Vinegar is perhaps the one thing you can find in almost every home. Vinegar can be used in salad dressings, for pickling, and as a window cleaner. Vinegars can be made from Peaches, Pears, Cherrys, Apples or Grapes, and they are extremely nutritious, as they are a fermented food. The most commonly used vinegars are grape and apple vinegars. These vinegars are high in many minerals, especially potassium, which plays a major role in human metabolism, respiration, blood conditioning, and nervous system vitalization.

Herbal Vinegars are perhaps one of the oldest ways to prepare herbal remedies for internal and external use. These medicated vinegars date back all the way to Hippocrates and I am sure this is probably how many of our ancestors preserved and extracted the medicinal properties from plants. Many of our ancestors had access to fruit and they probably realized that when you let fruit breakdown long enough, it becomes an aromatic, sour liquid.

You may have heard of the formula called, Four Thieves Blend. This was used during the Black Plague and legend has it that it was formulated by 4 Thieves who combined herbs from the spice trade, which consisted of: Camphor, Cinnamon, Clove, Garlic, Nutmeg, Peppermint, Rosemary, Rue, and Wormwood. The thieves infused vinegar with these herbs and then rubbed this on their body. This actually prevented them from catching the plague and they were able to rob the dead! I know it’s quite the story, but it is good to know that herbal vinegars have been a very important element throughout medical history.

Here are things to consider about herbal vinegars:

- They are inexpensive

- Naturally fermented and can be tolerated by nearly everyone

- Alcohol free

- Alkaline balance and therefore beneficial for the function of digestion and the immune system

Creating an Herbal Infused Vinegar

Ingredients

Plant material, fresh or dried

Apple Cider Vinegar

Materials

Mason jar

Muslin or cheesecloth

Labels

Amber dosage bottles

Large bowl

Liquid measuring cup

Directions

1. Chop the fresh plant material as small as possible. The more an herb is chopped, the more surface area will be covered during the maceration (or extraction) process. (You may also wait until the end, to blend the menstruum plus herbs in a high powered blender.) 

2. Fill your Mason jar about ¾ full of freshly chopped herbs.

3. If you choose to work with dried herbs, fill the jar ½ full.

4. Completely fill your mason jar with the menstrum until their is about ½ inch of air space at the top

5. Put the cap on your jar and label it.

I suggest writing down the following on your label:

- What kind of menstruum you used (in this case, Apple Cider Vinegar)

- Whether you used fresh or dried herbs.

- The common name and the Latin name of the plant used

- The date you made it

6. Let the mixture macerate, shake the jar every day and store it in a cool dark cabinet. Make sure the herbs stay covered with apple cider vinegar, and add more vinegar if needed. This is a great time to put good energy into your herbal creation and visualize all the ways it’s going to help you once it’s finally ready.

7. After 4-6 weeks have passed, you can then press out your vinegar. To start the pressing process, unscrew your Mason jar, put your muslin or cheesecloth over the top, secure it with a rubber band, and then flip over the jar above a large bowl to drain out the liquid, while separating the herb. Once all the liquid has gone into the bowl, transfer the remaining herbal mixture into a cheese cloth and using both your hands, squeeze out any remaining liquid from the herb.

Next, pour that liquid (which is now your herbal infused vinegar) into a sterilized bottle and cap it tightly. 

Don’t forget to label your finished product!

You can now use this format with many of the medicinal herbs in your own home garden.

Generally, herbal infused vinegars can stay good forever. Vinegar is a natural preservative!