Wellness H E R B A L R E M E D I E S
Local herbalist launches new business and shares a few recipes for fall. When Amy Neill was a young girl, her grandmother grew nettle. “We were told to stay away from her garden because there was stinging nettle in there,” she says. Later in life, when Neill became interested in herbalism, she learned that nettle, which is covered in stiff hairs, can be made into teas, tinctures, and powders. The plant is marketed to have health benefits that can help with arthritis, among other things.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIA CUMES
Neill has studied herbal remedies for over 20 years. She has an online certificate from the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, and she has also taken courses at the Herbal
Academy in Bedford, Massachusetts. “I’ve always been under the umbrella of wellness,” says Neill, who is also a certified reiki master educator and yoga teacher. After a misdiagnosis sent her through a series of treatments, Neill decided to look for herbal alternatives. She started to mix ingredients in her kitchen, beginning with adaptogens, which are non-toxic plants that are believed to help the body manage stressors. “I’ve had anxiety since I was a kid, and I felt a shift after taking adaptogens,” she says. “I felt more stable, balanced, and secure inside.”
Elderberry Tincture
INGREDIENTS • Dried elderberries (Sambucus nigra) • Solvent (either 100-proof vodka or vegetable glycerin) • Mason jar with lid • Amber glass bottle with a poly seal cap • Glass dropper bottle with dropper • Two labels, one for jar and one for amber storage bottle • Mesh strainer or a potato ricer • Cheesecloth
DIRECTIONS 1 In a mason jar, cover the elderberries (Sambucus nigra) with solvent of choice, leaving about one inch of liquid over the herbs. Place the lid on the jar and label tincture with the common name, scientific name, date, and solvent. (Elderberries, Sambucas nigra, November 2020, vegetable glycerin) 2 Keep your tincture in a cool, dark cabinet for six weeks, shaking the jar daily. 3 After six weeks, strain the tincture using the cheesecloth and strainer (or potato ricer). 4 Once your tincture is strained, store it in an amber glass bottle in a cabinet along with a label (with the same information as above). 5 Pour some of the tincture into a glass dropper bottle with a dropper, and use it as an everyday method of extraction. One dropper dosage equals one squeeze.
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