UliMana Winner & Tincture Recipes

The winner of the UliMana truffles is...........Michelle!!! YAY MICHELLE!!! So email me your address and I'll get those over as soon as it's payday (I'm broke right now :). My email address is scarshelter (at) gmail (dot) com. 

Breakfast was hash browns with lots of catsup and hot sauce and a green juice with bananas, kale, cinnamon and ginger. 

Tinctures I have been working on. I have three tinctures "extracting" right now including Sleep tincture, PMS tincture and Immunity tincture. Would you like to know how to make these? Well, I'll tell you then! To make an alcohol tincture, it is actually very simple.

Alcohol Tincture Instructions:

1. Fill a quart jar 1/3 to 1/2 full of herbs.
2. Fill jar to the brim with alcohol. 

*Make sure alcohol is at least 40% alcohol which is 80 proof. I don't recommend anything more than 100 proof because it is pretty strong and burns when drinking. Also, I recommend using organic vodka, but you can really use any plain vodka and if you absolutely don't have any vodka then you can use plain rum*

     3. Keep in dark cool place for two weeks.

     4. After the two weeks, strain vodka/herb tincture through cheesecloth.

     5. Pour into bottles and use! (It can be stored in a dark cool place for approximately 3 years, but usually longer.)

*This method is NOT for children, adults only. I only say that because it contains alcohol.*

*Also, I personally feel that alcohol tinctures work better, faster and they are stronger. That is why I like to make alcohol tinctures as opposed to glycerin.*

Child & Adult friendly method is the following:

Glycerin Tincture Instructions:

1. Fill crock pot 1/3 full of herbs.
2. Pour hot water over herbs, mix with spoon until herbs are damp. Do not soak them with water!
3. Pour vegetable glycerin over herbs until crock pot is full.  

*Make sure that glycerin is FOOD GRADE. You can ask for help in the store if you need to.*

     4.  Heat on low for 3 days. Stir occasionally.

        *This makes a HUGE batch by the way. You can cut down the mixture to make a smaller batch if you want. I like to make big batches though :) *

     5. Always keep an eye on your mixture. If it smells like it is cooking (very strong smelling) or burning, don't worry. Your mixture is not ruined, the process is just sped up. So cut your time down to 2 days instead of 3.

     6. Strain glycerin mixture after 2-3 days while it is still warm. It's easier to pour while warm. 

Here are the herbs I used in the three tinctures above:

Sleep tincture: Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Passionflower, Hops Flowers & Valerian Root.

PMS tincture: Cramp Bark, White Willow, Chamomile, Passionflower & Valerian Root.

Immunity tincture: Peppermint Leaf, Echinacea Root, Elderberries & Rose Hips.

If you aren't interested in buying all the things to make a tincture and just want to buy one from me, then just let me know what type of tincture you need and I can make you one :)

This is all some awesome Thai food I had the other day. I am sure you haven't noticed by now that I LOVE Thai food. 

Here is a picture of my friends hairless cat. She is super friendly!

...and my Panther just chillin.

Tinctures & Soaps

Good evening all my friends. Today, I wanted to show you a few things I made recently. We haven't had internet for a while since we moved into our new placed and just recently got it back. That is why I have been MIA.

This was just a plain ol' Castile soap bar that I grated down with a knife (a cheese grater works great as well.) This is the base for my laundry soap.

Gentle Lavender Laundry Soap

1 part soap bar

1 part baking soda (aluminum-free)

to 1 1/2 parts borax

a few drops essential oil lavander

a few drops essential oil tea tree oil (optional, I use it for the antibacterial properties) 

You can also add 1 part washing soda, but I don't because I have a hard time finding it where I live.

Combine all ingredients. Use 2-3 Tbsp for a large load of laundry. I suggest washing with warm or hot water when using this laundry soap so that everything dissolves well and works to its full potential. 

My elderberry tincture cooking away.

Elderberries, for those who do not know, are tasty little flu fighters. They have been used for everything from allergies, constipation and common cold to emphysema, rheumatism and fever. 

Elderberry Tincture

1/2 cup dry elderberries

1 cup or maybe a little more water (enough to cover elderberries)

1-2 Tbsp vegetable glycerin (make sure it is food grade and add more if you want it sweeter)

Bring elderberries and water to boil and then turn it to low and let it simmer for a couple hours. Then add glycerin once cool. Keep refrigerated and this tincture lasts about 3 months. This recipe is good for children. Below is the recipe for adults. The adult recipe is more potent and lasts for years. 

1/4 lb. dried elderberries

16 oz. Everclear

Blend this mixture together and let it sit for 2 weeks in a dark closed jar. After two weeks, strain. You can add either one part honey or maple syrup to one part mixture to sweeten. This recipe will last for years if kept in a dark place (like a closet just like any other alcohol.) 


I also made a headache tincture the same way, but with equal parts peppermint and lavender herbs. Peppermint is suppose to be good for tension headaches. I get tension headaches all the time, so I am trying this tincture out to see if it helps with these type of headaches. Lavender is also good for headaches because of its soothing properties. Aside from making a lavender/peppermint tincture for your headache, there are other ways you can use these herbs to help ease your headache. You can rub either peppermint or lavender oil on your head and temples or you can make a steam treatment. If you would like to read about how to do steam inhalation, you can check out THIS website.

 Simple Soap Recipe

2 quarts water

2 cups Castile soap (grated)

2 Tbsp vegetable glycerin

2-3 Tbsp dried chamomile 

5-10 drops lavender essential oil

5-8 drops tea tree essential oil

Mix all ingredients except oils in large pot over low heat, stirring occasionally until all grated soap is melted. You can pour this into soap molds and it will hold up as a bar soap. If you want a more liquid soap, then add more water and strain the chamomile before mixture cools. Add essential oils last. 

I like to put chamomile in my soaps because it is soothing and gentle on my skin. I have very sensitive skin, so I have to be careful. Lavender is also a gentle and calming oil. Tea tree oil is antibacterial.

Happy late Halloween! 

These were my brother, husband and my pumpkins we carved :)