Mary Allen
At the moment nature generously provides us with herbs and medicinal plants. It is now necessary to preserve this abundance for the cold season. Tinctures, herbal oils, and ointments are easy to make.
In the months of July and August, the herb-loving rabbit breeder and his protégés indulge in the abundance of nature. To support well-being and in case of indisposition, the right herb can be picked up in the forest or meadow. In order to be able to benefit from it in winter too, herbs must now be collected and preserved. In addition to drying, tinctures, oils, and ointments are herbal preparations that keep well.
A few rules must be observed to ensure optimal quality: It is only collected in dry weather because after a long period of bad weather the active ingredient content is lower than in sunny weather. It is advisable to make sure that the harvested goods are clean when collecting them because the herbs should be able to be processed without washing.
Midday Sun Helps Herbal Plants to Have a More Essential oil Content
Only what is known for certain is collected. Treating medicinal plants with respect is important. This means that you don’t simply tear them out, but rather pick the herbs so carefully that they can sprout again. Looting is also taboo; you only collect in places where the plant in question is common and only so much that you don’t see anything about the location. It is better to leave the plants in problematic locations such as industrial sites, roadsides, and dog excrement sites, as they can be contaminated with pollutants or parasites.
The active ingredient contained in the plants changes depending on the vegetation cycle and also fluctuates over the course of the day. Plant parts above ground should be harvested in the morning, roots before sunrise, or late in the evening. The essential oil content is highest around noon. Aromatic plants such as thyme, rosemary, savory, mint, or sage are harvested at the beginning of flowering. Basil and Dost have the highest content at full bloom. An exception is lemon balm, the leaves of which contain the most essential oils before flowering.
The harvest is dried quickly, but as gently as possible. The easiest way is to tie the plants together into small bouquets and hang them in a shady and weather-protected but airy place. Drying on the Dörrex at a maximum of 40 °C is also possible. The device must not be set hotter so that the volatile active ingredients (essential oils) are retained.
Only when the herbs are dry (crispy dry) may they be filled into screw-top jars. Paper bags are also an option but offer less protection from food moths. Immediate labeling is important: In addition to the plant species, the year should also be noted. In order to specifically treat unwell animals, individual herbs or mixtures put together according to the area of application are ideal. Mixed herbs are also a good thing as additional food in winter.
Unlike Dogs and Cats, Rabbits Like Herbal Schnapps
Tinctures are alcoholic plant extracts. They are well accepted by herbivores, unlike dogs and cats who find the smell and taste of tinctures repulsive. Tinctures are given directly diluted with a little water or added to the drinking water. Making a tincture is not particularly difficult: the plants are cut into small pieces, placed in a screw-top jar, and doused with alcohol. One part by weight forty percent alcohol (vodka is tasteless) to one part by weight plants. Since the plants consist largely of water, this gives an approximate final alcohol content of twenty percent; that much is needed to preserve the tincture. The jar is sealed and stored in a shady place for three to four weeks. Then the parts of the plant are strained and the finished tincture is filled into a bottle. Tinctures are made by type, i.e. you make your own tincture from each type of medicinal plant. Immediate labeling is particularly important here since you no longer have any parts of the plant that can provide information about the identity.
Herbal oils are mainly used externally, but can also be given or dribbled over the feed if necessary. The preparation is similar to the tincture, but instead of alcohol, oil is added to the plants. Close the jar again and leave it for a few weeks. During this time, fat-soluble active ingredients pass into the carrier oil, while water-soluble active ingredients remain in the plants or collect in the watery sediment.
When straining the plants, care must be taken to ensure that this sediment remains in the glass and is thrown away, as it molds quite quickly. Olive oil is commonly used as carrier oil, but any other food-grade oil can be used. Herbal oils can easily be processed into ointments (see box). Classics for oils and ointments are St. John’s wort and calendula.