Muscle Rub Liniment

As part of my on-going herbal course, I decided one of my formulations should be a muscle rub for that post-run soreness.

I used a formulation I found in my studies from Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar. She calls it a “Goldenseal/Myrrh Liniment.” I altered it slightly, to meet my needs.

I began by mixing the four powders it called for. (Amounts are in the text, and for copyright and respect, I will not list them here.) I bought my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbal, and highly recommend them. These are the herbs used: Echinacea Purpurea, Cayenne, Goldenseal Leaf, and Myrrh Gum.

I mixed the ingredients in a pint-sized canning jar, and they filled very little of it.

Finally, I filled the entire jar with 100 proof Vodka.

I gave the jar a good stirring until it seemed all the powders were well dissolved. 

I then let it sit for a few weeks. 

Overall, I was pretty happy with it's use. It's certainly messy, and even stains a little (I used a rag/washcloth to rub into my calves), but the massage alone helps. 

Valerian Tincture

Valerian Tincture

I’m catching up on my herbal coursework through Birth Arts, so the next few posts will probably be herbal-related. It’ll still be fun. I decided early on in the course that I needed to drastically decrease my stress levels. I’m still working on that, but there are many better days. As one of my stress helps, I decided to do a simple, a valerian tincture to help me sleep. Valerian is commonly used to aid sleep and relieve stress.

I order my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbal (highly recommend) unless I’m growing them, and my Valerian came from MRH. I also used 100 proof vodka. 100 proof gives the best balance of alcohol and water (in my humble opinion) which is why I use it.

I initially tried this tincture in a small dropper bottle. I’m not sure what possessed me to do so other than the fact that it used very little herb and it would be the size bottle I planned to use for the finished product.

It didn’t work out well.

I filled the entire little bottle with the Valerian, which became pretty tightly packed. Then I added all the  vodka I could. (Yes, you can fill a bottle twice when it comes to herbs). I allowed it to sit for at least six weeks (I don’t have the dates written down now) and attempted to strain it. I couldn’t get the Valerian out of the bottle and got the equivalent of 10 drops of tincture from the bottle. I tossed it.

When I tried it again, I used a half pint canning jar, like you’d use for jelly. This time I decided to fill it about ¾ of the way full. I was afraid of using a good bit of my Valerian and not being able to get it out of the jar again. I again used the 100 proof vodka and filled the jar. I shook the jar well as I added the bottle (capping it of course) to get as much vodka as I could throughout the Valerian. I then allowed my working tincture to sit in a dark place. I shook it in the first couple of weeks daily or so, and as the Valerian swelled a bit, found that I didn’t need to shake it very often at all.

I started this on December 30, 2010.

On March 12, 2011, I got ready to drain and strain it. I had wanted it to sit at least six weeks, but had to find a time when it didn’t matter than my hands smelled like gym socks to strain it. (Good valerian has a very gym socks kind of smell.)

I started by getting out another half pint jar. I’ve found it easier to strain into a similar jar and then rebottle into a dark bottle than it is for me to strain into the dark bottle with dropper. This way I can use a large mouth funnel with my wire strainer, which works well for herbs of this size. I strain slowly, allowing the tincture to drip out, and I sometimes coax a little more by pressing lightly with a spoon. This is not a time to be rough and forceful, but to allow the tincture to come out on its own.

In the end, I was left with this much: 

A much better amount than the first attempt.

Unfortunately, Valerian is a very bitter, strong herb. It truly does smell like dirty gym socks. I hate to say that I haven’t used it, but based on those pugent odors I have not. I feel I would need to add some things to it and use less Valerian to be able to get a treatment I could take.

Benefits of Red Rapsberry Leaf

As you know from my last post, I’m taking an online herbal course.

One of the best traditional, natural “treatments” I’ve seen for all women is Red Raspberry Leaf (various Rubus species). Let’s break down the why’s and how’s.

Red Raspberry Leaf is a uterine tonic. This means simply that it helps tone the uterine muscle. For pregnancy, this has been reported to shorten labors (a 2001 study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health). This is probably due to the fact that the tonic action strengthens the muscle so as to assist the uterus to contract more efficiently. Contrary to what some may worry, it won’t start labor – as a uterine tonic, it doesn’t make your uterus contract; it helps it do the work (see suggestions and contraindications below).

Because it has these tonic capabilities, some midwives recommend women drink an especially strong infusion during labor and during the immediate post-partum period. It is thought that Red Raspberry Leaf will improve post-partum hemorrhage by assisting uterine contractions. Some women report that “after-pains,” those painful post-partum contractions usually associated with second (and more) babies, are lessened or eliminated.

These reasons alone are enough – but what about the rest of us who aren’t pregnant?

The uterine tonic action of red raspberry leaf can also improve women’s cycles. If you experience painful periods, especially associated with severe cramps, heavy flow, and passage of clots, it is certainly worth it to try Red Raspberry Leaf. The tonic action may assist your body in shedding the lining without needing to cramp.

Some midwives report that Red Raspberry leaf helps prevent miscarriage. (Other report that it is contraindicated in the first trimester, see below). It also reported to ease morning sickness during pregnancy and diarrhea any time due to its tonic work in the intestines and stomach.

What about benefits besides the tonic action?

Like Dandelion (yeah, the stuff that grows in your yard!) and Red Clover, Red Raspberry Leaf is high in calcium and potassium (it also has vitamins A, B, C, and E, and phosphorus). The need for calcium in women’s diets is well-documented. For pregnancy, this increase in calcium not only supports the rapid growth necessary; it also may help with those awful “charley horses.” For postpartum and women otherwise enjoying their fertility through regular cycles, the calcium and potassium support regular bone health. Remember that nutrients we are able to obtain through food sources (and herbals, because after all they are food too) are better absorbed by the body than the best over-the-counter supplement.

Some research indicates that Red Raspberry Leaf also increases milk production. Others report that it can help lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. It may also be used to treat flu and fevers.

So, how does one take it?

I believe, like so many other supplements that you can buy capsules of Red Raspberry Leaf. However, I much prefer to take it as an infusion. You might think of an infusion as a very strong medicinal tea. You can buy Red Raspberry Leaf tea bags, but they tend to be expensive and may be mixed with other herbs or otherwise weakened. I bought my leaf from Frontier by the pound.

For pregnancy, I personally would suggest you take the infusion daily. You may want to make a strong infusion for labor. Some women have even made an infusion and frozen it to have the ice cubes to suck on during labor!

For general womanly health, I would suggest taking the infusion at least during the second half of your cycle (easy to do if you chart your cycles, otherwise take it for about two weeks before you expect your period).

Here’s how I suggest you prepare it.

Generally, you should use 1 tbsp dried herb per cup of water (2 tbsp fresh per cup). This is true for Red Raspberry Leaf. If you are planning to take it during pregnancy, I suggest you make a quart (4 cups) a day and sip on it throughout the day. The directions below are for a quart.

Boil 4 cups of water in a small pot. Take 4 tbsp of dried Red Raspberry Leaf and put it in the bottom of a jar. Pour your 4 cups of boiling water over the Red Raspberry Leaf and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. (Some say to infuse overnight. I have tried both and can’t really tell a difference.) Refrigerate and enjoy. You can sweeten it taste – honey is good – or even mix it with fruit juice, which I what I usually do.

Contraindications? and other suggestions.
Some sources tend to be on the conservative side and recommend against Red Raspberry Leaf during the first trimester; they are worried that it may “over-stimulate” the uterus and cause miscarriage. From my research, this seems very much to go against the way Red Raspberry Leaf works as a tonic. However, you may want to abstain from the infusion during the first trimester, for your peace of mind more than anything else. I believe your stress level and peace of mind affect your pregnancy; do what you feel is best.
I found once source that indicated that the infusion was contraindicated during breastfeeding, though it did not explain its reasons. Nearly all other sources indicated that the infusion promoted lactation (and therefore would not be contraindicated). Again, use your own judgement.

These are some of the sources I used in writing this entry:
From Susun Weed – Her wonderful Herbal for the Childbearing Year along with this webpage: http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Pregnancy_Problems.htm

An article by Chandramita Bora: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/red-raspberry-leaf-tea-benefits.html

An online source that quotes Susun Weed: http://www.truthseek.net/Raspberry.html#anchor_147

http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/81895.aspx

Various herbals such as those by David Hoffman and The Earthwise Herbal by Matthew Wood

Rosemary Decoction

I’m taking an online herbal course for doulas and midwives through BirthArts.net. I decided the other day that for one of my assignments, I’d try a rosemary decoction for a hair rinse. I’m using rosemary because I’ve got fairly dark hair. I’m hoping for a few things from this – that it’ll strip some of that left-over “wash-out” color that’s there, and that it’ll help with the grease that seems to plague me this time of year. As I go more into the course, I’ll be sharing some of my other assignments that are specifically for the childbearing year.

I started out by going into my garden and gathering some rosemary. I needed four tablespoons worth of rosemary for the two cups of water I was going to use – two tablespoons for each cup. Here’s my rosemary. (The extra that I gathered went for chicken at dinner!)

I put a pot on with the water and measured out my rosemary. Once it was starting to boil, I turned it down to simmer. The rosemary needed to simmer for twenty minutes.

Here’s the rosemary after just a couple of minutes.

Here it is after about ten minutes.

(I did dishes while it simmered…little man was napping and I was taking all my opportunities to get stuff done!)

After it simmered, I strained off the rosemary and had just my decoction. I used this measuring cup because it was what was handy to run down the hall with to get a quick shower.

I didn’t let it cool very much, which I certainly will the next time. I usually take a shower in the evening, so next time I plan to make the decoction in the morning and let it sit.

For my shower, I decided it would do me no good to use my regular shampoo and conditioner with the rinse. I grabbed some of my son’s shampoo instead, which is the BEST stuff for little ones. We have used California Baby’s Sensitive shampoo and bodywash for him since he had a bad outbreak of eczema. He hasn’t had an issue since. (For the record, before we switched, we had used Burt’s Bees which is great, but has scents in it like everything else. The stuff from California Baby is totally unscented and awesome – and I have absolutely no affiliation with them)

After I used the shampoo, I rinsed with the rosemary decoction. I could have gotten by with just a cup, especially since my hair is currently really short (thank you bad hairdresser!). I let my hair dry naturally, because that’s what I always do.

This is a bad picture of my hair before the shower and rinse.

This is my hair as it was almost drying, before I did anything to it.

This is after quickly running a straightener through it. There’s no product in my hair. It’s the softest it has ever been. Awesome. I also fixed up my bangs a bit.