Herbal Education
Plants and animals have evolved along side each other. Over the course of time plants have endured by developing compounds to deal with a variety of stresses. When done mindfully, folks can tap into these medicinal compounds and select those that best ease our ailments. Plants have been studied and used for medicine since time immemorial.
Modern pharmaceutical science is rooted in the chemistry naturally found in plants. When apothecaries moved into wholesale production of pharmaceuticals drugs we lost touch with the healing power of plants.
This project brings information about growing, harvesting, and preparing herbs for medicine in Toronto.
Plants for people and pets!
Herbal Balm
Generally a balm uses;
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beeswax
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a natural butter, such as shea butter, mango butter or cocoa butter...which may be better to stay away from for dogs due to the very low content of both theobromine (140 mg/kg) and caffeine (400 mg/kg).
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oil, such as olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil
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you can also add herbal oils and lanolin (like we do)
Herbal Infusion
Herbal infusions are essentially extra potent teas.
To make an infusion...
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Fill 1/2 a mason jar or tea pot with herb
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Fill the entire jar or pot with boiling water
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Let sit and "infuse" overnight
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Strain the herb the next morning
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Enjoy!
Herbal Oil
Herbal Oils are oils that have been steeped with herbs for a good long while. The oil needs time to pull all of the compounds from the dried plant material.
When making herbal oil it is important to use dried herb, as moisture = water and oil and water don't mix. Furthermore, moisture can lead to mold.
Simply,
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Fill a mason jar with dried herb. If using plant material that has been broken down and is quite dense, fill 2/3 of jar.
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Fill the jar with oil. At The Six Dogs we use Organic Olive Oil
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Let the jar sit in a safe and sunny spot for a minimum of 6 weeks
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Strain the herb after the long wait
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The remaining oil can be stored in a bottle or mason jar in a cool, dark place
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Enjoy!
Herbal Tea
Making an herbal tea is the easiest way to process herbs.
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Place 1 to 2 tbs of herb in a cup. Loose herb can be placed in a "tea ball" or a "tea filter" Alternatively you can place the herb in cheese cloth and tie it with a knot
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Fill cup with boiling water
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Let sit (steep) for 10 minutes
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Enjoy!