Essiac Essentials

is important that the herb is dried as quickly and as naturally as possible. The following guidelines will help you achieve the best possible results:
    • Spread the herb out on clean cotton or absorbent paper in a warm, dry, dark cupboard, turning daily.
    • Hang bunches of the herb in a warm, dark, dry cupboard.
    • Spread the herb on clean cotton or muslin sheets, covered with agricultural fleece to protect from sunlight and lay out in a well-ventilated, shaded greenhouse. This is an option to consider if you are allergic to hay/pollen and don’t want the herb drying in the house or if you have a large quantity to dry.
    • Buy a small dehydrator.
    It is important to remember that the herb needs air circulating around it and under it during the drying process. The cotton or paper should be spread over slatted wooden shelves/racks whenever possible. Do not expose the herb to damp or wet conditions during the drying process.

    Sheep sorrel
     
    Storing:
    Store quantities of the whole, dried herb tied up in unbleached cotton bags in a cool, dark and dry cupboard that has neither hot water pipes nor electric cables running either directly underneath it or above it. Ideally the temperature of the storage environment should never exceed 15°C (59°F). Pillowcases made from 100% unbleached, natural cotton make good storage bags. While it is important to minimise oxidation by avoiding exposure to light and air, the storage containers must be sufficiently porous to minimise any possibility of condensation damage during long-term storage. Equally, care must be taken to avoid exposure to pest attack.
     
    Preparation for use:
    We recommend that you buy and wear a dust mask while handling the powdered dried herb, especially when handling the root.
     
    Coarsely powder the Sheep sorrel immediately before mixing it with the three other herbs. An ordinary food-processor will usually grind small amounts of the herb adequately. Process the Sheep sorrel carefully, using short bursts of power so as not to overheat the herb. The resulting powder should be green to dark green in colour and should smell sweet and fresh (similar to a summer-scented bale of perfect hay split open in midwinter). Try to use it as quickly as possible in order to maintain freshness. Only aged or badly harvested Sheep sorrel turns beige when powdered.
     
    Cutting and storing the root:
    Thin the plants by taking the root harvest some time after the first frosts, up to and until the beginning of January when all the life and energy of the plant has retreated underground. Sheep sorrel is very forgiving and will quickly re-establish itself the following spring providing the root crop is taken with care and consideration to leave enough of the main root system in the soil.
    Try to harvest the root when the soil is as dry as possible. Shake off the excess soil before leaving the site. Wash the roots and shake them well to remove excess moisture. Dry as usual. Store in a cool dark cupboard. Powder as needed.
     
    Note: The root is very potent. Do not inhale the powder. One level teaspoonful of it is sufficient for each 16 ounces of the powdered summer harvest of leaves.
     
    BURDOCK
    Root:
    This can be harvested either in the autumn when the leaves have died down and all the vitality of the plant has retreated into the root, or in the spring just as the new leaves are showing above the soil. Wash and clean the root very well to remove all traces of earth and debris. Chop evenly to the size of small peas, bearing in mind that the root pieces will reduce by approximately one third in size during the drying process. Spread out on clean cotton or absorbent paper and dry as for Sheep sorrel, turning every day until completely dried out. Store tied up in cotton bags or in well-sealed brown paper bags. Use as needed.

    Burdock root / Burdock plant before flowering
     
     
    Note : 16ozs/453g freshly harvested and scrubbed root, harvested mid-June as an experiment from four plants, dried down after five days in a warm, dark linen cupboard to 2.5ozs/ 70g. The roots will be larger and heavier with less water content when harvested at the correct time of year but this experiment does suggest that the roots of as many as eight plants might have to be harvested at a total minimum weight of two pounds wet weight to produce enough dried root for one person for one year.
     
    Seed:
    Bearing in mind that the plant is a biennial and will die during the winter after seeding, allow