A practical guide on how to dry medicinal herbs at home
Fans of traditional medicine are confident that plants contain an abundance of valuable components for the body. However, many are interested in how to dry a medicinal herb so that it brings real benefits. Of course, the collection of medicinal plants can be bought ready-made. But it is much more interesting to prepare them yourself. To do this, you need to know when a certain type of grass is harvested. How to dry it properly and keep it indoors. Find out what the experts are saying.
"The time of all things under the sun"
Let's look at some examples:
- flowers of blue cornflower are cut from the end of May until the buds completely disappear;
- plantain leaves should be 12 cm long;
- immortelle inflorescences are harvested when the buds begin to bloom;
- blooming bouquets of St. John's wort are sought at the end of June;
- valerian rhizome is dug up in September;
- medicinal hyssop is valid until mid-autumn.
In addition, there are different dates for collecting herbs, which are also important to consider. The buds are harvested by hand when fully opened. The seeds must reach maximum maturity. Leaf plates containing aromatic oils are torn off in the morning. The rhizome is dug up late in the evening or before sunrise. It should also be understood that many medicinal plants appear only in a certain season. These include dandelions, coltsfoot, nettle. They are harvested during active vegetation in order to preserve all the valuable elements of the plant. Experts have developed charts that indicate when it is best to harvest valuable raw materials.
To properly harvest the plant material, the weather conditions must be taken into account. If the weather has been damp and rainy for a long time, it is better to wait for fine days. Thanks to this, the content of valuable components will increase significantly. But the plants are not harvested on a sultry day. It's good when it's cloudy and low temperature.
Each climatic zone has its own time frames for collecting valuable raw materials.
How to dry medicinal herbs in the country and in the apartment
First of all, the plants are carefully sorted out, removing damaged elements and debris. Then sorting is carried out. The leaf plates are dried in one place, the buds in another. Fragrant herbs away from odorless specimens. Consider several ways how experienced specialists dry medicinal herbs.
Flowering plants and foliage are best dried outdoors. And since the sun's rays kill pigments, the raw materials are laid out under the canopy. In the best case, use a room where it is dry, warm and well ventilated. At the dacha, an attic, garage or shed serves as such an ideal place. During the summer period there is a high temperature and excellent air circulation. Medicinal herbs are collected in small bunches. Suspended with the root part up or laid out on wooden shelves covered with dry cloth or paper.
This option is suitable for the preparation:
- lavender;
- sage;
- mint;
- wormwood;
- motherwort;
- St. John's wort;
- goldenrod;
- lemon balm.
If plants take too long to dry, they can become moldy.
The fruits of medicinal herbs are dried directly in the sun. First, they are laid out on the table in a layer of about 3 cm. When they dry out a little, they periodically turn over.
Seeds and small inflorescences are dried using:
- homemade frames with stretched mesh or gauze;
- kitchen trays;
- trays;
- wide cardboard boxes with low walls.
To protect raw materials, use clean gauze or a special lightweight mesh.
Drying medicinal herbs in the apartment
In apartment conditions, plants are dried using a special heater. Some people use dryers for vegetables and fruits. However, you should always consider at what temperature the herbs can be dried in order to preserve the beneficial elements. Experts advise setting a maximum value of about 60 ° C on the device. Plants saturated with essential oils retain their value at 35 ° C. This will keep the volatiles in the components of the plant.
If there is no ventilation dryer on the farm, herbalists recommend using an oven. How to dry medicinal herbs in such a device? Plants are usually placed in a slightly warmed cabinet. Without closing the door, they carefully monitor the process. If the elements of the herbs are easily ground into powder, then they are ready to use. Fruits do not stick together when squeezed by hand. The roots break easily with a resounding crunch.
It is a good idea to dry the roots of medicinal plants outdoors.
First, they are cut into pieces. Then strung on a thin rope. Suspended in a place where direct sunlight falls. The raw material is kept in this position until completely dry. The main thing is that moisture does not get on it.
Storage methods for medicinal raw materials
As practice shows, it is not enough to properly dry the plants. You need to understand well how to store dried herbs at home so that they do not lose their properties. There are some simple tips.
For business use:
- paper bags;
- spacious cardboard boxes;
- wrapped in thick paper;
- glass jars.
If several types of medicinal herbs are prepared, the packages are signed. In this case, the type of plant and the time of collection are indicated. Raw materials are stored at temperatures between 10 and 20 ° C. Maximum humidity approx. 20%.
Herbs that are used in crushed form should not be ground immediately. The procedure is performed immediately before the preparation of the drug.
If plants are kept hanging in a garage or attic, they should be checked periodically. Is the roof leaking, are the “bouquets” well protected from moisture. Whether the herbs are threatened by pests. Did they mix with each other (perhaps other family members who are not in the know) did it.
Following the simple advice of experts, many have learned how to harvest medicinal herbs at home. Now they always have at hand natural raw materials for the preparation of healing potions.