How to Make Capsules, Syrups, Tinctures, and Salves

With the growth of herbal treatments, the demand for a delivery system for the herbs has increased. In this chapter we will help you learn how to create your own vehicles.

How to Make Capsules?

Most herbs are bitter or have an unpleasant taste. Thus, people often opt out of taking them despite their known benefits. That is why manufacturers decided to make herbal capsules. This makes them suitable for ingesting as the capsule itself or in tea form.

Depending on your condition, take a large amount of fresh herb leaves. Wash them thoroughly to make sure they are clean and safe. Then, dry them in the sun or any humid place in your home. Since you are going to turn them into powder, get rid of thick stems if there are any. Then, pulverize the dried leaves until they are as fine as powder.

Once you have turned the herbs into fine powder, take empty capsules and fill in the capsule with the mixture of herbal leaves you have prepared.
How to Make Herbal Syrups

Herbal Syrups are often used to relieve coughs or sore throat. If you find purchasing syrups too expensive, you can now make your own herbal syrups at home. Find herbs needed for your specific health condition. To make syrup you will most likely use the following parts of the plant: leaves, roots, flowers, and bark.

Since most of these parts are not tasty, you can opt to include refined sugar or honey into the mixture to make the taste more pleasant. This advice is most useful when administering the syrup to children, who have a low tolerance for nasty taste. You will need the following equipment for the preparation: saucepan, teapot, wooden spoon, jug, plastic sieve or nylon, and bottles.

Then, follow the procedure:

1. Choose the parts of the herb that will be used in making the syrup. Then, mix the ingredients together to make the concoction.

2. Once you have the mixture, mix them into a saucepan.

3. Add honey or sugar (optional) into the mixture and continue to stir as you do this. Wait until the mixture begins to simmer and the consistency becomes syrupy.

4. Wait for the mixture to cool down so you can place them into bottles and be ready for use.

How to Make Herbal Tinctures

A tincture infuses all the healing properties of an herb into a small dose. Because this is a concentrated solution, tinctures are often considered to work faster than any other types of herbal remedies. Due to the fast results, it can be very expensive to buy them from a drug store so it is more practical to prepare them on your own.

You will need only two things: fresh herb of your choice and vodka. Finely chop the herbs and enclose it in a jar. Then, add the vodka into the container. Shake the mixture well and store in a cool place.

Let the mixture rest for about 6 weeks so you can strain the herbs off the mixture. Then, you can take the mixture to cure for your ailments. A one-teaspoon dosage should be enough. If you do not want alcohol in the mixture, mix the tincture into a boiling water. This will cause the alcohol to evaporate.

How to Make Herbal Salves

An herbal salve is usually prepared using any type of infused oil and beeswax. Below is the procedure for preparing your own salve:

- Take a couple ounces of infused oil, place it on a low heat until warm
- Infuse a couple tablespoons of beeswax until it melts into the oil solution
- Then, store the mixture in a container until it solidifies
- If it remains soft, you can add more beeswax into the mixture

Benefits of Homemade Treatments

You can get the following benefits from preparing your own treatments:

- That only fresh ingredients are used
- You can control the dosage
- Inexpensive

When suffering from certain conditions, it is now possible to make your own treatments right at home using medicinal herbs.