Herbal oil (cold)

Alraune
  
Herbal oils are herbs infused (macerated) in vegetable oil.

These infused oils are useful for treating the skin. Or you can use macerated oil for ointments, salves and creams.

This is a description how to make herbal oil with the cold method, without heating oil and herbs. It is good for fragile herbs or parts of herbs like flowers.

Ingredients

  • Herbs, dry or dried
  • Vegetable oil
The herbs should be dried or fresh but dry at the outside. If the herbs are wet, the oil could become bad.

The amount of herbs depend on the glass that you will use for preparing the herbal oil and on the kind of herbs. Usually it is good to fill half of the glass with herbs to give the oil enough space and allow the herbs to expand a bit.

The oil can be every good vegetable oil. Olive oil is good for medicinal uses, because it has a strong healing effect, but other oils are good as well, especially when you don't want a strong smelling oil like olive oil.

How to do it

  1. Fill half of the glass with the herbs.
  2. Pour the vegetable oil in the glass.
  3. The herbs should be covered completely.
  4. Close the glass.
  5. Put the glass at a warm place.
  6. A sunny place is good especially for flowers.
  7. Let the glass sit for about three weeks.
  8. After the waiting time you need a second glass that should be bigger than the first glass.
  9. And you need a filtering paper or cloth.
  10. Cover the second glass with the filter.
  11. Pour the herbal oil through the filter.
  12. The oil is dropping through the filter.
  13. Sometimes this may take some hours.
  14. When all the oil is filtered you can put the herbal oil into a dark bottle.
  15. Best is, if you have a small funnel.
  16. Pour the oil through the funnel into the bottle.
  17. Close the bottle.
  18. Label the bottle with content and date.

Fill half of the glass with the herbs.


Pour the vegetable oil in the glass.

The herbs should be covered completely.


Close the glass.


Put the glass at a warm place.

A sunny place is good especially for flowers.


Let the glass sit for about three weeks.


After the waiting time you need a second glass that should be bigger than the first glass.

And you need a filtering paper or cloth.

Cover the second glass with the filter.


Pour the herbal oil through the filter.


The oil is dropping through the filter.

Sometimes this may take some hours.


When all the oil is filtered you can put the herbal oil into a dark bottle.

Best is, if you have a small funnel.


Pour the oil through the funnel into the bottle.


Close the bottle.


Label the bottle with content and date.

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