If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, now is the time to start preparing for flu season. Last winter, we made it through the particularly bad epidemic with elderberry syrup, and one of the key components in that tonic (besides elderberry) was echinacea tincture we had made from our echinacea plant in the previous summer.
It's not hard. You need an established echinacea plant. Echinacea is perennial, so if you already have it growing, you can start harvesting leaves and buds as soon as they appear. If you have just set out you echinacea, you may need to wait a little further into the summer to let it get established.
Early in the growing season, pluck off some of the new leaves. As the plant matures, pick off more leaves and a few buds as they start to appear. Continue harvesting from the echinacea until you have elements from its entire growing season - new leaves, older leaves, small buds, buds just beginning to open, newly bloomed buds, mature flowers, and spent flower heads. Continue to add these to your tincture base throughout the growing season, adding vodka to top off as needed. I use a quart jar and one echinacea plant, and it is plenty for our family, and then some.
During flu season, take 1 teaspoon a day to keep your immune system strong. If you start feeling like you are coming down with something, up your dosage to 1 tsp, 2-3 times a day. If you wait too long, or forget to take your echinacea and come down with a bug, take up to 1 Tablespoon 3-4 times a day to give your immune system a boost.
