Elecampane, Inula helenium, has been considered a cure-all and particularly useful herb since ancient Greek and Roman times. It was used mainly as an herbal tonic for the respiratory system.

Contains inulin which is great for gut health as it is a prebiotic.

Elecampane is good for:

• great for getting out phlegm and mucus
• asthma
• whooping cough
• digestive orders
• menstrual cramps
• chronic bronchitis
• colds

I foraged this plant in central Minnesota.

I use the folk method for making all my tinctures, which uses no measurements except sizing things up with your eyes. So I put the plant material in a jar and then fill with alcohol.

Dosages -

Dosages for children are not provided in most herbals. To determine the correct dose you need to consider the size of the child, the ailment, the power of the herb you intend to use, and the adult dosage.

Young's Rule for determining dosage uses the child's age divided by twelve plus the age. The dosage for a 4 year old: 4/12+4 = 4/16 = 1/4 of the adult dose.