why it's great to learn medicine-making IRL

preparing a summer flower oxymel

The first time I made a tincture, I was a junior in college.

I purchased a pre-mixed herbal blend from a bulk herb supplier. I dumped it into a quart-sized mason jar, filling the jar halfway. I filled the jar with vodka that I was officially old enough to buy. I capped it, let it sit for 8 weeks, then strained it.

The result was less than wonderful. And what was I doing with a whole quart of tincture?! I don't think I ended up taking any. When I searched for introductory herbal programs years later, I specifically looked for programs that had hands-on instruction in medicine-making.

We live in a world where you can find anything online. You can easily search YouTube for tutorials on making tinctures, infusions, oxymels -- anything! (In fact, here's a YouTube tutorial of me doing just that.)

But nothing can replace being able to ask questions, hear tips & tricks, and learn the things that really matter and the things that don't actually matter all that much. When you read a recipe, it can make complete sense, until you sit down to do it and then you wonder things like:

"Will this work with fresh herbs?"

"What if some of my herbs are fresh and some dried?"

"Does it matter how small I chop them?"

"Can I use this brandy I brought back from England?"

"How do I know if it's gone bad?"

... and so forth.

If you'd like to study herbal medicine-making with me in a hands-on, instructional-yet-fun environment, I encourage you to join one of my upcoming Medicine-Making Immersions.