What’s this that I’ve got, dear readers?
No, it’s not whiskey! Nor rum, nor apple juice, nor lemonade. It’s a tonic; a licorice root tonic, to be exact.
Tonics are a great way of storing the nutrients of herbs over an extended period of time. They can be used for magick or mundane purposes, and last a lot longer than fresh herbs do.
Why did I choose licorice root? Well, for those of you who may have forgotten, I’m a singer. Licorice root is great for keeping the throat healthy and also for clearing up colds. Plus, I adore the taste.
How would you go about making one of these?
- Choose your herbs. Take about ½ to 1 cup of the herb and place it in a jar, bowl, or pot. (You can do a tonic of just one herb, or add a couple in together if you wish. Do some research on which herbs contain which vitamins, etc. Want a cold-buster? Ginger tonics are your best choice)
- Bring 1 quart of water (or 950 mL/9.5L) to a boil.
- Pour the water directly over the herbs. If you’re doing this in a pot, you can bring the herbs to a boil with the water already added. Just make sure to watch that it doesn’t boil over and TURN OFF the stove afterwards.
- After that, let the herbs simmer. Cover it with a lid, plate, whatever you’d got on hand, to keep the heat in. Let it rest for at least an hour, but you could even leave your herbs overnight depending on how strong you want them (see the extra notes below for more info on which herbs need more time to steep).
- After they’re done sitting, you can either strain the water from the herbs or leave them in. I tried to strain, but alas, I missed a few pieces of root.
- LABEL THE JAR with the herb and the date, and then store in a cool place — preferably a fridge. They’ll last for at least a few months so long as they’re stored correctly. Some may last for years if you’ve made them right, and the containers are SEALED PROPERLY.
Some VERY IMPORTANT NOTES(so help me Goddess, you had better read these):
- Make sure that you’re not mixing herbs that will react badly with each other. Please never ever use a herb you’re unfamiliar with. Don’t start making tonics of poisonous plants just because you think it’ll be cool or fun.
- Make sure that your tonics are properly sealed. You can get mold and other poisons growing in your bottles and jars and they can be potentially fatal. If you’re unsure, always use proper canning jars (“Mason jars”) and follow their canning procedure to the letter. **Note: I didn’t use mason jars here because these tonics are going to be drank all up in the next 3 days. But you should.**
- Be very careful with your herbs. Always research their side effects, even if you think you’re totally familiar with the plant. For example,raspberry leaves can induce miscarriage through early labour/contractions. Some herbs can react badly with some medications, such as SSRIs or antibiotics.
- Some herbs need longer to steep than others, especially roots — they’re a lot thicker and need more time to get penetrated by the H2O. Flowers and leaves take a lot less time, but I like to let my roots rest at least overnight.
- Your first tonics may not last too long, especially if you’re new at making them. Things go wrong, sometimes herbs go rancid. If this ever happens, please don’t drink the tonic. And use the same rule with tonics as you do with food: if you’re unsure, don’t risk it.
- For advanced tonic makers: due to the magic of science, a little bit of salt and lemon will increase the boiling point of your water and keep your tonic hot for longer, should you need to steep thick roots. Just not too much lemon.
I’d like to do another post on tinctures (like a tonic, but made with alcohol) sometime soon. For personal reasons, I don’t drink alcohol, but I still make tinctures for other people from time to time.
Remember to always be safe and follow correct procedures. We may be witches, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t susceptible to botulinum poisoning.
Have fun everyone!
