Monday, July 30, 2012

Hypericum from Alp to Oil!

Hypericum richeri

One hundred years ago a famous swiss priest-herbalist, Kräuterpfarrer Johann Künzle, wrote that the best Hypericum was to be found in the alps (Kräuteratlas zu Chrut und Uchrut, pg 11). The infused oil made from these flowers certainly has a fabulous colour, as we will see in a few weeks. This presumably means a high concentration of hypericin, but it would be rather interesting to do an HPLC to see if science bears out Pfarrer Künzle's experience.


 Having walked the harvested plant home, the flowers are plucked and placed into oil. 


 Stains on my fingers prove that I have the right plant.


 And not even an hour later the oil is already starting to change colour.

A few weeks later ...... August 11th, and thanks to some wonderful sunshine, the oil is ready to be strained, bottled and used.



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The Eiger

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