Usnea Tincture Recipe: Discover How This Medicine Can Stop A Cold In Its Tracks - The Outdoor Apothecary (2024)

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I’m sure that you’ve probably seen this lichen many times as it grows in lacey bunches attached to trees all over the world. I see it often on my walks in Northeastern Connecticut, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized its medicinal worth.

After doing some research on how best to prepare usnea in order to get the most out of this wonderful specimen, I decided to share what I’ve learned.

Usnea is a greyish-green lichen with medicinal properties that grows on trees, rocks, and shrubs. It’s often referred to as Old Man’s Beard due to its resemblance to an old man’s beard.

A lichen is an organism that has characteristics of a Fungus and Algae.In Traditional Chinese Medicine Usnea Lichen is known for its “cooling and drying” energetic properties and its ability to “clear heat, move damp, and resolve toxicity”.

Usnea is antimicrobial, antibacterial, vulnerary, and antifungal.

Usnea is good for supporting a healthy immune response in the respiratory tract and mucus membranes, healthy functions of the urinary system, and maintaining a healthy microbial balance within the Urinary System.

What I love so much about Usnea is that it truly is one of the most powerful locally-sourced immune medicines to turn to when you’re starting to feel a cold or flu coming on. When taken at the onset of a cold or flu, when your immune system is working like crazy to respond, Usnea’s antibacterial properties disrupt the metabolic function of bacteria and prevent the bacteria from reproducing and making you sicker! How amazing is that?

When I first noticed usnea growing prolifically from trees in the forest near my home, I thought the lichen must be hurting the trees, but what I found out was much different. In fact, seeing usnea growing is an indication of air purity since usnea will not grow where there is pollution or poor air quality.

With that being said, it’s important to note that lichen is in no way harming your trees. However, lichenis rarely found on healthy, vigoroustrees, sothe presence of lichenmay point to an unhealthy or dyingtree(caused by other reasons, such as pests or disease).

For home use, usnea is best used as a tincture. Making a tincture is very easy using the folk method, where exact amounts are not necessary.

When the tincture is finished, and the longer you leave it in the jar, the better, strain the liquid and decant intodark-colored dropper bottles. Keep the tincture in a dark, cool place. This has a shelf life of about a year.

Usnea tincture is not recommended as preventative medicine, but rather as a medicine to be used when illness has already begun. Take a dropper full every four hours at the onset of a cough or cold. It is thought that Usnea stops bacteria from multiplying and thus shortening the duration and severity of the illness.

If you don’t like the taste, go ahead and add it to some hot tea or juice, or add it to a spoonful of honey.

Usnea has no known side effects but may be harmful in large doses. Don’t use excessively or over long periods of time.

Below are the steps necessary for preparing a dual-extract usnea tincture recipe.