#DailyBloggingChallenge (110/200)
Today I cleaned up my apothecary somewhat. Quite shocked that I had a tincture since 2016 and most of the tinctures that were disposed haven't been used at least once in the past two years.
Although most of the tinctures are alcohol based and probably would have still been fine, didn't want to risk it. The others were either glycerin or vinegar based.
#DailyBloggingChallenge (111/200)
The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) tincture was created to help aid seasonal allergies (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.2763).
> A nettle (Urtica dioica) extract shows in vitro inhibition of several key inflammatory events that cause the symptoms of seasonal allergies.
The tincture cannot be put on the same level of efficacy as an extract and one should question if the alcohol base had an indirect role of reducing symptoms. Since alcohol can reduce an immune response, thus the effects of seasonal allergies would be reduced.
For the couple of weeks that I tried it out, I barely noticed any relief over 30 minutes and when in comparison to modern antihistamines this is just a fraction of their potential.
In summary it was an interesting experiment, but in the long term its not worth the effort, especially if one has access to modern medicine.
#DailyBloggingChallenge (112/200)
The #chai tincture uses a glycerine base. Here is how to make it:
https://bf5.eu/post/how-to-make-a-chai-tincture/
The nice thing with #glycerine base tinctures are that they are sweet, so if you add it to black/green #tea, no additional sugar is needed.
The downside of glycerine is that it expires quite quickly. Usually one will get 3-6 months, before it goes bad.
#DailyBloggingChallenge (113/200)
How does one know if the brew has gone bad?
There is the taste test. If the brew taste weird, e.g. by coffee obnoxiously bitter, then the coffee has gone rancid.
There is the stomach pain test. Supposedly one has drank a bit too much of the brew, then the body will reply with unpleasant cramps. These can be so bad that one loses appetite for days, thus could be an option for forced fasting.
There is the food poisoning test. If the brew has achieved to be initially processed by the body, though the microflora of the gut doesn't agree with it, the toilet will be your new best friend for the next time period.
#DailyBloggingChallenge (114/200)
The black pepper (Piper nigrum) tincture was created as a mild stimulant similar to the effects of cannabis. The idea was to bind to its terpenes to create a more potent sensation (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-are-terpenes).
> Terpenes are highly aromatic compounds that determine the smell of many plants and herbs,
This is a reason why such plants are used in aroma therapeutics, among other use cases.
When looking at black pepper its terpenes are pinene and beta-caryophyllene or BCP (https://www.leafly.com/news/science-tech/caryophyllene-terpene). The BCP binds to one of the same receptor as THC, the CB2 receptor, which regulates pain and inflammation.
More resources:
- https://www.insider.com/science-behind-chewing-peppercorns-to-ease-cannabis-paranoia-2021-5
- https://secretnaturecbd.com/blogs/cbd/cb1-and-cb2-receptors-comparison-guide
#DailyBloggingChallenge (115/200)
The three mushroom brews from _Super U_ (the company doesn't exist anymore) was a cheaper alternative to Four Sigmatic. After trying both brands the effects were quite similar.
The mushroom brew twist on existing brews like coffee, hot chocolate, or matcha, gives them a mild boost.
The main mistake that was done is buying in bulk and letting the powder go stale and/or rancid. Thus the best practice is to exchange powders that prone to this quickly into air tight containers to extend their shelflife.
In the future will be buying the ingredients separate and making my own mixtures.
References:
- https://www.elizabethskitchendiary.co.uk/mushroom-coffee/