I really don’t want to turn into a nuisance but what I was trying to ask was how to determine dosage of the tinctures. For example, Susun Weed recommends 1 drop echinacea per1 lb of bodyweight at 100 proof alcohol. Now how would one work that out-ie. how did she come to that conclusion? If you find a new plant that you have not worked with before and is not commonly used how do you decide the dosage ? Is this a matter of intuition or is there some basis for knowing how to use less or more ? I am sorry I wasn’t more clear the first time I asked. I wasn’t able to find the answer on Michael Moore’s site-or maybe I wasn’t looking in the right place !

Cheers,
Siobhan

So glad you’ve been enjoying my writings and I do hope that someday you might get a chance to venture out this way!

You might try these two posts to answer you alcohol question, I think they might be what you’re looking for.
Notes on Alcohol http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=303
Introduction to Tinctures http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=304

how do you work out how much of a tincture to use, especially if its a new plant you haven’t used before ? Up to now I have been using 100 proof vodka but am thinking of trying Everclear. Obviously the strength of the alcohol has a bearing but also the properties if the plants themselves too. Since I am a sadly mathematically challenged individual some sort of formula would be great if such a thing exists. But generally I would like some idea of how to work out how much of a particular plant one should use and how to change that based on the strength of the menstruum.

Thank you so much. I LOVE your site-recently I’ve had quite a bit of time on my hands which I have spent reading up on your posts. Wish I lived closer to he SW so I could visit !!!!!!!

Many blessings and thanks.

I’d love an elaboration on the harvesting log I’ve always been good about labels and a recipe log book, but I am working on my regularity with the harvest journal.

Love
Ananda

But, acknowledging my slackerness, I’d never be able to actually put all that info on a bottle – usually do plant name, location, maybe year, and strength.

…and I’m supposed to be an anal details oriented capricorn (saved by a cusp).

If I kept a binder I’d end up tearing out the pages to write grocery lists on (which I would forget when I went grocery shopping), then saed the severed pages in one of several dozen piles of loose paper. I’d always remeber where they were (or where they used to be, if the pile gets moved by someone other than me or maybe knocked over by the cat), but the chances of me actually referring back to such things, while possible and not to be ruled out, is unlikely.

I’ve saved ALL my unlabelled bottles for the time when I can really sit down and figure them out. The hardest are unlabelled formulas…

Can you tell I have battled this one before?

Sounds like you’ve worked out a lovely system, and put lots of thought and intent to it… I want to refine mine more, it’s very functional as is but not very poetic or pretty I’m afraid.

The records, especially for wildcrafting, are SO helpful…. I’ve learned alot about the different ways the plant works through my records. In my field journal, I often write what plants are associated with the plant I’m harvesting and what phase they’re in at the time I harvest. Now THAT’S a useful record for a wildcrafter, since it’s easier and more useful to recognize a plant COMMUNITY rather than just a single plant, and that gives you a better idea of the health of the ecology too.

Darcey, a binder is an excellent idea, I was just using a clipboard…. think I’ll switch now. I have a whole building just for medicines and it’s still not organized to my satisfaction. I hope your new house in TX will be better for that kind of thing!

On the jar I write plant name (to species if needed), date, sometimes phase of moon, alcohol %, what part of plant, place of harvest, and sometimes a note about a bird that was around or what I learnt from harvesting about the power of that particular medicine. I keep a book that I write the other info in – more info on harvesting, where etc – and cross reference to the jar by date.

I’d like to get better at keeping even more detailed notes on things like weather and general notes on the season (for wildcrafting where I am only in that place say once a year), what other plants are doing etc.

*sigh*
longing for a real pharmacy with organization.

i have a nice binder like you’ve described to track all those things when making medicicnes. it’s invaluable.