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| used similar measurements. In most cases, Gladstar asserts, when a tincture bottle recommends 15 to 20 drops, you'd do better to take half a teaspoon or even a tablespoon, depending on the herbs involved and the condition you're treating. Keep this in mind if you ever find an herbal tincture ineffective. It may be that the herb is working fine, but the dosage isn't. |
| CAPSULES contain cut and sifted, chopped or powdered herbs. Because powdered herbs lose their potency when exposed to heat, light or humidity, they should be purchased from a reliable source and stored carefully. Kitchen cabinets near the stove are not a good place to store medicinal herbs, whether teas or capsules. For long-range storage, consider a cool, dark basement or even the refrigerator or freezer. |
| One way to insure quality capsules is to obtain high-grade dried herbs, grind them yourself in any coffee or spice grinder and fill your own. Two-part gelatin capsules (including vegetarian capsules) come in three sizes, as do hand-operated capping devices that make filling them easy work. Some herb companies will blend and grind herbs and place them in capsules for you, and health food stores carry an increasing variety of herbal capsules. |
| ESSENTIAL OILS, the basis of aromatherapy, are the most concentrated extracts available. Several pounds of plant material, usually leaves and blossoms, are needed to make an ounce of distilled essential oil. This explains why essential oils are so expensive and why aromatherapy books contain so many cautions about their use. A few drops go a long way. Most essential oils are far too concentrated to use full strength, especially on the skin, but one exception is tea tree oil, which is well-tolerated by most adults. Essential oils are used for fragrance, as in colognes and after-shave products; some are effective insect repellents; others are natural antidepressants or energy |
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