plants with yellow flowers around 4500 ft, on the sides of mountain roads, and into drainages and riparian areas. It grows easily as a perennial in the garden as well, but in the wild I most often find it near water (considering that water is the limiting factor in the desert environment). For years I’ve collected the root of the first year plants as a wild edible, boiled and eaten like a turnip. It has a peppery taste that some find unpleasant, but I rather enjoy. The leaves can also be eaten as a green, but I found them less palatable, considering they are slightly hairy, and also have a peppery taste. I’ve also spent time in the winter collecting the fibrous bark from the dead stems to make cordage, which is silky, fine and smooth. This is the first year I’ve really explored the uses of Oenothera as a medicine, but I am sure glad I have. It is proving to be invaluable, and a very good locally growing substitute for some common herbs that just aren’t that common round here.

Energetics: Moist, neutral temperature, taste: bitter, pungent, sweet, astringent

Reduces/pacifies Vata, Pitta

Actions: Relaxant, stimulant, nervine, tonic, vulnerary, demulcent, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, antispasmodic

Uses: Evening Primrose is a gentle and mild medicine, but despite its mild nature, it is extremely effective. These are the best kinds of plant medicines, in my opinion; safe, non toxic, abundant, nourishing and effective. The following information is based on the use of the whole plant; leaf, flower, bud, seed pod, root, stem, not the seed oil found in the health food stores. Being underused as it is, I highly suspect you won’t ever see an Evening Primrose tincture on the shelf, so gather your own, or get it from your local herbalist.

I use Evening Primrose as an antispasmodic for smooth muscle tension and spasm. It has been one of the most effective plant medicines I have used for lessening the pain of mild to moderate dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping). It is not the strongest of antispasmodics, but so far, in my experience, much more reliable than some of the others I’ve used through the years. It is specifically useful when there is a sensation of pelvic fullness, with some congestion of the lymphatic or portal system. Along with the smooth muscles of the uterus, Evening Primrose’s antispasmodic action is exquisitely useful in the respiratory system, when there is a dry, spasmodic cough accompanying bronchial infection or irritation, or mild asthma and hay fever or seasonal allergies. While gently calming the spasmodic tendency of a cough and the respiratory musculature, the demulcent property of the leaves and flowers, soothes cools and moistens dry and irritated tissues. Likewise, it is useful the gastrointestinal tract for the same reasons, soothing and moistening to a hot, inflamed GI tract, while easing the spasmodic cramping associated with conditions like IBS, gall bladder spasm, colitis and general poor digestive function. Evening primrose is also a lovely vulnerary wound healing ally, useful both externally for bruises, swellings, burns, and venomous insect bites and stings, hemorrhoids and internally for healing that irritated GI tract that goes along with leaky gut, ulcers, colitis, and diverticulitis. According to King’s, Evening Primrose is also applicable to any condition in which the Peyer’s patches (gastrointestinal lymph glands) are inflamed, and gastrointestinal lymphatic congestion (in the spleen or mesentery). This leads me to believe it will be helpful in addressing the inflammation, lymphatic bloating, leaky gut, and general digestive malaise associated with undiagnosed or mismanaged food allergies, particularly to such foods as gluten containing grains (wheat, rye, spelt, barley, kamut etc), dairy products, corn or soy. It is specifically indicated when there is a tendency to nausea or vomiting after eating, digestive upset accompanied by restlessness, and a frequent desire to urinate. According to King’s Evening primrose is also of use in cases of watery diarrhea, dysentery and bloody stools, another plus for its use in conditions like ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, and diarrhea associated with food allergy, poor food choices, and deranged digestive function. Evening Primrose affects all the mucus membrane tissues, lungs, GI tract, skin and the bladder and kidneys. Traditional Hispanic use in the southwest is for spasm in the bladder and kidneys, and I find it to be useful as a demulcent, astringent tonic for irritated tissues of the urinary tract, either during an infection, or over sensitized tissues post infection.

Evening Primrose is also a fine relaxant nervine, especially useful with muscle tension secondary to emotional tension. A hot cup of evening primrose infusion, for me personally, is akin to taking a hot bath. I feel completely relaxed. It strongly affects the musculoskeletal tissues; I sat on the bed after my cup of infusion, not really having the desire to move. Tension had left, muscles were relaxed, and a gentle diaphoresis resulted from the relaxation of the tissues, allowing circulation to flow towards the surface. This is excellent for folks who are stressed out, hold the tension in their body and look like they might flip their lid, or in the stages of fever where tension is preventing a good sweat. Unlike Vervain which tends to relax the area around the shoulders and neck, Evening Primrose relaxes the musculature of the entire body.

I also found it quite useful for the pre-menstrual emotional moodiness that comes a day or so before my menses. I get particularly reclusive, not wanting to talk, or interact with people much; and if forced to, it makes me quite cranky, irritable and bordering on weepy at times. This month, a public talk I had scheduled months in advance, happened to fall on that day I was feeling especially unable to communicate effectively or interact with others in a sensible fashion. Uh oh. A few doses of Evening Primrose tincture several times before leaving the house, and a few minutes before the actual event seemed to calm my nerves enough that I was able to put a smile on my face and speak clearly and engagingly to a room of strangers. It certainly didn’t make me chatty and extra friendly, but allowed me to perform the duty necessary without too much inner turmoil or crankiness. Thank goodness for that! As I have a tendency to social anxiety, I’m going give this a whirl for the anxiety I experience around those situations, and see if I can’t work through some of my fears by facing them with the support of a friendly plant ally.

Kiva Rose equates evening primrose with the nourishing nervine properties of Avena, and suggests it be added to our list of nourishing infusions, as the nervine effects are cumulative and especially effective used over time, as most tonic herbs are. Also in its favor are its mild energetics, neither too heating nor cooling, and moistening, it is suitable for most constitutions over a long period of time, unlike nettles which can be too drying for some folks when used over time.

Preparations: My favorite way to use Evening Primrose, so far, is as an infusion in hot water. My personally physiology responds much better to the large quantities of herbal medicines administered in tea form, and the long steeped infusion of Evening Primrose leaf, flower, bud, and stalk is distinctly demulcent, which is primarily extracted in water based preparations. Water is also superior at extracting the nourishing mineral and vitamin content of herbs in general. A long infusion (4 hrs or more) of Evening Primrose is most effective when dealing with the mucous membrane tissues of the GI tract, respiratory tract, urinary tract. I also find the infusion effective for menstrual cramping, more so than the tincture. Use the infusion for longer term nerve nourishing/tonifying. The hot infusion is also suitable for use in a tense, hot, dry fever.

Tinctures are useful medicines as well, though my personal work with the herbs is centering more and more on non alcohol preparations. Fresh plant Evening Primrose tincture is perhaps a stronger antispasmodic for cramping, spasm and asthma attacks than the tea, and has very nicely effective and quick results for nervous tension, anxiety, and PMS grouchies. Use the tincture as well, if on the go, traveling or otherwise unable to use the infusion/tea.

Use either the tincture or the infusion as a wash, compress, or liniment topically for burns, insect bites and stings, bruises, swellings, hemorrhoids and the like.

A fresh plant poultice of the leaves and flowers is also an excellent way to use the herb topically, if you happen to be standing near the Primrose patch when you get stung by a bee, a spider, a caterpillar or have been outside too long with sunburn.

You can also make infused oil with the flowers, buds, leaves, root and stem for topical use, and I suspect it would make a very nice addition to massage oils for tense, spastic muscles, and would use it profusely for bruises and injuries with swelling, or for irritated hemorrhoids. I caution against using oils and salves on burns, especially fresh burns. If you get burned, first remove heat from the area with cool soaks, compresses, liniments, and then as the burn ages and you want to encourage healing, reduce peeling, and pain, then turn to the oils, applied lightly.

You can also collect the tiny black seeds from the seed pods in the fall and use them as a GLA supplement by grinding and storing in another EFA type oil (fish, flax etc). Or storing whole (preferably cool) and grinding as needed on a daily basis and adding the seed meal to foods; smoothies, hot cereal, fruit salads, nut butter etc.

Sources:

Personal experience

Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West

Blog posts by Kiva Rose at Bear Medicine Herbals

personal correspondence with Kiva Rose

Felter and Lloyd's Kings American Dspensatory