Herbal Medicine Making Part I: The Chemistry

Taught by Amanda McAlister
Saturday, February 25th, 10am-12pm
Sliding scale: $30-50

How do you know when you should make a tincture, a tea, or an oil extraction? What do those complicated names mean when a book lists an herb’s constituents? In this class we will cover the basics of phytochemistry, including atomic structure, bonding, polarity and functional groups in a simple, easy to understand format that does not require math. Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced in your herbalism journey, understanding polarity and bonding will take your relationship with making plant medicine to the next level.

*Note: this is Part 1 of a two-part series:

Herbal Medicine Making Part II: Percolations
Saturday, March 25th, 10am-12pm
Sliding scale: $30-50

A percolation is an herbal medicine making method that gives you a tincture in approximately 12-24 hours whereas a maceration requires several weeks. Percolations are also more precise than macerations, resulting in more potent tinctures and less product waste. In this class we will practice grinding and packing the herbs, setting up the filter and funnel, and adjusting the flow rate of the percolation. All students will leave class with a tincture percolated by them and their own percolation cone so they can continue to make more herbal medicine at home.

 

About the Instructor:
Amanda McAlister is a biological engineer, clinical herbalist, nutritional counselor and EMT – a heterogeneous healer – based in New Orleans. She has decades of experience helping clients manage health conditions using herbs, nutrition, and Vitalist techniques. Her practices specializes in lingering health conditions such as diabetes, anxiety, depression, and addiction as well as surgery and other trauma recovery. Amanda combines her knowledge of allopathic modalities with her training in Vitalist herbalism and Kundalini meditation to offer her clients a personalized healing strategy as well as lifestyle implementations for maintaining their health long-term.