Chilli tincture making

More fun in the kitchen with raw chillies!

Lots of chopping and a really keen awareness of not rubbing eyes, noses or anything else. Last time I did this, even after washing my hands, I blew my nose and ended up with chilli burn up my nose!!!! Not to be recommended...

Many of the prescriptions I make are in the form of tinctures. These alcohol extractions are easy to blend, simple to take and quick and easy for the patient. Depending on the patient, compliance can be better than with teas.

When I use chilli tincture in a prescription

If you think about what chilli does, it gets the blood moving, it warms you up and it clears the head. But, it's likely that the main reason would be to create some stimulating action in the patient. There are a dozen reasons why someone might benefit from a proverbial kick up the bottom and chilli can do just that. Because of its heat, it's moving. When things begin to move in the body, things can begin to change. Just think about the potential benefits of moving your blood more efficiently around your body.

There are physiological benefits but I'm often thinking about the energies in the body as well. If you have become really stuck in a rut of symptoms, then, especially if you really feel the cold, a dose of chilli can be just what you need to get things moving.

It's not for everyone. Some people simply can't tolerate the heat of it. And it would be disastrous in someone with peri-menopausal hot flushes for fairly obvious reasons - you don't give a hot person more heat!

But, when it is right for you, it can feel like heaven and earth are moving, slowly, in the right direction. Finally!

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PICTURE: On the left is the 10-days of infusing and the right shows just as I'd put them together. That good change in colour shows that the constituents from the chillies are moving into the alcohol solution and, I'm pretty sure that were I to taste it, I would know that at least some of the properties of the chilli are in the alcohol!!! Ho-o-o-o-ot!

Picture by Lucy Blunden