Making a medicinal herbal oil using fresh plants

Today we are going to make a medicinal herbal oil using fresh plants. Earlier we discussed the easier way of making medicinal oil, which employs dried plants. But sometimes an oil with fresh herbs is the better option. After all, you may not have time to dry your fresh plants. And in some cases fresh herbs are the best option, because some constituents lose their potency during drying.

The difference between making medicinal herbal oil with dried and fresh plants

In course of the earlier blog we discussed in which cases it is useful to use a medicinal oil. We also briefly talked about how you can support the purpose of your herbal remedy by using the right menstruum. For more information about choosing the right oils, I would like to refer you to the blogs about carrier oils.

Preparing an herbal oil with fresh plants doesn’t vary much from the method with dried plants. The main difference is that there is still a lot of moisture in fresh plants. As a result, you’ll have to do a number of things another way to ensure that this moisture does not end up in your oil. After all, if you don’t do this, your oil will spoil faster.

Preparing for your medicinal herbal oil with fresh plants

So basically we need the same things. However, some things are different. Below is a list of supplies:

• A smooth wooden cutting board
• A sharp knife
• A mortar
• Several clean jars
• A piece of clean cloth, large enough to seal the jar with
• An elastic band
• A stirring device of sorts
• A box or bag of a thick material that blocks out the sun
• Filter materials, such as a funnel, sieve and coffee filters, muslin cloth or cheese cloth
• Bottles of dark glass which can be closed properly
• Possibly labels

As soon as we have prepared everything up to and including the bag or box, we can get started. If so desired, we mix the menstruum first. Next, I’ll cut the plants I’m going to use as small as possible on my cutting board. This promotes the absorption of the herbs that are more difficult to rally to your cause. Read the blog about infusions and decoctions again if you want to know more about this.