Ep. 233: The Hot Tincture Method with Mary Blue

About this episode

Mary Blue discusses the hot tincture method and its benefits in herbalism.

Learn more about the Plant Cunning Conference at: Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026 On 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 Blue 02:55 Activism To Herbalism 04:46 Running Farmacy Herbs 06:14 Mentors And Training 08:01 Teaching Solvency Basics 09:55 Common Solvency Confusions 11:26 Accessible Teaching Methods 13:53 The "Hot Tincture Method" Explained 16:19 Why It…

People in this episode

Hosts: Isaac, AC

Guest: Mary Blue

Topics covered

• hot tincture method
• herbalism
• activism
• extraction methods
• community support
• sustainable practice

Keywords

• tincture
• herbalism
• extraction
• activism
• community
• safety
• solvency

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Plant Cunning Conference

Books & works: Farmacy Herbs, herbalism, comfrey, milk thistle, mushrooms, marshmallow

Places: New York

More episodes of Plant Cunning Podcast

• Ep. 234: Earth Energy, Dragons and Faeries with Trista Haggerty · June 10, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Ep. 232: David Holmgren on Permaculture's Origins & Building Resilient Households · May 27, 2026 · 1h 20m
• Ep. 231: Embodied Astrology with Gary Caton · May 13, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Ep. 230: Traditional African Medicine with Olatokunboh Obasi · May 6, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Ep. 229: Sacred Homemaking with Kimberly Steele · April 29, 2026 · 1h 14m
• Ep. 228: Black Paths & Green Cathedrals with Sian Sibley · April 22, 2026 · 1h 7m