Herbs Past and Present by Charles Garcia
Herbal Vinegars (and Wines)
One of the classes I teach at my school is on the use of herbal vinegars. No one knows for certain where or how vinegar was discovered or first used. It does appear before wheeled vehicles were common in Samaria. It was obviously around before the less-than-happy Hebrews built the pyramids. In fact, it pre-dates beer by some 3,000 years.
I like to imagine that some poor soul left a stone jar of wine uncovered. When he discovers his mistake, he takes a sip and says, “Hey, this would taste good on fish and chips!”
But a more interesting mystery is who discovered the medicinal properties…and how? Festering sores heal when bathed in it. Diseased gums improve when washed with it. Arthritic joints would stop hurting when vinegar was consumed daily. This mystery can never be solved, but we owe that unknown individual a great deal.
Vinegar was brought into California by the Franciscan padres – that is for certain. Its medicinal virtues were well known by this time. The good padres could probably quote eight passages from the Bible that mention vinegar. (Four in the Old Testament, four in the New Testament…you find them.) Due to the necessity of needing a steady supply of altar wine, and eventually wine for export, the Franciscans no doubt had a steady supply of vinegar.
From Arab influences they had learned that rosemary vinegar relieved headaches, myrrh vinegar was excellent for a healthy mouth (one must assume they swished it and did not swallow), dandelion vinegar was useful for kidney ailments, mint vinegar was used for stomach distress and clove vinegar was the best for bad breath.
By the time Mission California had given way to the Ranchos and native-born Californios road, the Camino Real, vinegar was a staple food and ingredient amongst settlers, natives, soldiers, and traders. It preserved food, healed the body, and just tasted good.
For our purposes, the curanderos/curanderas of California added one specific plant to the history of vinegar. The Blackberry.
Blackberry vinegar may be a gourmet item today, but 140 years ago it was the only way to preserve blackberry leaves to battle the killer disease of dysentery. Fresh blackberry leaf tea was a cure for dysentery epidemics. Mark Twain and John Muir mentioned its efficacy in the treatment of the “bloody flux,” in their early writings. While scores of miners would literally defecate themselves to death, local Indian tribes would drink large amounts of blackberry tea, find a non-polluted water source, and move on.
A priest, soldier, or curandero came up with the idea to preserve blackberry leaves and some of the fruit in vinegar. If a dysentery epidemic hit in an area without blackberry or if the plant was out of season, a heavy dose or doses of blackberry vinegar usually saved a few lives.
The original vinegars were made from red and white wines. But with the arrival of East Coast settlers, apple crops and apple cider vinegar took center stage. Folk healers rapidly discovered the benefits of this vinegar. It had a more agreeable taste, smelled better, and seemed to increase the strength of the herbs used in it.
I do not know of any other curanderos/curanderas who still use vinegars, except for myself. Making medicinal vinegars are easier these days than it was 150-200 years ago. I don’t make my own wine (and let it go bad) or cider. I just go down to the supermarket and buy a gallon of apple cider vinegar. I prefer Heinz simply for the taste and purity. I make a one to two combination in most cases. One part herb, two parts vinegar by weight. I keep this concoction in a cool dark place for two weeks.
The following are herbal vinegars I’ve used successfully in my practice:
Rosemary and Sage: This vinegar is used for postoperative dental work. For myself, and my clients with compromised immune systems, the chance of post op dental infection is quite high. Immediately after ANY dental work I rinse my mouth for 30 seconds. My clients with HIV rinse for a minute or more. I suggest three rinses a day for a week. This combination can be used for pre-operative dental work also.
Cloves and Cinnamon: These tighten and cleanse poor gum tissue. A rinse in the morning and evening should show results within a week. For spasmodic vomiting a teaspoon of this combination can be given every 30 minutes until vomiting stops. This is not recommended for persons suffering from ulcers or IBS.
Rosemary: For older clients with memory loss take two to three teaspoons a day.
Oregano: In lieu of oregano tea, this will aid in pre-menopausal irregular periods.
Spearmint: Two teaspoons in a glass of water to ease stomach cramps and gas pains.
Dandelion: Depending on the condition of the client, this vinegar can be used for cirrhosis, inflammation of the intestines, and for lowering blood pressure. It is possible to become dehydrated with this vinegar…so fluid intake must be increased.
Lavender: For stress headaches take one to two teaspoons in a glass of water.
Thyme: Used for topically fungal infections. A diluted formula can be used as a douche for vaginal infections.
Myrrh: Possibly the foulest tasting herbs (next to horehound) in the world.
Assuming you can get it in your mouth without gagging, this will heal open sores and wounds in the mouth. It’s very difficult to use because of its taste, but very effective. Can be used in conjunction with the rosemary and sage combination.
Red Pepper: A half teaspoon in a cup of water as a digestive stimulant.
Apple Cider Vinegar…straight. For gouty arthritis. Two to three teaspoons a day for life. Apple cider vinegar tends to break down uric acid crystals in the joints.
Blackberry: For the traditional use of dysentery (or just the runs). Great on salads.
OK, so much for vinegars.
The wine section will be comparatively shorter. The use of herbal wines specifically for healing has been lost in California. The only wine I have used (and continue to use for sentimental reasons) is a lemon verbena wine. Lemon Verbena is a New World tropical plant with leaves that smell STRONGLY of lemon. In itself, an excellent beverage, lemon verbena was used traditionally in parts of California for summer fevers. (It’s only been in the last decade that a bacterium, common in the soil of the Central Valley, was identified as the culprit for summer fevers.) Summer fevers afflicted most of us youngsters in our pre-teen years. As polio was believed to strike in the summer time (pre-Saulk vaccine days.), many a parent dreaded summer fever as a precursor to full-blown polio. A chilled lemon verbena wine would break the fever in a day or so. It was, and is, made by adding fresh lemon verbena leaves to a sweet white and then left to chill for a week. A stronger variation was made by adding Lemon Balm leaves (Melissa Officinalis). It was a very popular cure. Many of us suffered from summer fever five to six times a week before our parents caught on. I do believe many a potential wino started with lemon verbena wine.
So dear reader, are you a vinegar connoisseur? Try your hand at making some of these. You have nothing to lose but a little time and a little vinegar.
As in all things, moderation and knowledge is suggested in the use of herbal remedies. Please contact an herbalist or knowledgeable physician concerning herbal treatments.
