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The |Home Herbal Preparations: Macerations Episode
Listen Maceration derives from the Latin word maceratus: to soften, and is perhaps, apart from enfleurage and SCCD both very intensive preparations, the gentlest and one of the easiest ways to extract chemical compounds from herbs for home use. Maceration contains within it two preparations, but is technically chemically defined as, the preparation of an extract by soaking the containing material in an organic solvent. Taken like this maceration would thereby include infusions, decoctions, tinctures etc. but it in herbal terms it has come to mean, a cold infusion preparation of herb material within water, oil or vinegar. There are two main preparations in maceration, Cold Oil Infusion and Cold Water Infusion. Cold Oil Infusion is a simple yet lengthy preparation but can be well worth the wait especially when using the result in creams and ointments or salves. The oil acts as a non-destructive solvent that absorbs the fat soluble chemical compounds from within the raw plant material. The use of oil and water in a cold preparation is useful for the more delicate chemical compounds, which would be destroyed by a stronger solvent such as alcohol, or in a preparation such as infusions or decoctions. There are contained within any plant material some compounds that are more fat soluble and some which are more water soluble, and in general whichever are recommended for a specific use or treatment will have taken this into account. In cold oil infusion, 100% pure cold pressed organic vegetable oils are highly recommended for their known properties of purity and neutrality. Olive, Almond and Sunflower Oil are some but not all of the base oils one can employ in the preparation. For your preparation process container try use a dark or coloured vessel with a tightly fitting top, e.g. preserve jars, and wide mouth for easy access. Stuff the container with your chosen loosely packed plant material and fill to the brim covering all the plant material with the base oil. The basic ratio for cold oil infusion is generally 1 part plant material to 2 parts oil. Tightly seal the container and give it a good but gentle shake to get everything mixed up. From here you can do a couple of things, you can place it outside or on a window frame to receive a gentle warming from the sun (if possible), or bury it in the ground or on the edge of a working (producing heat) compost heap. The general idea behind these storage strategies being a periodic or even continuous warming, but at very low (just above average room temp at most) non-destructive temperatures to aid solvency. Whichever you decide bear in mind it is advisable to turn the container every day or so to ensure the ongoing penetration of the oil into the plant material. The standard soaking time for a cold oil infusion is 4-6 weeks, after which you can decant and strain the oil into a tightly sealing clean dark glass container. Store the oils in a dark, cool, dry place to ensure maximum length of potency. If you require a stronger oil than the single process allows then strain out the plant material and repeat to achieve the desired strength. Though there eventually will be a saturation point specific to the base oil and plant material that renders further repeats futile. For vinegar exactly the same process as above can be used. Cold Water Infusions are short preparations and generally speaking are used for young, fresh and tender plants which would loose their properties if dried or used in any other preparation. It could also be for plants fresh, dry or powdered with very delicate water soluble chemical compounds that would again suffer from degradation in other preparations. If you have dried or powdered herbs then usually one can either mix them in a bit of juice or water or take in capsule form to avoid this comparatively longer preparation. Take the required amount of herb material, generally 1-2 teaspoons dry/powdered or 2-4 teaspoons fresh cut, per cup of water is considered one dose, and place in a container. Fill with prescribed amount of cold water, as pure as you can get, making sure it covers the herb material, seal or cover with a lid and leave to infuse over-night or 12 hours. Strain the fluid of the plant material and drink up. The cold water infusion can be made in bulk for the day’s treatment, but should then be stored in a fridge and used within that day. Take care to keep the liquid sealed and away from heat and light during and after the preparation. Maceration in general is a great easy way to extract more delicate compounds and in the case of cold oil infusion the resulting oil forms an excellent oil, which can be easily used in other preparations and mixtures or on its own. It is both fun, easy and can be a great cost saver; I actually use cold oil infusions for many culinary preparations as well as medical. There’s nothing like a really good chilli, garlic, and ginger mix that have been infused within an oil base of sesame for really delicious and healthy but quick stir-fry. Combine this with its ease of use when making oil based cream, ointments, or salves and you have a real winner of a home herbal preparation.This article was written By Ivor W. Hartmann at The IWH Inquirer.In this Series . Infusions . Decoctions . Tinctures . Essential Oil Extractions . Macerations .
[ Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:44:58 PDT ]
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