"Which" of Tincturing

Common Use Herbal Tinctures 

Each herb in the Eastern treasure chest has certain properties and specialties. These are all phrased in ways completely foreign to our Western way of evaluating what a medicine does. I'll try here to 'translate" and talk about the special affinity that each of these herbs has for specific body/channel regions and conditions.  The explanations must be general by definition as there is a body of knowledge behind the proper use that is difficult to share in a short, sound byte setting...


Honeysuckle flower in a tincture-
Jin Yin Hua-
This is to reduce fever or 'heat' in the body. That means when you get a new cold/flu with fever greater than chills. There is a special affinity with the throat, breasts and stomach, so 'bugs' that involve these areas will be especially successful with the addition of honeysuckle tincture to a mint tea.
If the cold/flu has chills greater than fever and is a new onset, please avoid both mint tea and Jin Yin Hua. Instead boil chunks of fresh ginger and fresh green onion in filtered water for about twenty minutes, have a nice cup of this warm beverage (add raw honey if you need sweetening) and snuggle down for a warm blanket nap.
Jin Yin Hua can also be used for sores and abscesses. Whenever there is infection in the body, this can be useful in helping your body to fight hot and pus-based problems.

Honeysuckle vine in a tincture-
Ren Dong Teng
Ren Dong Teng has many of the same actions as its flower, Jin Yin Hua, but is less effective at clearing infection.
However, it has an additional property that allows it to help clear away pain when there is swelling or 'blockage' in the channels which means it is good to relieve the pain of hot, swollen joints and painful muscles with heat.
As with Jin Yin Hua, this is best added to a hot mint tea to 'burn off' the alcohol of the tincture.

Dandelion Leaves in a tincture-
Pu Gong Ying
Used both internally and externally as a pultice, Pu Gong Ying works on deep set infections. It has a special affinity for the Liver channel which encompasses the reproductive regions, including and especially the breasts. Deep 'zits' would benefit from the use of Pu Gong Ying. 
Used in conjuction with Jin Yin Hua, it is a go-to first line antibiotic when dealing with hot sore throats and flu, stomach pain, and liver channel pain.
Pu Gong Ying also moves qi so there is a special effect of helping sores heal quickly and cleanly as an external applicant.

Olive Leaf Extract-
Not in the Oriental Medicine Cabinet
My personal experience with this herb was the successful treatment of an eighth stage parasite. Most of the Homeopathic sources do not claim Olive Leaf to be anti-parasitic, but it is used clinically in this manner. It is my preferred use for this extract.

Olive leaf has shown promise in the research  for treating various ailments, both pre- and post-onset, including:
Lowering blood pressure and relaxing blood vessel tension
Decreasing blood sugar level in diabetic and pre-diabetic patients
Anti-cancer properties
Neuro-protective properties for both chronic (Dementia and Parkinsons) and acute compromises, including the reduction of stroke symptoms when administered pre-event. (Scary animal research, but interesting outcome)
Reduction in various types of arthritis, both pre- and post-onset

***Warning- please do not mix Olive leaf with any pharmaceutical products for treating high blood pressure, the effect can be cumulative, causing excessively low blood pressure.