Methods and Process

Our Method and Process for Making Herbal Medicine

1. Set the Mood: Before harvesting herbs, I always set the appropriate mood. I clear my mind and body of any stress, worries, or distractions. I open myself to learn from the plants. I express appreciation for the healing powers of the herbs.

2. Sustainable Harvest: The herbs I gather grow in places far from roads, traffic, and pollution. I am lucky to live in the mountains where the forest is healthy and the water is clean. I walk through the forest and meadows, observing the plants in their natural environment. To ensure a sustainable harvest, I do not take more than the plants can spare to maintain a healthy population. I plant herb seeds in my garden and in the forest, so that the plants I harvest become more abundant each year.

3. Blend Herbs while Fresh: After harvesting, there is no time for a break. The herbs need to be processed immediately since the best medicine is made while the plants are fresh, not dried. Roots are chopped, berries are blended, flowers and leaves are put through a grinder. The smaller the herbs are ground, the more surface area that will be exposed to alcohol or olive oil. In some cases, the herbs are actually concentrated if they are dried first. When I dry herbs it is always in the shade to ensure the herbs are dried in low heat to maintain their potency. 

4. All Natural Ingredients: Time for a little math! The herbs are weighed and the ingredients are measured. Salves and massage oils are made with Organic first cold press olive oil and all natural beeswax. Tinctures are made with Organic non-GMO alcohol and clean mountain spring water from Mount Shasta, CA.

5. Infusion & Extraction: Now we wait and allow time for the herbal constituents to come into the olive oil or alcohol. Herbs in olive oil are solar infused for 1 to 2 weeks to become herb infused oils. Herbs in alcohol sit for a complete cycle of the moon. 

6. Power Herb Press: We use a stainless steel juicer to squeeze and filter the plant matter from the oil or alcohol. All natural muslin cloth catches fine particles and allows the clean liquid to flow out. The herb press uses a hydraulic jack, making the process so efficient that the plant matter comes out of the press nearly dry.

7. The Final Product: Herb infused oils becomes salves with the addition of organic beeswax. The herb infused oil is warmed until the beeswax melts, it is then poured into the salve containers. As the oil cools, the salve hardens. The final tinctures are poured into amber glass bottles with dropper lids. Both salves and tinctures are labeled with the Bear Wallow Herbs logo and “how to use” directions. Please recycle or reuse the packaging.