How To Make Herbal Remedies Using The “Folk Method”

 

Many home herbalists use the Folk Method of making herbal remedies.

Herbalism can be as complicated or uncomplicated as you want to make it. There’s no exact science to the Folk Method, it’s more instinct than precise formulation.

I don’t know about you but ratios and mathematical formulas give me a headache. For most home herbalists, the Folk Method seems to work well.

For instance if making an immune preparation like my two favorites Astragalus and Elderberry tinctures, rather than using a 190 proof alcohol like Everclear to make a tincture where you have to mix it with water to come up with a 50/50 ratio, I just use 100 proof vodka which is already 50% alcohol and 50% water. It doesn’t have to be that complicated.

There’s no exact science to the Folk Method, it’s more instinct than precise formulation.

I came across a really good article over at The Herbal Academy that explains how the Folk Method works.

Here’s what The Herbal Academy says about the Folk Method…

The folk method is one of the simplest ways to make herbal preparations. As its name implies, it’s what the common “folks” would use. The folk method is simple and easy. There is no difficult math involved, you use what you have on hand, and no extra equipment is needed. As you grow as an herbalist, you will eventually rely on your instinct and knowledge to craft the folk preparations you’re going to use.

While many people may think the folk method is not of high quality because it’s too simple, this is simply not true. Many well-known and well-respected herbalists prefer using the folk method because of its simplicity and the intuition it takes to use it.

Rosemary Gladstar is one of these herbalists. Not to say she never uses the ratio method (because she may), but most times, you’ll find her putting a bit of this herb and a sprinkle of that herb in her formulas. You’ll also notice that most of her recipes call for “parts” which is another indicator of a recipe made using the folk method. Rosemary refers to this method as “the simpler’s method of measurement.”

 

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Go here to read the rest of the article about the Folk Method over at The Herbal Academy. It’s a good one!

If you are interested in learning to become a home herbalist, here’s a free course for you!

 

 

 

 

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