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Making & Using Herb Vinegars

Sometimes the way to approach herbs, to understand and expand upon their versatility and uses, is through another medium. The Herbmonger this month approaches herbs through vinegar - a time honoured way. According to The Grete Herbal of 1560, 'Vinegar is cold and dry in the second degree. It has virtue to penetrate, pierce, thrill and divide. And it has virtue constrictive that comes by his qualities that be cold and dry.'

Vinegar is acid, antiseptic, cooling and slightly diuretic in its own right. It promotes digestion, assimilation and excretion. It is a good solvent and preservative and can be used to make cooling preparations to use internally and externally. There are several types of vinegar available in shops including malt, cider, wine, grain and sherry vinegars. We prefer to use cider vinegar for internal use. It has a mild flavour and contains trace elements and fruit acids that are liver cleansing and slightly diuretic in their own right. The following recipes can be made with any vinegar containing more than 4.5% acetic acid.

NB: Commercial cider and malt vinegars average 5.5% acetic acid; wine vinegars average 5%.

Herb vinegar: Traditionally a coarsely chopped herb was covered generously with vinegar and left to steep.
In modern practice this translates to 10g (½ oz) chopped or powdered dried herb in 100-150ml (3½ – 5 fl oz) vinegar.
Steep the herb in vinegar for two weeks.
Strain, bottle, label and date.
Average dose for adults 10ml (2 tsp) twice daily.

Depending on the herb, herb vinegar can be used as a stimulating aperitif, as a cooling diuretic or as a remedy for liver congestion. For the digestion, most cooking herbs can be used, made more tasty with an added spice. For example, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) with a little cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) , or sage (Salvia officinalis) , with a little black pepper (Piper nigrum).

As a diuretic, try fresh Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) or Fennel leaf (Foeniculum vulgare) and with a few Juniper berries (Juniperus spp).

For the liver, rosemary again or equal parts of Thyme (thymus spp.) and Burdock root (Arctium spp.)

For external use, dilute the vinegar with four parts of water.

As a cooling wash, try the annual wild, or German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla).
For fungal infections of the skin and mouth, use thyme with a little chopped whole Lemon (Citrus limon).

An excellent hair rinse mixture can be made from Rosemary, Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) and Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum). Use equal parts, steep for two weeks and add half a cup to your rinsing water after washing your hair.

Two Wake-Up Remedies:

Peppermint to stimulate and wake you up!

Wake-Up Vinegar For General Morning Sluggishness

10g (½ oz) Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
6 Green Cardamom pods
Twist Lemon peel (Citrus limon)
100ml (3½ fl oz) Vinegar

Steep the herbs in vinegar for two weeks. Strain, bottle, label and date. Take 5ml (1 tsp) in a little warm boiled water first thing in the morning.

Wake-Up Vinegar For The Elderly

Take 5 ml (1 tsp) of cider vinegar in water each morning.

It is a popular morning wake-up for the elderly and those with a sluggish constitution. This combined with the action of a herb such as rosemary provides a morning tonic to raise the spirits and aid circulation.

Rosemary for the memory!

In herbal history the most famous vinegar is the Four Thieves Vinegar. The story, and there are as many versions as recipes, tells of four thieves who used this concoction as a protective disinfectant during the plague. Its effectiveness was such that when caught they were offered immunity in exchange for the recipe. The recipe, again there are many versions, must have contained garlic (Allium sativum), thyme, rosemary and other similar strongly aromatic herbs.

Fruit vinegar: Fill a jar with fruit, cover with vinegar, stand for two weeks, strain and bottle.
It is usually made from soft summer and autumn fruits, although I have tried hawthorn (Crataegus spp) fruit -- known as haws -- picked from my local park, and the vinegar was excellent. Commonly used fruits include blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), black currant (Ribes nigrum), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), loganberry (Rubus loganobaccus), mulberry (Morus spp), salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). Different locales have different berries.

These have cooling properties as for herb vinegar, but fruit vinegar also preserves the fruit acids, minerals and vitamin C for winter use.

Flavoured vinegars: Flavoured vinegars are expensive to buy yet so easy to make. Almost any herb can be used to flavour a vinegar, and with a sprig or two of a herb in the bottle, they look very attractive and make pleasant gifts.

[Editors Note - Fruit vinegars make excellent candidates for making oxymel's which are made using 1 part fruit vinegar to ½ part of honey. Blackberry oxymel is an excellent soother for winter sore throats. If you intend to use the vinegar for remedies the best to use is cider vinegar. Herb vinegars can aslo be made using distilled malt (white) vinegar to use for cleaning the home and other household uses.]

Coming Next Month...

Learn how to make Chris & Non's 'Brain Mead' an 'elixir of life' that strengthens the brain and memory, keeps the blood thin, blood pressure balanced, nerves strong and circulation prime.

The recipes above are courtesy of Christopher Hedley, AHG and Non Shaw. The Herbmonger first appeared on the Herb Society website in 1998 and continued until about 2002. It is the creation of Christopher Hedley AHG and Non Shaw. And reappears back on the Herb Society website with the kind permission of Chris and Non.

Both are practising medical herbalists in London and have co-authored Herbal Remedies: A Practical Beginner's Guide to Making Effective Remedies in the Kitchen. Parragon Press, 1996 ISBN-10: 0752577514 .

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