Herb Farm
Usability testing
Mmm… Cat nip!
Sammo enjoys the cat nip
Cat nip contains a hormone-like substance that appeals to male cats and when ingested acts as a stimulant.
"That was enough for Bill to agree the herbs had worked and that maybe he didn’t really need to know the science. I was intrigued enough to find out a bit more and from my readings I understand that the comfrey contains a chemical called allantoin which is transdermal so it can go through the skin. Allantoin speeds tissue healing.
Based on Bill’s experience we figure that it speeds the healing up three times. We’ve used it often and every time healing is incredible, but not everyone wants to wear leaves. We had to look at ways of putting it into a cream. You can’t mash leaves up and put them into a cream because they would go off.
Through my studies I learned to make tinctures which are alcohol extracts. You can make them with the root of a plant at certain times of the year when the roots are more potent or you can make them with the leaf. I prepare both root and leaf tinctures because I believe it’s better to cover both bases."Tinctures can’t go straight onto the skin because they’re made with high proof alcohol which dries the skin so tinctures are added to a cream. Lynn has gradually learned how much tincture to mix into a cream to make an effective remedy. Formulas are available in books and on the basis of recommendations from her study Lynn has developed useful formulas.
"At first, when I was studying and before the Herb Farm started, I trialled cream with people. Someone would say they had dry skin, for example, so I’d make up something based on what I had learned and they’d try it. They’d often come back and say they’d given a wee bit to auntie so and so and she wanted some too. Gradually there was a need to make ten pots instead of two."
