Bullivant: Medicinal benefits of teas, tinctures

By Claire Bullivant

With cooler mornings (and colds and sore throats) on the rise, I decided to make some soothing teas and experiment with tinctures. Taking time out to relax over a hot cup of tea is therapeutic in itself.

Tinctures are medicinal herb infusions usually in alcohol, but apple cider vinegar and honey can also be used. Teas and tinctures can be made from the same combination of herbs. The medicinal effects will depend on the properties of the herb used.

Making a tincture is simple. Layer herbs in your liquid of choice and leave it in a dark place for about six weeks. You’re left with a concentrated infusion, a few drops of which is taken medicinally under the tongue. Although I’m a novice at this, the healing properties of herbs have fascinated me for years.

I wanted to make a natural cough medicine. My experiment started with dehydrating finely chopped lemon and ginger root. Ginger is often used to soothe sore throats and relieve coughing. As a tea it turned out to be perfect with raw honey and raw apple cider vinegar and has a myriad of other health benefits to boot.

For my tincture I added thyme, which is used to treat bronchitis, whooping cough, sore throat, colic, arthritis and other ailments. I made three tinctures in Japanese sake, apple cider vinegar and honey respectively. The results? All three taste amazing in their own way. My son repeatedly requested the honey and vinegar mix for his sore throat.

Why not try infusing the herb that treats your ailment for a few days in apple cider vinegar and honey for a health-giving salad dressing? Or drizzle the infused honey over warm goat cheese? Can you imagine a hot ginger sake bomb? I might even try one before I come down with a cold!

Claire Bullivant is the owner of Bead & Berry, which plans a grand re-opening this autumn.

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This column appears in the November issue of InMaricopa.