I decided to start our slow life blog with a simple project we have been working on, usnea tincture. Don't worry, we'll get straight to the fabrication of the tincture, after a brief intro to what it is and how to use it, because if there is one thing that I find incredibly annoying, it's boring anecdotes that take up 3 paragraphs before you even get to the recipe.
What is it?
Usnea is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs. The genus is in the family Parmeliaceae. It grows all over the world. Members of the genus are commonly called old man's beard, or beard lichen, which you can easily see why...
Why use it?
It is antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal.
It's known to help staph infections, heal wounds, respiratory issues, allergy symptoms, sore throat, fungal infections, urinary infections, sinus infections, vaginal infections, the list goes on and on!!!
How to use it?
Used internally as a tincture, which we will describe how to make below, or grind it up and used externally in balms or salves, that will be for a later post.
RECIPE for USNEA TINCTURE:
(we doubled the recipe as we had harvested a lot)
1 ounce fresh or dried usnea, chopped up
4 ounces water
2.5 ounces pure organic cane or grain alcohol
Ratio of herb to liquid as weight to volume – 1:5 whether fresh or dried (That is NOT the same for all herbs)
Dosage for this tincture is 2-3 dropperfuls 3x/day as needed, for adults. (As always, check with your general practitioner before you take any natural supplements)
Think, dream, explore.
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