Tip of the Month:
Make & Use Black Walnut Tincture
Thanks to Phyllis Heitkamp, M.H., of Oakwell Herbs in Thiensville,
Wisconsin, for this tip on making your own Tincture of Black Walnut.
Phyllis teaches classes on herbs and has written a book on Wisconsin
Medicinal Herbs. You can reach by by e-mailing her at oakwelherb@aol.com.
FROM PHYLLIS:
July is a wonderful month for Black Walnuts!
- I use tincture of Black Walnut for my ears.
- I make a douche with it.
- I put it in strange water (such as in Mexico) so I don't get sick
on trips.
- I use it as the source of my organic iodine for my thyroid (see
Editor's Note below).
- I add it to my cooking to add potassium to my meals.
- I have used it to clean up peach tree fungus by spraying a 50/50
combination.
- I use it on skin tears, and so much more.
Phyllis also teaches people how to make the tincture. Here are her
directions:
In Wisconsin at the end of July, the Black Walnuts are almost full
grown but immature. This means that they look the right size, but if
you cut them in half, you can slice all the way through them because
the nutshell has not been formed. We slice these immature nuts and put
them into a wide-mouthed jar. (If the shell of the nut has hardened,
use only the green fleshy part around it, much like using the meat of
the avocado.)
Cover with alcohol. I use 100 proof vodka. (80 proof contains 40 %
water, 40% alcohol and 20% of "who knows what." We don't want "who knows
what" in our tincture.)
Tinctures need to be processed (shaken) for about 14 days and then
the liquid can be put into dropper bottles.
Always label because many tinctures look alike. Always know what you
are using. Label the jar and the bottles.
EDITOR'S NOTE: People whose thyroid problem is Hashimoto's disease
should not use this tincture.
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