Amongst all the instructors here at Woodland Ways we have a mentality of just knowing about something not being enough, there is a lot to be said for practical experience and without the practical experience of something do you really know it all? This brought me to a method of using edible and medicinal plants that I had been aware of for some time but had not physically tried, herbal capsules. Why would you want to put something in a capsule? Ease of transportation and storage, preservation, easy dosage monitoring and to avoid the taste of the contents.
Introducing the Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale
I’m sure this plant will be familiar to you all and here is a picture of its basal leaves before flowering. This large specimen was in my garden (as well as many others) so I could harvest its leaves safe in the knowledge that it had not been sprayed with any chemicals etc. Always make sure you are 100% on your ID of any plant you plan to use. If you have ever eaten a dandelion leaf then you will know it is bitter tasting, now I’m basically an ant with my love for sugar and as my palette is more familiar with sweet flavours, bitter things taste even more bitter to me than it may to you. Avoiding this bitterness was my drive to use this plant for my herbal capsule project. If you want more info on the dandelion, we have another blog on our site which can be found on the link below.
Why not start with just one plant and make it sticky! – Woodland Ways Blog – Bushcraft and Survival
Collecting the Leaves
I took a knife and cut each leaf off as close to the base as possible, collect leaf by leaf don’t be tempted to grab handfuls at a time as other plants can be growing under and amongst that rosette of leaves that may not be safe to consume. Place your bundle of leaves on a tray outside and leave it for 20 minutes to allow any insects to make their way back into nature. Give the leaves a rinse to remove any dirt and grit.
Dry out the leaves
To dry out the leaves there are many options, the lengthy way is to tie the leaves together in a bunch and then hang them out of direct sunlight until they are crispy. You could put them in your oven on the lowest heat setting it has and just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. I used a dehydrator, check your model for advice on settings and duration. The leaves are done when they are crispy to the touch and start to crumble when you handle them.
Powdering
I started by placing the dried leaves into a bowl and just used my hands to break up and crush the leaves into a coarse powder, I then used a small processor to chop the leaves into an even finer powder. You could always use a mortar and pestle if you wished. The smell whilst processing the leaves down into a fine powder is amazing. Many years ago, I used to buy a greens powder to add to protein shakes and the smell coming from these leaves as I crushed them up reminded me exactly of that stuff.
The Capsules
The capsules I bought were beef gelatin however vegan ones are available if needed. They are not that expensive and come in various sizes to suit your particular need. I went for size zero and that seems perfect for me. My capsules came with a little spoon to load the capsules. Simply take the capsule and separate them, there will be a short cap and a larger main body. Spoon the powder into the large capsule body until it is full to the top and then place the cap on the capsule and push down hard until it clicks and locks into place. Going forward you can now experiment with what else you might want to put into capsules in the future.
Why take Dandelion capsules?
Incorporating wild plants into your diet helps you have a more diverse gut biome with all the benefits that come with that. Dandelion is a good source of vitamins and minerals being particularly high in potassium. Medicinally it supports your digestion, liver health, blood sugar regulation and reduce inflammation. Finally as mentioned at the start it provides a tasteless way of gaining these benefits, I of course tried the capsule myself once they were made and they had no taste at all….winner. If you have never tried making your own herbal capsules then give it a go and look into what other wild plants you might be able to use with this method, even shop bought herbs and spices could be used for example make your own Turmeric capsules? The possibilities are endless and that is why I love this so much.
