Tincturing 101 + Dr. Christopher TWO DAY Miracle Tincture!

Be joyous!  Do NOT be stressed! You are becoming a healer when you make tinctures - this is a CELEBRATION!

--This is NOT rocket science.  "They" lied to you - healing is not a "persnickety prescription" that must be done to some kind of 'laboratory code'.  It is NATURAL - nature doesn't conform to "their" rules & regulations - your tinctures will turn out better if you adhere to natural truths than their scientific "code" (which changes from decade to decade, or even year to year).  Nature rocks!!

--You'd have to work REALLY hard at it to "do it wrong".

--I've never made a mistake I couldn't salvage.

--Various cultures throughout history made tinctures: before they knew anything about "sterilization" (think mold, fungus, bugs, dirt on the herbs); before there were glass jars with tight fitting lids; before they could buy alcohol that was a certain proof (even before there were distillers!); even before there was writing.

--the most typical 'mistake' is filling a jar too full with dried herbs, adding the alcohol, and having the herbs swell up so much that you have to split them between two jars and add more alcohol.

--the second most typical mistake is being stressed, anxious, worried and filled with 'negative energy' and imbuing these attributes to your tinctures.

--If you're using African Bird Peppers in your tinctures and the recipe calls for "one part", you might want to choose to use "1/2 part" - you can ALWAYS add more, but to make it less hot, you have a make another tincture with NO peppers and mix the two together.  I have sampled virtually EVERY tincture of Schulzes and HFRs against what I've made, and all of my "1/2 part African Bird Pepper blends" are MUCH hotter than Schulze/HFR.   A full part will always be more effective, but you might find that you want to give these tincture to other people that have NEVER used cayenne (or tinctures), and know nothing about tinctures OR the benefits of cayenne.  They'll take one dropperful, become beet-red, scream at you and never take it again. (That's the voice of experience talking).

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--Start on the new moon, harvest/press on the full moon (or thereabouts)

--Start with a clean class jar of any size with a tight fitting lid (no plastic or paper sealer on the inside of the lid)

--Fill it 1/3 of the way with herbs

--add alcohol until the jar is 2/3-3/4 full - shake thoroughly

--allow the herbs to settle and soak up the alcohol (30 minutes to 2-3 days)

--add additional alcohol at any time as the herbs soak up the alcohol and shake more/again (some root herbs swell VERY quickly - like comfrey/echinacea.  They swell so quickly they can become "impacted" on the bottom of the jar. If using root herbs, shake OFTEN until they're finished swelling.

--After 3 days (or thereabouts) put the contents of the jar into a blender or Vitamix, and macerate the herbs to ensure that every part of the herb comes into contact with the alcohol.  Add more alcohol if needed.

--Your goal is to have a jar that "settles" to 1/2 herbs on the bottom and half "alcohol float" on the top. 

--If you want to make it stronger, have less alcohol floating on the top.

--Shake the jar (at the very least) 2 times daily...or as Dr. Christopher said, "...every time you walk past it", for a minimum of two weeks (moon cycle if you can)

--When you're ready to harvest/press: you will be using some type of a tincture press, or if you don't have one, you will be using the corner of a natural fiber, undyed pillow case.  ***Harvest only as much as you need until the next time you will harvest, leave the rest to tincture and get stronger :) ***

--If you're not harvesting the 'full jar'...add to your tincture press or pillow case the same ratio of herbs/alcohol as in your jar, and then press.  When using the corner of a pillow case, simply start twisting the the case, and twist & twist & twist until you get every drop out that you can.

***(That was my second big "learning curve lesson" I pressed an entire gallon of Brain Formula after two weeks...and then sat and looked at the jar for months, saying 'duh, that could be getting stronger and better, but now it's just sitting there'.  The first was filling up 3 gallon jars 2/3 with dried Echinacea root without allowing for the 'swell factor', filled up the jars with alcohol, and watched the swell OVER the top of the jars in a few hours.  It wasn't funny, although it was hilarious.  I needed FIVE more gallons of alcohol :::think $250::: and I did not HAVE $250...although luckily, I did have 2 more jars, and enough money to buy enough alcohol to just barely cover the herbs) 

Ultimately (with the Brain Formula, I used THAT tincture as the alcohol for a new batch of Brain Formula.  That's called a 'double tincture', and double tinctures ROCK.

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This is a story of Dr. Christopher's "5 Day Black Walnut Hull Tincture"....to keep in mind while reading:

--He did NOT have the perfect herb - the walnuts had been dug out from under the snow, they were waterlogged, NOT picked at peak, the months-old outer green husks were likely not nearly as effective as a fresh green one would be, and the water in the hulls diluted the tincture substantially.

--This is not a black walnut HULL tincture (just the gooey brown part between the husk/rind and the nut), this includes the husk.  Virtually NO tincture of 'walnut hull' on the market includes the outside green husk (there are a few but not many), and I know of no 'seller' that offers anything but the inner hull. (this is the reason I don't yet have a parasite tincture/glycerite - we need the green outer husks for that, and I have to wait until mid summer to wildcraft them)

--He did NOT have the right alcohol

--He DID change the man's diet completely

--Just how demented has our society and law become?  This scenario would/could NEVER happen today.  No member of the military would be allowed to practice natural medicine, and if they tried to 'practice medicine without a licence' to save someones life, they would likely be court-martialed and could be imprisoned for decades.  The reason our society and laws are so demented? WE DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."  YOU! ME! We ARE the good men.  WE are the ones that have to do something instead of doing nothing but talking about how horrible it is.

A PRESCRIPTION FOR THE MESS SERGEANT

When World War II broke out, and just a few months after the Christopher's were married, Ray received a draft notice on his doorstep summoning him to active duty. A 35-year-old man, divorced and newly married, with two families to support, he reported for service but requested status as a conscientious objector, presenting his Word of Wisdom booklet as evidence of his firm beliefs.

"I'll serve my country with pride on the front lines," he said, "I'll carry stretchers that can save people. But I will not carry a gun. I cannot kill another human being." During basic training, he was told to carry a gun on night watch, but he refused. The officer thrust a night stick at him, but he shook his head, and refused to carry a night stick, too, because you could kill people with a night stick. The officer ordered Ray to be confined to quarters under guard till next morning, when he was tried for his rebellion. The officer hearing the case slapped his palm sharply on the table and shouted, "This is ridiculous! A conscientious objector that won't carry a nightstick? What if everyone in the world felt as you do?"

"Then there would be no war" Ray answered.

"That's the answer I needed," the officer responded. "Take this card. It shows that you are a conscientious objector, and no one will challenge you again."

From Fort Douglas, Utah, Ray traveled to North Fort at Washington's Fort Lewis, where he was assigned to supervise a medical dispensary. Here was more irony­ Raymond Christopher, a buck private, gave orders to pharmacists and therapists, all of whom outranked him. Even the cleaning boy outranked him. Ray, in charge of the entire operation, served under a Major Shumate.

At first Ray felt frustrated and angry. Having learned and seen so much healing using natural methods and nutrition (he had all ready helped many people), here he was confined to use standard medical treatments. He knew that there are better ways. He saw cases among the soldiers that he knew would quickly respond to natural treatments. However, Major Shumate was firmly against any such treatments. So he spent his time observing the effects of orthodox medications, seeing firsthand the futility of the treatment. He saw that standard medicine only treats symptoms instead of the cause of disease. But one day a soldier came to the dispensary with a supposedly incurable condition, and this changed the course of his life.

At a staff meeting, composed of the heads of eight dispensaries, Major Shumate, a private dermatologist in civilian life, said he had never seen a case of contagious impetigo so severe. The soldier had been hospitalized nine times, where his case had cleared up temporarily, but it always flared up when he was released. Specialists from the eastern U.S. had been called in, but nothing had worked.

Major Shumate brought the soldier in, and except for Ray, they all gasped with horror. The soldier's head had been shaved as much as possible, but wherever the stubble of hair grew, the scalp was covered with a crusty scab nearly an inch thick.

"What a beautiful case of impetigo!" exclaimed Ray (who had never seen one quite that bad).

"You must be a born doctor," said Shumate, slapping him on the shoulder, "It's one of the most amazing things I have ever seen, too. But unfortunately, we have to release this man from the army."

"I object to that!" cried the soldier, "I came into this army a clean man. I caught this thing while I was here, and now you're asking me to take this filth home to my wife and children. I won't do it."

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing more we can do," responded Shumate, "We've done everything possible. We've used every cure medical science has to offer, and nothing has worked. We have to give you a release, and it will be an honorable discharge."

"Wait," Ray said. "That man can be healed."

Shumate whirled to face him. "None of your blasted herbs!" The other officers rolled their eyes and guffawed.

The soldier spoke up. "I should have something to say about this. I don't care if he puts horse manure on my head, as long as he heals me."

Shumate paused, and then said, "All right. If you sign papers releasing the government and the army from any liability, you can try this treatment."

The papers were signed, and the soldier was placed under twenty-four hour military police surveillance to prevent escape. As the meeting broke up, one of the officers jeered, "When will the big unveiling be?"

"Monday morning!" Ray snapped back, without really thinking. Then he realized­he just had one week. Here, far from home without the herbs that he generally used, he had to treat the worst case of impetigo he had ever seen. Immediately he called a Salt Lake friend who had a black walnut tree in his backyard. He explained his dilemma, and his friend agreed to gather the black walnut husks, even though the ground was covered with snow. They were transported overnight to Fort Lewis. Ray picked them up in the morning­sopping wet, which could weaken their potency. Not only that, but Ray only had rubbing alcohol, not grain alcohol, which was not available through the army medical system. And instead of fourteen days to macerate the tincture, he figured he could take only two days. He carried the tincture with him, shaking it vigorously all the time.

At last he strained the tincture and made a compress to fit over the soldier's head like a football helmet. He left instructions that the compress should be kept wet with the tincture for the rest of the week. He also wrote a prescription to the mess sergeant, for wholesome foods for the soldier to eat.

All too soon Monday morning arrived, and the dispensary heads all met, ready to ridicule Ray for his herbal treatments. "Everybody ready?" asked Shumate in a mocking tone. "Private Christopher, are you ready to show us your miracle?"

"I'm ready," responded Ray, feeling nervous but determined. "I haven't seen him yet, but we'll take a look."

The guards ushered the soldier in, and Ray skillfully cut away the adhesive tape. As he lifted the compress off, the scab came off with it, and the soldier's scalp was as clean and pure as a baby's. The impetigo was gone, with no scarring.

The officers all gasped. Shumate shouted; "I've never seen anything like this in all my medical practice!" He took Ray aside. "I've misjudged you, Private Christopher," he admitted. "From this day on you have full permission to practice with herbs. Set yourself up a laboratory here. Do whatever you like as long as you're under my jurisdiction at Fort Lewis."

And with that Ray became the only practicing herbalist in the United States Army during World War II. His black walnut tincture became famous, not only to cure impetigo, but for fungus infection and jungle rot. When soldiers learned that Private Christopher could cure jungle rot, his patient load multiplied tenfold. Eventually this tincture was successful in curing scrofula, eczema, ringworm, shingles, and chronic boils.