How to Make Herbal Pills

Here is another MAKE-IT-YOURSELF project!

As you know, I love to make my own herbal preparations! This recipe is for making herbal pills. The advantages of making your own herbal pills is that they are effective and safe, you know exactly what is in them, and they are fun to make. You can use either dried or fresh cut herbs. However, when you use fresh herbs, you are using a coarser material to make the pills, and the over all quality of the pills will be a bit fragile. For this reason I recommend using dried herbs.

These pills are fairly easy to make, you just need a few things:

SUPPLIES:

• A small coffee grinder.
• A medium sized mixing bowl, use either metal or glass.
• Wooden spoon
• Herbs and Essential Oils
• Warm water -aprox. 1/2 cup
  
• 2 TBSP Honey or Agave nectar -optional
• Filler powder, such as Arrowroot, Slippery Elm or Acacia -optional
  

Choosing the right herbs and oils is easy.  
Here are a few blends I like:

• Headaches: Skullcap (herb), Valerian (herb or oil), Rosemary (herb or oil), Chamomile (herb or oil), Peppermint (herb or oil).
  
• Indigestion: Cinnamon (herb or oil), Dandelion (herb), Fennel (herb or oil), Ginger (herb or oil), Peppermint (herb or oil).
  

I order dried herbs from Frontier Co-op or Mountain Rose. They both have a wide variety of organically grown and harvested herbs to choose from, and really great info on each herb as well. I buy my Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils from Young Living.

Choose your favorite herb and grind it to make a fine powder and measure out about 1 cup of this powder as base material. You may need to use up to 1/4 cup of an herbal powder such as Slippery Elm, Arrowroot, or Acacia, that will work as a filler to bind the herbal medicinal powder. You can use a home coffee grinder to powder dried herbs. I use a new one that hasn't been used for coffee. It is my herbal grinder!

*A standard herbal pill usually contains about 125 mg of

herbal medicinal powder and 25 mg of filler powder.*

Measure 1 cup of herbal powder and 1/4 cup of the herbal filler powder. Mix both of these powders by using a hand mixer and add the honey or agave syrup if you are using it. Slowly add warm water to make a thick paste. Add 3-4 drops of each Essential Oil that you have chosen. Beat this paste with a hand blender till you get a very thick consistency. Once you create a thick paste, roll a small amount of the paste in your fingers to make little balls about the size of a small pea.

Now you will want to remove the moisture from the pills. Place them on a cookie sheet, and put them into a warm oven, on the lowest possible setting, for a few minutes. You can also put them out in the sun. Cover them with a light piece of fabric to protect them.

You can consume these pills immediately or store them for later use. I like to put them into a tightly sealed container. You want to make sure they stay dry, or they will not last as long.

I use 1 pill 4 times a day or when needed.

***If your symptoms last longer than a few days, seek medical attention. As with any serious condition, if you are under medical supervision, consult your physician before using herbs. This is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure. It is purely for educational purposes.***