How to Extract Vitamins and Minerals Out of Herbs

COMMON NUTRIENTS IN PLANTS & WHAT THEY BRING TO THE NUTRITIONAL TABLE

• Calcium is responsible for muscle contraction and relaxation, anxiety relief, nerve impulse transmission, bone building, and proper functioning of the heart and kidneys. Calcium plays a part in the chain of events that coagulates blood after an injury. Incidentally, Vitamin D is required for optimal calcium absorption and the sun is the best source.
  

• Magnesium strengthens cell membranes, aids in the relaxation of cramping muscles, and supports a healthy immune system. It helps to lift and calm the mind and emotions.

• Potassium regulates fluid balance and nerve signals and stops muscle spasms. Potassium also protects the heart. It’s best to get potassium from food sources vs. supplements as too much potassium intake can cause health issues.

I call calcium, magnesium, and potassium the nutrient trifecta as they work so well together to keep us calm and to aid in recovery from muscle cramping and restless leg syndrome.

• Chromium helps to clear acne, slows the aging process, and stimulates insulin production.
  

• Copper aids in easing arthritis pain and fatigue, and inhibits inflammatory markers. It breaks the structural membrane of viruses and bacteria.
  

• Iron is the mineral that attaches itself to a blood cell and attracts an oxygen molecule from the lungs. The blood cell then travels to the capillary beds where the oxygen molecule jumps off, enters mitochondria in the nucleus of a cell, and causes a reaction that violently breaks apart molecular chains to create energy, aka ATP. That’s called the Krebs Cycle, my friends.
  

• Niacin helps relieve vertigo and hangovers, protects the cardiac system, and aids in easy breathing.
  

• Phosphorus stimulates the immune system and plays an important role in the formation and strength of bones and teeth. The body needs phosphorus to make proteins for growth, maintenance, and the repair of cells and tissue. It is an essential component of cell membranes and is required by every cell in the body for normal function.
  

• Selenium is a trace mineral, meaning small amounts are all that is needed. Selenium helps to slow aging; make healthy hair, nails, and teeth; and contributes to less cardiovascular disease. Selenium gives our cells structure, prevents cellular damage, increases antioxidant capabilities, helps the body to resist disease, boosts immunity, regulates thyroid function, and defends against heart disease.
  

• Thiamin aids in the reduction of heartburn, protects the nerves, helps to prevent canker sores, and can help to relieve migraines and fatigue.
  

• Zinc stimulates the immune response and the production of insulin, helps allay dandruff, and plays a role in healthy gums. Zinc is required for the ability to smell and taste. It aids in wound healing, cell division and growth, and the breakdown of carbohydrates.

How Vitamins and Minerals Are Extracted From Herbs

While we can add nutritious herbs to soups, salads, sandwiches, and a myriad of culinary delights, we do have some menstruum available to us that will extract the vitamins and minerals from plants.

• Vinegar extracts vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, flavors, and some essential oils and alkaloids from plants. The acidic nature of vinegar also assists in the uptake of calcium and iron into our cells.

Vinegar extracts are a fabulous way to get the nutrients from plants into the foods we eat. You can simply add a teaspoon to a tablespoon in drinking water, on salads or cooked greens, blended with marinades, bbq sauces, sandwich spreads, and of course, pickles.

• Honey can easily extract and preserve some alcohol soluble constituents and is hygroscopic, meaning water attracting. As vitamins and minerals are, generally speaking, water soluble, honey is an excellent vehicle for pulling out and preserving the nutrition from plants.

Raw honey also contains many nutrients from the flowers the bees sipped from and made into honey. Herbal honeys are just the ticket to getting plant nutrients to our loved ones. They can be drizzled on granola and yogurt, used in no-bake brownies and herbal truffles, on cornbread, and in teas and lemonades. The possibilities are as endless as our culinary creativity.

• Water is known as the universal solvent, although some constituents, such as fats/lipids, and resins are opposed to it. Water will extract vitamins and minerals from dried plants into teas, decoctions, syrups, and soups. Muddling peppermint, lavender, or even rosemary and allowing them to soak in water in the sun will extract some nutrition and most definitely essential oils.
  

• Alcohol is not generally thought of as a menstruum for extracting minerals. However, as most are water soluble, 80-100 proof alcohol can be used for tincturing. Have you ever made a fresh nettle tincture and noticed a dark greenish film on the inside of the jar? That’s iron that has precipitated out!