Self-reliance & prepping are our focus. Homesteading, food preservation, natural remedies, gardening, foraging and bushcraft are our daily lifestyle. We love sharing knowledge and skills from our cabin in Connecticut. Come along with us on our journey of becoming more self-sufficient.
Low and high are good enough. I filled my crock with water, set it on low and used a thermometer after 30 minutes to see its max temperature. I did the same with high and noted the max temperature. As long as your crock temperature doesn’t exceed 110 F, it should work fine. Thank you for watching!
A fresh herb tincture has similar effects but is not as potent as the condensed version in this video. It is much easier to make though… Thanks for watching!
No we don’t but we do our best to show how we make ours. We also have a foraging category on our website to help people find and identify useful plants. Thank you for watching!
Yeah, I've been seeing about that for 6 years.Those plants grow everywhere. How do you make it as a paste? Do you grind the leaves down?Everybody does it differently.Good video thanks for the insight😅
Once the alcohol extracts the compounds we need, the leaf material is strained out and the liquid is condensed into a “paste”. We’re surrounded by food and medicine. Once you learn to recognize all those common (and not so common) plants, it adds peace of mind and the ability to be more self reliant. Thank you for watching!
grateful for this video. I just finished cutting and processing my wild lettuce. this is my first attempt at making this tinture but I put in a jar planning to process in 6 weeks. not heating. I'm wondering what difference the two methods makes. thank you
Just like when you steep tea, the process works more thoroughly if you use dried leaves. Fresh leaves don't brew or release the compounds we want as easily. Thanks for watching!
What other compounds have been extracted along with this, like what impurities are in there? I feel like some of the impurities could be plain old nutritious
There are traces of Calcium and sodium along with small amounts of Magnesium, potassium and iron. I'm sure there are some of these lifted from the extract but I'm not sure of the amounts. I'm not really into the science of my tinctures so much as they are family recipes that I follow to get a certain result. Thanks for the question and for watching!
Thank you. I went by another video and then was suppose to dehydrate to a fruit roll up thing. We'll all day yesterday I tried getting it to a portable stage. I've looked for this plant for a year! I have to tell you, I started out excited but it's the end of a 5 day waiting period and now I'm so discouraged. I can't seem to get it right. I found your video and even though it isn't what I was going for at least I can reach a finished product before I go away tomorrow! Thank you
How long does it take for the pain relief to kick in and are there any side effects when it does? Meaning, sedation, euphoria or anything that would keep you from doing normal activities. Thank you for the great video. Because there are so many people that need pain relief and this seems like a very cheap way to get that for so many people.
You should feel the effects within 15 minutes. As mentioned in the video, it will leave most people light-headed and woozy. I would recommend staying home, don’t drive, don’t use heavy equipment… Thank you for watching!
I have a question.....you had stated that you can use the whole plant and then showed us the stuff coming out of the stalk. How come you didnt use the whole plant and just used the leaves? Would you recommend we just use the leaves? Thank you for this wonderful video!
It depends on the time of the year and the age of the plant. I made the video at the end of the season with older “woody” plants so the stems were very tough and not worth the effort. Earlier in the year and younger plants have a much greener stem that breaks down easier. I also had so many plants I could get away with using just the leaves. Thank you for watching.
Awesome that you could use the whole plant! The stalks are definitely more tender and less woody in the early spring. Thank you for sharing your process and for watching the video!
Yes it does. In the south, it’s commonly called spiny lettuce or prickly lettuce. This plant grows in most zones all around the world. Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you, I make since 2021 my own Cannabis Tincture with 190 Proof Everclear $$$$ for my Chronic Pain from a car accident in 2001. So I am going to Forage my Own Wild Lettuce and Try with my 190 Proof Everclear.
Good question. Just like when you steep tea, the process works more thoroughly if you use dried leaves. Fresh leaves don't brew or release the compounds we want as easily. Thanks for watching!
I’ve tried small amounts by breaking leaves and ingesting the sap right from the plant but it had zero effect. It would have to be a large enough amount that you could condense it into a concentration. It’s not worth the effort for me but I do use the sap topically on cuts and scrapes. It takes the sting out, it’s antiseptic, disinfectant and dries to form a “liquid bandage”.
🤣 🤣I just had to watch the video to see for myself. Yep, that looks like poison ivy. Luckily I’m not allergic and was unaffected by it. Very observant of you! Thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much! That is an awesome compliment. As far as writing a book goes… maybe some day but in the meantime, be sure to check out our web page. Under “Blogs” we have some recipes, basic articles and a growing section on foraging. It’s all free and we don’t have any of those annoying ads 😂 - Again, thanks for watching!
The equivalent of 1 tsp. of liquid medicine freeze dried and powdered is far too small an amount for me to accurately measure out a dosage and encapsulate so I’m still experimenting with the process. I’ll play more with it this year but it may not be worth the effort. Thanks for watching and for the question.
A typical dosage for me is 1tsp. but I recommend starting with ¼ tsp. and adjusting based on potency and the tolerance of the individual. Thank you for the comment!
@@michaelryan226 You can use any part of the plant for its high content of vitamin C and has been used to treat scurvy, fevers, urinary infections, mouth sores, nausea and sore throats. .It can also be used as a curdling agent in milk to make cheese.
You can dry them by placing them into a paper bag, or on a screen (window screen or similar) and allow them to air dry in a dry dark place with good airflow. When they crunch and breakup by hand, they are dry enough. Thank you for watching!
@@KeepingItRielwithMarilynSteve thank you, 🙏.. I have many a beautiful big wild lettuce .. and i will do the medicine.. i have many herbs in my garden.. thank you
If you condense it to a tar consistency and store it correctly it should last about a year. If you add water (like I did in the video) and refrigerate, it should last about 6 months. If you add alcohol instead of water and store in glass, it should last indefinitely but I’m sure potency will diminish over time.
I'm interested in knowing how the freeze dried version comes out. I would like to take heat out of the process. (Since I don't have a hydraulic press) Thanks for the detailed identification
A typical dosage for me is 1tsp. but I recommend starting with ¼ tsp. and adjusting based on potency and the tolerance of the individual. 1 tsp. dried and powdered is far too small an amount for me to accurately measure out a dosage so I’m still experimenting with the process. I’ll play more with it this year but it may not be worth the effort. Also, heat doesn’t hurt the compounds that are being extracted for this tincture if that was a concern for you. Good luck and thanks for the comment.
Yes. I’ve been told some varieties are stronger than others but the compounds that are being extracted are the same. Thanks for watching and for your comment!
Yes, either glycerin or vinegar can be used but aren't as efficient as a strong liquor alcohol. The vinegar has to be a stronger acidic vinegar and the flavor isn't important as you will be boiling it out of the finished product. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
You want to use drinking alcohol / liquor. Rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol would be okay to use for extractions if you were making a topical medication. Thank you for watching!
Great video! Can plant glycerin be used for extraction instead of alcohol? Do you know what substance in Latex gives pain relief and sleep? Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! Yes, either glycerin or vinegar can be used but aren't as efficient as a strong liquor alcohol (90 proof +). The compounds in the latex that we are trying to extract are Lactucin and Lactucopicrin. Thanks again for watching and for your comment.
At 9:20 you begin to say you aren't going to bother with the stems because they are woody this time of year. Question: could you maybe take a rolling pin to them? Or maybe take a knife to them by splitting them in half lengthwise and then scraping down the insides? 🤷🏻♀️ I've never heard of wild lettuce or this natural medicine so imagine my intrigue while surfing the tube! Lol?!
OUTSTANDING video! Clear information from ID to processing and a safe starting place to use at our discretion, if at all... better than I thought I would find. Thanks for sharing, I subscribed ✌️
I think we'll be doing a series of videos on how we make our most commonly used seasoning mixes. Taco seasoning will definitely be in the first video! Thank you so much for watching!
