Bayberry used to be a popular herb amongst the Choctaw Tribe in the southern parts of America many years ago to treat high fevers and diarrhea. Today, we do not seem to use this medicinal herb as often to treat fevers or diarrhea unless herbalist recommends it. I however, use bayberry to make a tincture to treat the symptoms that come along with food poisoning since the herb contains myricitrin, which is a natural antibiotic that fights off and kills harmful bacteria and protozoa in the gut naturally.
Ingredients and Materials Needed
The ingredients I like to use to make a bayberry tincture are a half-cup of dried bayberry bark powder and cup of vodka that contains at least fifty percent or more of alcohol. The materials I use to make the tincture are a pint-sized mason jar, a spoon, a small strainer, cheesecloth and my glass-measuring cup. If you do not have these ingredients or materials on hand, you can find them at herbal shops, liquor stores and kitchen shops. I typically always have these ingredients on hand because I make endless tinctures to help keep my body healthy and strong.
Making the Bayberry Tincture
Making a bayberry tincture takes time and a lot of care to make it properly. The first thing I do when beginning to make my bayberry tincture is place the dried bayberry root bark power into my mason jar with the vodka. Than, I combined the bayberry root bark powder into the vodka well with my spoon and place the mason jar lid tightly onto the jar. After, I place the mason jar in a cool dark space for up to a month so the vodka can really help draw out the medicinal properties from the bayberry root bark powder and a brown tincture forms with a slightly bitter taste. Once the tincture is formed, it is time to strain the dried bayberry root bark powder from the tincture by placing a small strainer with cheesecloth inside of it over a glass-measuring cup and carefully pouring the homemade bayberry tincture into the strainer. You may have to squeeze the cheesecloth to get all the tincture out of the bayberry roots completely. Then toss the herb filled cheesecloth away, remover the strainer and carefully pour the homemade bayberry tincture back into the mason jar and store in a cool dry place until you need to use it for medicinal purposes.
Using the Bayberry Tincture
When I had food poisoning and needed relief from the symptoms it caused such as the high fever and diarrhea, I went straight to my herbal cabinet, which contains my homemade bayberry tincture that I always make ahead of time and keep on hand for when I do get sick and need relief. The way I took the bayberry tincture is by taking a dropper and filling it up with some of the bayberry tincture and placing 15 to 20 drops of the tincture under my tongue for 30 seconds. Then I wash the tincture down with plenty of water and repeat this treatment three times per day until the food poisoning and symptoms are gone. However, if you have a severe case of food poisoning it is best to speak with an herbalist or doctor before using bayberry tincture as a natural remedy to cure it because sometimes food poisoning can be so severe it needs medicinal attention. I had only a mild case of food poisoning and within 24 hours, I was feeling much better by simply taking the bayberry tincture three times throughout the day.
Precautions with Bayberry
Taking too much bayberry tincture can actually cause you to have an upset stomach and lower your potassium and sodium levels. Those who have heart conditions, kidney disease, and high blood pressure and are pregnant should not use this herbal tincture at all unless recommended by an herbalist or doctor to do so. Always speak with an herbalist or doctor before using this herbal tincture for children because the dose we take as adults tends to vary in children depending on how much they weigh. Overall, bayberry is safe to use and does work wonders when it comes to relieving food poisoning, high fevers and diarrhea.
