Words and pics by Jo Green, a former allotmenteer, forager, amateur herbalist, pickler and jam maker who squeezed her allotment greenery into her tiny garden.

It seems counter-intuitive that fresh herbs are not as strong as dried herbs. I used to think that fresh equals vitality therefore they would be stronger but I was wrong.

In this case it’s great being wrong as I often forget to pick my herbs when they are young. Luckily, although a few like the lemon balm look a bit ropey, what there is of them will be potent for the tinctures I am going to make.
The key word on my column introduction with regard to herbs is that I am an AMATEUR herbalist.
I only make tinctures for me and mine. I only use ingredients which I am familiar with and have consumed in the past. I strongly advise you to do the same.

Mugwort – I use to help me sleep better and for lucid dreams. During the early autumn it is plentiful but about now it is dying off and so I hurry to the bottom of the garden to gather the dried leaves. Wash it and cut it up then straight into a glass jar and cover with alcohol – vodka in this case.
Make sure you cover the plant mass. Shake two or three times a day. In about six weeks the tincture should be ready to sieve with a muslin bag and then decant into the tiny bottles as you only want to take a few drops at a time.
I have used cobalt glass bottle with droppers for this purpose. The dark blue helps the tincture last longer by blocking out the sun plus the colour is just so pretty!