Home Herbalism: How to Make Herbal-Infused Oil
Let’s kick off this series with a classic: St. John’s Wort Herbal Oil. This herb has so much to offer from easing symptoms of depression to soothing aches and pains. To read more, check out my blog article on St. John’s Wort here.
The oil that we’ll be making today will make one small bottle lovely amber-hued liquid of healing goodness.
Here’s what you’ll need:
One medium-sized jar with a tight fitting lid ( I use repurposed marmalade jars)
A handful of fresh St. John’s Wort flowers and buds
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - ideally, organic and cold-pressed
Instructions:
Start by sanitizing your jar. Usually, I fill them with nearly boiling water and then pop them in the oven at 100 degrees (celsius) for 10 minutes. This will double sanitize and dry your jars. Making sure that the jar you use for making herbal oils is completely dry is super important; otherwise, you run the risk that moisture in the jar leads to unwanted mold (more on that later).
Next fill your jar with the flowers and buds. This is a good time to connect with the plant and give gratitude.
Now fill the jar up the top with the olive oil and give it a good shake. Making sure that the plant material is fully immersed in the oil.
For the next 4-6 weeks you’ll leave the mixture to do it’s magic. This is the time needed for the plant to fully release its healing plant constituents. Some herbalists leave the concoction in a dark spot, others in the sun. I like to do both. This ensures that the broad spectrum of contents is released. So, for the first week I leave the jar on a sunny windowsill and then transfer it to a dark spot.
Shake, baby, shake! Once a day visit your jar to give it a good shake, but before you do that, check that all the plant material is still submerged and that there is no mold growing. If you do see a little bit of mold growth on top, carefully scoop it out and carry on. However, if there is a large amount of mold, it’s time to say goodbye and start fresh.
Once the six weeks are up, strain the flowers completely by using either a small strainer or cheesecloth. Press out to the last drop! Transfer to a dark bottle and enjoy. This oil is especially lovely during the cold winter months to raise energy and ease the winter’s blues by bringing in warmth and the sun’s energy.