Preparing Medicines At Home

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Today, when drug prices in pharmacies are growing faster than our income, and the Internet provides information about medicinal herbs that grow under our feet in summer cottages, many people are trying to prepare drugs themselves

Preparation of raw materials

Medicinal herbs dried in accordance with all the rules must be crushed before preparing the medicine. The recommended particle size of grass, flowers and leaves is no more than 4-5 mm. The particle size of roots, stems and bark is 3 mm. The seeds are crushed to 0.4 mm.

Grass, flowers and leaves are cut with scissors or a knife. The roots and bark can be cut with a knife or pruning shears, and if you have your grandmother's cast-iron mortar and pestle, you can use her services. Modern kitchen appliances can handle the seeds: a coffee grinder or a grain mill. Small seeds do not need to be crushed.

Since the quality of the city water running from the tap is not very trustworthy, it is better to get filtered water.

Varieties of home remedies

Home remedies are prepared in the form of infusions, tinctures, decoctions, powders and tea.

Infusions

Infusions are prepared in two ways: cold or hot. Cook them for a maximum of two days to be consumed fresh. Store during these two days in a cool, dark place. If, according to the recipe, the infusion needs to be drunk warm, it is heated, not bringing it to a hundred degrees.

Cold way preparation of infusion is used for plants, the healing substances of which are destroyed when heated. For cooking, use cold boiled water, pouring raw materials for 2-12 hours. Then the infusion is filtered, squeezing out the grass.

Hot way cooking has several options:

• Pour boiling water over the raw material. Close the container with a lid and boil for 10-15 minutes in the so-called "water bath", stirring occasionally. Then the infusion is left to cool, filter it, squeeze out the rest. Boiled water is added to the volume required by the recipe.

• Pour boiling water over the raw material, infuse for one hour, filter and squeeze.

• In the evening, fill the raw material with cold water. In the morning, the infusion is boiled for 1-3 minutes. Then it is cooled, filtered and wrung out.

• Pour cold water and immediately boil for 4-5 minutes. After the hot procedure, leave for 30-60 minutes for infusion. Then it is filtered and squeezed out.

• Pour raw boiling water over the raw material and infuse for 2-3 hours in an old-fashioned thermos. After insisting, filter and squeeze.

Tinctures

Most often, vodka or 40-70 percent ethyl alcohol is used at home. Raw materials are poured into glassware and poured with the chosen companion in the ratio recommended by a specific recipe.

For 8-14 days, a tightly closed container is kept in a dark place at a temperature of 17-20 degrees, shaking vigorously at least once every 24 hours. Next, the tincture is filtered, the rest of the raw material is squeezed out. Store in a dark container, preferably in brown glass bottles, in a cool, but not cold place (storage in the refrigerator is excluded). With proper storage, the medicinal qualities of the tincture are preserved for at least three years.

Decoctions

Decoctions are prepared, according to tradition, from dried fruits, roots, bark. They are poured with cold water, and then boiled over low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After straining and squeezing, add boiling water to the required volume.

Similar to infusions, it is recommended to drink broths fresh, and therefore they need to be cooked in the amount required for a maximum of two days. Store in a cool, dark place. If necessary, heat it up, not bringing it to a hundred degrees.

Powders

Powders are prepared from raw materials using kitchen equipment, carefully grinding in a coffee grinder or grain mill.

Teas

For the preparation of medicinal tea, dried or fresh medicinal herbs are used. More often, several different herbs are taken for tea.

Dry raw materials are first moistened with a small amount of cold water, and after a few minutes they are poured with boiling water. Medicinal tea is drunk without sugar and other additives.