Medicine Making Supplies ~ Home Pharmacy Series

"a time to heal...

... and a time to build up..."

~Excerpts from Ecclesiastes 3:3

Are you ready to start making your own herbal medicine? Is that pioneering spirit in you prepared to stock up your pantry with natural remedies? It helps to have all your supplies in order so that you will actually make them. This is a "time to build up" your inventory! Below is a basic list to assure you can make all of the simple recipes we are sharing. Many items will be found in your kitchen but we will include them all just the same.

Basic Supply List:

• 80-100 proof vodka (For tinctures, elixirs, liniments, etc., visit this post if you are concerned about using alcohol-based medicine and what the alternatives are.)
• apple cider vinegar (For tincture making and/or oxymels, etc., raw is preferred.)
• beeswax  (For medicinal salves and balms, pastilles are easier to measure out but you can also use shredded beeswax from a bar.)
• cheese grater ~ (This will be necessary if you are going to shred your beeswax instead of buying the pastilles. I would recommend purchasing one at a second-hand store strictly for beeswax if you go that route because it doesn't come off the grater very well.)
• cheesecloth, muslin and/or thin cotton fabric for straining herbs
• essential oils ~ (Though I constantly use essential oils as medicine, this series is focusing more on the herbs themselves but some recipes may include an occasional oil which also may act as a preservative.)
• food-grade glycerin (For tincture making, etc., sweet tasting for children though not as strong medicinally as the vodka or vinegar based medicines but still effective.)
• glass spray bottles (Plastic leeches but can be used if necessary.)
• herbs (shared below)
• jars ~ 4 oz., pint jars, quart sized jars (variety of sizes for a variety of projects)
• measuring cups
• olive oil, almond oil, and/or coconut oil (or any other of your favorite body oils)
• raw honey (local is best if you suffer from allergies)
• stainless steel pots and pans (aluminum leeches, don't use)

Optional Supply List (Useful Though Not Absolutely Necessary)

• chap-stick containers ~ (you may want an on-the-go balm or healing stick as they are convenient to carry)
• corks (for storing syrups and such which can make most glass bottles into medicinal containers, more information below)
• glass amber dropper bottles (For storing and administering tinctures, though dark bottles are preferred, you can use mason jars and simply keep products in a dark area such as your pantry.)

Bonus Tips and Thrifty Thinking

• Save and recycle all your amber vitamin glass bottles, etc., for storing herbs (ask your family and friends to save them for you as well).
• Save and recycle all your glass extract or cough medicine bottles (also ask your family to save them for you). The smaller extract bottles are nice to tuck into a get-well basket for someone who is under the weather and could use an herbal lift!

• Save tiny glass condiment jars (such as pimento jars) and/or baby food jars (have friends save for you or just purchase some baby food on sale, the apricots are delicious and this is often cheaper than purchasing a salve or balm jar).
• If you are going to make a medicinal oil, save your original bottle to store your infused oil back into. Do not wash it since the oil will be the same (and it is very challenging to wash out an oil-filled bottle anyways since oil and water doesn't mix!).

• Once sanitized, many glass bottles (such as seltzer waters, taco sauce bottles, etc) can be re-used for storing syrups, tinctures, liniments and elixirs providing you have a cork to fit on top. I purchase the variety-sized pack of corks and am able to fit one onto all my collected bottles which also gives them an apothecary look. Corks are also good to use in case your product ferments. They will allow the air to escape so the bottle doesn't explode. Certain syrup recipes may require the use of a cork.

• If deciding on which vegetable oils to use in our projects, keep in mind that olive oil and coconut oil have the best shelf life and are highly medicinal (though you may use other oils of your choice such as almond oil and jojoba oil, etc.).
• I try and use quality essential oils in our medicine making. The easiest way to collect a good set at a "somewhat decent" price would be to purchase kits. I was able to stock an instant medicine cabinet filled with therapeutic grade oils, with an excellent variety through this type of promotion. We chose the doTERRA Family Physician Kit for our essential oil apothecary.

First 10 Herbs We Will Cover

Many of these may be found in your back yard (we only needed to purchase two).

• elderberry {How to Make Elderberry Medicine}
• rose-hips
• calendula {How to Identify Calendula} {How to Make Calendula Medicine}
• red raspberry leaf
• nettles
• peppermint
• plantain 
• eucalyptus
• chamomile
• lavender

With these simple supplies, you can create a home pharmacy in your pantry! You may also be interested in our *free* printable apothecary herb labels or How to Make a Tincture {Plus Printable Instructions and Labels}. I hope you enjoy this series and contribute your recipes, etc., to the single herb link-ups we will be hosting in the near future.

{Once again, please keep in mind that I am not an herbalist. My methods are simple ~ though learned from reputable books and herbalists ~ but you won't find any fancy scientific talk, just homemaking talk like sharing a recipe from my kitchen ~ perhaps in the same way grandmother would pass information down. This is also meant to be a fun and creative series for the keeper at home.}

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Homestead Barn Hop, Amaze Me Monday, Monday's Musings, Marriage Monday, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Make Bake Create, Wise Woman Link Up, Wow Us Wednesdays, Wildcrafting Wednesday, The Scoop, Coffee and Conversation, So Much at Home, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Hearts for Home Thursdays, Growing in Grace Thursdays, Home Acre Hop, From the Farm Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Simple Meals Friday, Foodie Fridays, Cultivate Nourishing, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. 

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