How to Make Herbal Vinegar
The sweetest young shoots of yarrow, chamomile and chickweed greeted me this morning when I visited the yarden. I even found the teeniest of stinging nettles, newly through the soil. Green life is rebirthing itself and it is exactly what we need as we transition from the heavier foods that our bodies require in winter.
The sap is rising. Can you feel it?
In traditional Chinese Medicine, the season of spring corresponds to the wood element. The related organ systems are the liver and gall bladder. The corresponding taste is sour: Think lemon, vinegar and other fermented foods. The emotion is translated as anger, but it’s more akin to the determination in the plants pushing through the soil — it is the tenacious energy of self-expression.
As the energy of the natural world shifts from the dormancy of winter (yin) to the dynamism of spring (yang), it’s essential that we shift how we nourish ourselves. One way to do this is to incorporate small amounts of the sour taste in your meals. The sour taste acts on the liver and gall bladder, assisting them in their myriad metabolic and psycho-spiritual functions (to learn more about the 5 flavors, check out this blog).
Making an herbal vinegar is a simple and fun way to connect with your creativity and make your own spring tonic.
Step 1: Choose your vinegar. I recommend using an organic vinegar, free of preservatives. My go-to is apple cider vinegar that hasn’t been heat treated and it contains the holy living goodness (the “mother” or slight cloudiness at the bottom of the container). I want the holy living goodness.
Step 2: Choose your herbs. Use dried or fresh herbs. Here’s a short list to choose from: burdock root, chamomile, chickweed, cilantro, dandelion leaves and roots, milk thistle, oregano, parsley, sage, stinging nettles, thyme, rosemary, and/or spring chives. If working with fresh plant material, be sure to thank the plant and ask to permission to take it. Wait for your answer.
Step 3: Choose your vessel. I have a tenured obsession with mason jars. They are my vessel of choice for storage and medicine-making. Any jar that has been given a deep cleaning and has a well-fitting works, though.
Step 4: Preparation. For fresh herbs, use 2 parts organic vinegar and 1 part plant material. For dried herbs, use 2 tablespoons dried herb per pint jar.
How to make herbal vinegar:
Fill your jar with the plant material. If the matter is fresh, you could gently break it apart with your hands and/or gently mash it with a mortar to expose more of the plant’s surface area. This results in a more powerful medicine.
Add vinegar to the jar, leaving about a half inch of space from top of jar but making sure the herbs are completely submerged. Clean any residue from the lip of jar.
Cover jar with parchment paper and then with the lid.
Place the jar in a cool, dry place for 2-4 weeks. Visit your extract every few days and give it a gentle shake to help the extraction process.
When the time comes, strain your extract with a fine mesh strainer. Press the plant material well in order to extract all of the vinegar and goodness.
Put your herbal vinegar in a jar and label your jar with the date, the source of the plant material, and the type of vinegar you used.
How to use herbal vinegar:
Enjoy your new creation on salads, in mocktails and/or over sautéed greens. You can also take 1 to 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in water before meals to help with digestion and regulation of blood sugars.
Herbal vinegar can also be combined in a 1:1 ratio with honey for a sweet-sour oxymel.
For topical use, add witch hazel in a 1:1 ratio for a refreshing skin toner. Test on the inside of the wrist first to make sure your skin is happy to receive this nourishment.
In my first herbal vinegar this year, I used the fresh young plants growing around me. I thanked them for returning, and asked if I could gather them for medicine-making. If the response was negative, I would have shifted my attention to sitting with the plants. Taking the time to look at the plants with wonder and awe is the most important part of any medicine-making ritual.
Chickweed is an extraordinary nutritive love nugget that arrives in early spring. It provides the vitality and minerals to gently cleanse the liver and blood from winter’s heaviness. Yarrow is chock full of flavonoids which helps improve digestion. It is also anti-viral and antibacterial. Chamomile leaves, similar to the flowers yet a little less potent, are beneficial for relaxation and digestion. Chamomile also has an affinity with the liver and as such is helpful to support healthy menstruation.
Wishing you an easeful, bright and creative spring.
