Ah, cold and flu season is here again. That means I’ve been busy making all sorts of herbal home remedies to keep me and my family as healthy as possible. Whether you’re already sick or just trying to keep your immunity strong, this echinacea tincture is your best friend right now.
Whether you’re growing echinacea in your garden or you’ve seen that unmistakable purple coneflower on every cold and flu medicine bottle on your shelf, how exactly do you take echinacea as an herb? You may have wondered what you should do. I wondered the same thing myself.
I’ve attended many herbal medicine lectures in the past that have echinacea at the top of the list to help people cope during cold and flu season. It may be used to relieve symptoms of illness or to prevent viruses from setting up camp in the body. in the first place. Echinacea is said to be a powerful immune system herb with no known side effects and is considered safe for children. No wonder it’s so popular!
It can be difficult to know exactly how to prepare and consume echinacea for your health, but this echinacea root and flower tincture is easy to prepare and use.
healing herbal infusion
Echinacea is one of my favorite perennials, so I grow many different types of echinacea in my garden. I recently wrote an “All About Echinacea” growing and care guide and had tons of cornflower eye candy. This year I harvested and dried a lot of flowers in preparation for the upcoming winter and in preparation for learning more about how to use flowers.
Then I got an advance copy of Healing Herbal Infusions: Simple and Effective Remedies for Colds, Muscle Pain, Upset Stomach, Stress, Skin Issues, and More from Colleen Codekas. And I was thrilled to see two recipes that make echinacea very easy to prepare. And take it.
Healing Herbal Infusions is packed with easy-to-understand instructions and beautiful photography about natural plant-based remedies. How to make an IV drip may seem a little difficult at first, but after reading this book, you will see that you can easily make it at home. The recipes include a variety of techniques and herbal ingredients, so once you try them out, you’ll be creating your own creations in no time. Colleen joins us today to share her recipe for echinacea root and flower tincture!
Echinacea root and flower tincture
Written by Colleen Kordecas
Most people have probably heard of echinacea these days, as it has become a fairly popular herbal remedy. Echinacea is excellent for strengthening the immune system and has been proven to shorten the duration of colds and flu.
They are also gorgeous flowers that are perfect to grow in your garden, serving a dual role of beauty in your garden and health in your home. This tincture is easy to make and uses both roots and flowers, making it even more effective.
material
Yield: Approximately 1 1/2 cups (360ml)
1/2 cup (40 g) dried echinacea root 1/2 cup (20 g) dried whole echinacea flowers and/or leaves 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) neutral spirit, such as vodka
Please make it!
Combine echinacea roots, flowers, and spirit in a pint-sized (473 ml) jar. Cover the jar and shake to mix well. Place the jar in a cool, dark place and let it infuse for 4-6 weeks. When ready to use, strain the herbs using a fine sieve. Store your tincture in a small bottle with a dropper for easy use.
For best results, take 1 teaspoon (5 ml) 2 to 3 times daily at the first sign of a cold or flu. You can enjoy it as is or mix it with water or tea depending on your preference.
For children and people who want to avoid alcohol, use elderberry and echinacea glycerite for colds and flu (see page 186 of Healing Herbal Infusions). Alternatively, you can make the same tincture using vegetable glycerin instead of neutral spirits.
Tip: You don’t need any echinacea flowers or leaves to add to this recipe. The root itself is highly medicinal and can be easily found in most places that sell dried herbs.
Frequently asked questions about echinacea tincture
You can use all parts of the echinacea plant, including flower heads, petals, leaves, and roots. In fact, the root itself is highly medicinal.
Store in a sealed bottle in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight. It should last for several years.
Both can be used as tinctures, as the alcohol brings out the active ingredients in the plant and helps preserve them.
Reprinted with permission from Healing Herbal Infusions: Simple and Effective Remedies for Colds, Muscle Pain, Upset Stomach, Stress, Skin Issues, and More by Colleen Codekas, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018.
This is just the beginning, as Healing Herbal Infusions includes 74 more homemade treatments. This is my go-to resource for supporting the health of the whole family in natural ways.
About the author
Colleen Codekas lives in southern Oregon’s beautiful Rogue Valley with her husband Joel and son Sawyer. So they created a little permaculture paradise. Her desire to live as naturally as possible led her to study herbs and herbal medicine about 20 years ago. Living and working in Yosemite National Park for 10 years, much of it spent in the high-altitude paradise of Tuolumne Meadows, solidified my yearning to be surrounded by nature on a daily basis. Learning how to properly identify plants in the wild, especially those that are edible or medicinal, became a new hobby while living in nature that has now carried over into her more “traditional” life. In recent years, Colleen has completed several herbalism courses through Herb Academy and continues to teach others what she knows through her blog, Grow Forage Cook Ferment. When I’m not busy blogging or creating things for my Etsy shop Coco’s Herbals, I like to forage for wild edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms. She also enjoys hiking, cooking delicious food, drinking wine, making mead, growing a ridiculous amount of herbs and flowers, and bottling all kinds of herbs.
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Echinacea root and flower tincture
This echinacea tincture is perfect for cold and flu season and boosts immunity.
Combine echinacea roots, flowers, and leaves with distilled spirit in a pint-sized jar. Seal the jar and shake to mix.
Place the jar in a cool, dark place and let it infuse for 4-6 weeks.
When ready, strain the herbs using a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
Store your tincture in a small bottle with a dropper for easy use. Take 1 teaspoon 2 to 3 times a day at the first sign of a cold or flu.
