Ep. 233: The Hot Tincture Method with Mary Blue

Learn more about the Plant Cunning Conference at:Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026On this episode, Isaac and AC welcome community herbalist, author, and teacher Mary Blue to talk about the "hot tincture method" and why applying a hot water extraction can dramatically improve tincture color, aroma, taste, and effectiveness while saving plant material, storage space, and time. Mary shares her path from environmental and protest activism into herbalism, her day-to-day running an herb shop and farm, and the mentors and experiences that shaped her teaching focus on herbal actions and solvency. They discuss safety lessons learned from heating alcohol, plant-specific considerations (including mushrooms, marshmallow, comfrey, and milk thistle), glycerins and oils, and how herbalism functions as a form of activism through accessibility, community support, and sustainable practice. 02:23 Meet Mary Blue02:55 Activism To Herbalism04:46 Running Farmacy Herbs06:14 Mentors And Training08:01 Teaching Solvency Basics09:55 Common Solvency Confusions11:26 Accessible Teaching Methods13:53 The "Hot Tincture Method" Explained16:19 Why It Works Better23:09 How Mary Blue almost burned down her apothecary28:01 Tincture Ratios 31:24 When Not to Tincture31:50 Comfrey Safety Debate33:12 Liniments and Compresses34:43 Glycerins and Pre Extraction36:01 Heating Oils for Extraction36:29 Classes and Farm Intensives37:46 Hosting Herbal Events39:25 Herbalism as Activism40:55 Burnout to Micro Activism47:02 Fulfillment Through Service47:58 The Future of Herbalisms52:55 Creativity and Community Play