Adding this pleasant-tasting glycerin extract to your cup of tea will sweeten it and add therapeutic benefits, as well.
Cheryl's Herbs offers several herbal liquid extracts in glycerite form, meaning the extracts are created using only vegetable glycerin.
An herbal liquid extract is a healthful representation of botanical compounds that have been isolated and dissolved within a solvent. Such solvents can include distilled water, ethanol alcohol, apple cider vinegar, wine, vegetable glycerin, and any combination thereof. Each solvent attracts its own assortment of plant compounds.
Sourcing from soy, palm, coconut, or corn oil, vegetable glycerin is clear, thick, syrupy, odorless, non-toxic, food-grade, and sweet-tasting. As a solvent, its particular bias toward a plant is to be, as compared to alcohol, less extractive with less range, and less preservative (we give our glycerin extracts one year; our alcohol extracts five years). At the same time, where alcohol can de-nature (kill or sterilize) some botanical compounds, vegetable glycerin is more protective of them.
Glycerin extracts are more suitable to those wanting to avoid alcohol, to children and the elderly, and have a low glycemic index (alcohol extracts are handled much more quickly by the liver). Tasting better than their alcohol counterparts, and not just because of their sweetness, glycerin extracts preserve the true full flavor of the plant being extracted.
Our Red Clover Blossom Glycerin Extract is not only pleasantly sweet-tasting but offers a benefit particular to this wintry time of year. It is a soothing, moistening demulcent herb offering support for conditions of dryness such as dehydration, dry mouth, nose, and throat, dry cough, and sore throat. And yet, this demulcent effect extends to the urinary system (irritation, cloudy and dark urine, infections, and deposits) and to the bowel (constipation).
Topically, Red Clover Blossom Glycerin Extract helps with eczema, sores, ulcers, burns, stings, and bites. The thick, syrupy consistency of vegetable glycerin is ointment-like, making topical application of this extract easy and effective. Additionally, vegetable glycerin itself is a humectant, helping to retain moisture. So, using Red Clover Blossom in glycerin extract form adds to this herb's soothing, moisturizing quality.
My suggestion is to add a dropperful or two or three to your cup of tea. Sweeten the tea and, at the same time, soothe away these dry winter days.
Cheryl's Herbs also offers the following herbal liquid extracts made with vegetable glycerin: Elder Berry, Licorice Root, Marshmallow Root, Melissa Herb, Mullein Leaf, Peppermint Leaf, Plantain Leaf, and Witch Hazel Bark. Each of these glycerin extracts offers its own particular therapeutic benefits.
SOURCES: Peter Holmes' The Energetics of Western Herbs
BOTANICAL SAFETY INFORMATION
Red Clover Blossom, Trifolium pratense, organic
Avoid during pregnancy. Red Clover Blossom contains isoflavones, compounds that are structurally similar to the human hormone estradiol and capable of binding to estrogen receptors. Some studies have indicated that Red Clover Blossom isoflavones have a greater affinity for the estrogen receptor Beta (found primarily in bone, brain, heart, and the vascular system) than estrogen receptor Alpha (found primarily in uterus, breast, ovaries, and adrenal glands).