Mother tinctures
Absinthium Ø
The aromatically bitter Wormwood, which is native to dry, hot climates, is gathered only in sunny and hot weather after rain-free periods. The fresh inflorescences are picked from the silky, felty-white plant as soon as they start flowering; the lower leaves are stripped off the woody stem. Wormwood is grown as a perennial crop.
Aesculus Ø
The glossy, dark-brown seeds of the horse chestnuts are gathered in late summer. On the tree, they are enclosed in a green, prickly husk. When they drop on the ground, the husk usually splits open. The very saponin-rich seeds are carefully hand-peeled and then processed to make the mother tincture. Only seeds from old trees are used.
Alchemilla Ø
The mildly bitter and astringent tasting Lady’s Mantle is harvested in spring. The flower clusters and the velvety, coat-like leaves are cut in the morning hours. Especially at night, Lady’s Mantle collects dew drops on the little teeth of its leaves, which resembles pearls on a string, and they frequently form a large drop at the bottom of the leaves. Another special feature of Lady’s Mantle are the tiny, greenish florets that develop seeds without pollination.
Allium ursinum Ø
The vigorous and robust Ramsons are one of the first plants to break through the rigours of winter. They form a green carpet in humid, nutrient-rich forests. You can smell Ramsons’ typical garlic aroma even from a distance. Each year, the plant grows anew from the bulb in the ground. Once Ramsons’ leaves and flower buds push through the protective layer of foliage, harvesting can soon begin. For processing, the fresh leaves are collected before bloom.
Angelica archangelica Ø
Aromatically fragrant Angelica is one of the largest native shrubs. The plant’s strength and power reflects in its appearance. It can grow up to 2.5 m high, with leaves of up to 90 cm in length, and forms a typically hollow stem which can have a diameter of up to 10 cm at the base. After flowering in the second year of cultivation, Angelical usually dies off. Therefore the strong, ramified rootstock of this mighty plant with its aromatic fragrance and bitter-hot taste is harvested at the end of the first year of cultivation. Harvesting is done in autumn, when the plant has withdrawn almost entirely into the earth.
Avena sativa Ø
Oats are mildly sweet in taste and harvested in summer. Although their stems are hollow, they are surprisingly robust due to their high level of silica. Oats are harvested when they begin to flower, a state not always easy to identify since oat flowers often remain closed. The fresh, flowering tops are used for the tinctures.
Bellis perennis Ø
The Daisies’ white, often reddish-tipped flower heads can be found almost all year round. Some first pedicels arise from the leaf rosette as early as January. Harvesting for the Bellis mother tincture is done in spring, at a time when the plants are full of vitality and in full bloom. The entire plant including its underground parts is harvested.
Betula folium Ø
The leaves of the Birch tree with the characteristic white bark are gathered in spring, after the trees have been in bloom. Only leaves from older trees are used. The bright green Birch tree leaves are covered in glands when they are young, which makes them very sticky. Just after harvesting they start to develop their typical fruity aroma which is found in a more intense form in the mother tincture. Birch tree leaves can generate a lot of heat if pressed too much, which is why they need to be handled with particular care during transport.
Bursa pastoris Ø
Shepherd’s Purse has small white florets and can flower all year round. We gather the fresh, flowering tops in spring. This plant comes in many shapes and is extremely vibrant. It produces up to 4 generations per year. Shepherd's Purse has a characteristic, aromatic and spicy taste. The heart-shaped fruit, found on the plant all year round, was therefore often used instead of pepper.
Calendula Ø
Midsummer is the perfect time to gather Marigolds. The flowering tops of this plant native to North Africa are gathered as soon as the large, golden-yellow or orange coloured flower heads have fully opened. They have a characteristic, warming, resinous scent which is perceived even in passing. If you touch freshly cut marigolds, they will leave sticky and balmy smelling residues on your skin.
Carduus marianus Ø
Milk Thistles are impressive and defensive plants that can grow more than 150 cm high. They are native to dry, warm regions. The leaves with their characteristic white spots and in particular the purple coloured inflorescences are very thorny. The brownish black, hard-husked seeds are the parts of the plant that are gathered. They are hand-picked, ensuring that only perfectly ripened seeds are used.
Centaurium Ø
This native European plant is a species of the gentian family and not often found in nature. It stands out due to its bright pink flowers and yellow stamens which it displays like an umbrella. Especially the florets of Centaury are very bitter; they only open in the sun and when the temperature is high. This plant is cultivated for the production of the mother tincture. The fresh, flowering plant is cut in summer.
Chamomilla Ø
The aromatic and fragrant German Chamomile is harvested in summer. It differs from other species mainly in that it has a hollow receptacle. When the weather is dry and sunny, and as soon as the white ray florets bend downwards and the receptacle has swollen, the time is ideal. The flowering plant is then gathered around midday.
Cichorium intybus Ø
Chicory is mildly bitter in taste, and all of the plant’s parts are lactiferous. Its short-lived, sky-blue flowers appear in summer. For the mother tincture, however, the plant is harvested as soon as the rosette of dandelion-like leaves pushes through the ground. At this stage the entire plant is dug up, because the full vigour and vitality is still in the root.
Crataegus Ø
The glossy, fiery red to dark red Hawthorn fruit is harvested in autumn, when it has fully ripened. At this stage of ripeness Hawthorn fruits develop a characteristic, very sweetish aroma which you will also find in the tincture later on. We use the fruits of single-style Hawthorn as well as double-style Hawthorn.
Cynara scolymus Ø
Originally a Mediterannean plant, artichokes grow abundantly, forming large, felty-grey leaves that typically smell like wax and are persistently bitter. The artichoke’s bitter constituents are produced by glands on the outside of the leaves and are therefore easily washed off by rain. For this reason, harvesting only makes sense after sunny, dry periods. For the mother tincture, the leaves of the leaf rosette are picked before pedicels have grown.
Echinacea purpurea Ø
The aromatic and astringent tasting Coneflower is native to North America and is harvested in summer. The time for harvesting is ideal when the purple tubular florets of the prickly inflorescence bend downwards and the receptacle begins to swell. At this time flower-seeking visits from insects are particularly frequent. We cut the plants when they are in bloom. The crops can be used several years in a row.
Equisetum arvense Ø
Botanically a fern, the Field Horsetail has extensive underground roots and grows fertile stems in spring. Once these have wilted, the typically segmented green stems with whorled branches grow. These are used in the production of the mother tincture. Although the shoots of Field Horsetails have large hollow sections, they are surprisingly tough - a property resulting from their silica content. Apart from silic acid, Equisetum also contains numerous other mineral substances.
Euphrasia Ø
Eyebright’s beautiful flowers with a large yellow dot and soft lilac-coloured lines give the plant its common name. The flowers’ marking is said to indicate a relationship between this plant and the eye. While it is fresh, Eyebright emanates a strong smell of damp forest soil. It tastes mildly tart. Wild Eyebright grows on meadows that are not fertilized. Only here can their seeds germinate, since the plants’ dainty roots need to connect with grass roots for nutrients and water. This tiny plant is harvested in late summer. The entire plant is used for the tincture.
Fraxinus excelsior Ø
The Ash belongs to the largest species of native deciduous trees and prefers humid, nutrient-rich sites. Ash is very vibrant; if you cut it, it will soon grow new shoots. The tree with its hard but elastic wood and the characteristic black winter buds blossoms in spring before the leaves shoot. In summer the tree produces opposing leaves, which are gathered in midsummer. Only leaves of old trees are collected.
Gentiana Ø
Gentian, a stately shrub that grows in the mountains and has cup-shaped leaves growing straight from the stem, produces star-shaped, yellow flowers in summer. The underground parts of the Yellow Gentian are dug up in spring, before they shoot. They contain the bitterest natural substance known. Gentian roots are marked by their typical smell and their very strong, persistent bitter taste.
Geranium robertianum Ø
Herb Robert has knotty, bulging green stalks, which may be tinged with red in very sunny spots, with glandular hairs on them. These give it a strong, unpleasant smell and the typically astringent, bitter flavour. Its pungent aroma lends the plant its distinctive personality. The flowering herbage is harvested towards the end of spring, when the plant is in bloom and some of the characteristic “fruit bills” have formed.
Ginkgo Ø
The oldest finds of fossil leaves not discernibly different from those of today’s Ginkgo trees are estimated to date back approx. 65 million years. Up to around 5 million years ago, this tree was native to Europe before it almost died out as a result of ice ages. The tough, almost leathery and frequently typically double-lobed leaves of this very long-lived tree have a slightly sour and astringent flavour. They are hand-picked from old trees in midsummer.
Glechoma hederacea Ø
Ground Ivy, also called Creeping Charlie, a dwarf among plants, loves shady places where it can excessively explore the surroundings with its creeping stems. The shoots grow abundantly especially after blooming, and they remain green even in winter. The small, bluish-violet flowers that appear in spring are situated in the axils of the kidney-shaped leaves and provide insects with nectar. The fresh herbage stands out due to its characteristic tangy odour and is gathered while the plant is flowering.
Hedera helix Ø
Ivy, whose main time is autumn, appears to be two different plants. The non-flowering juvenile type creeps up trees and produces three to five-lobed leaves. The non-climbing adult type, by contrast, has somewhat elliptic leaves and, in addition, produces inconspicuous, green flowers that are very rich in nectar. Insects perceive the strong smell of honey emanating from the flowers, so frequently visiting insects on the flowers indicate the perfect time for harvesting. The fresh, sour and bitter tasting leaves as well as the Ivy’s flowers are gathered.
Hypericum Ø
St. John’s Wort with its wide-open inflorescence flowers when the sun is at its highest point. The inflorescence consists of five-petalled yellow flowers with the petals slightly slanted and at the most some black dots on their edges, as well as three ray-like fascicles of stamens arising from the centre of the flower. Another particularly striking feature of this species is its double-edged stalk and the perforated appearance of the leaves which is due to oil glands. We use the plant’s fresh, flowering herbage, which has a very spicy smell and a bitter flavour. Only the top 30 cm are harvested.
Imperatoria Ø
Masterwort is a mountain plant. It thrives in moderately damp and nutrient-rich areas. Its underground parts, which hold a bitter, yellowish milk-like sap, are carefully dug up in autumn and processed immediately after. Characteristic of this plant is its typical celery-like smell and its astringent, bitter flavour. The aroma emanating from the plant is so intense, it fills large areas of the production halls.
Lavandula Ø
Lavender is harvested in full bloom, in midsummer. This is the time when the lavender fields emanate their elegant fragrance – a complex composition of essential oils. The extremely aromatic, slightly bitter tasting bluish-violet florets forming the plant’s spikes are arranged like cereal ears. These delicate florets are hand-picked in dry and sunny weather.
Lupulus Ø
Today Hop, a native liana that grows in riverside woodland, is cultivated only. Between April and July the plants grow to the tops of the seven metre high hop trellises. Hop is ready for harvesting in late summer, when the umbels are ripe and have developed their extremely aromatic, tangy and spicy odour and their typically bitter taste. This is the time when the flowering parts show the typically yellow hop resin that holds the aromas.
Lycopus europaeus Ø
Gypsywort thrives in nutrient-rich, damp areas. The damper the area where Gypsywort grows, the more its lower leaves are slashed, since it reacts to its habitat. It has inconspicuously small white flowers that sit in the axils. All aerial parts of Gypsywort emanate a mildly aromatic odour when rubbed between the fingers and taste mildly bitter.
Melilotus Ø
Yellow Sweet Clover has an intense aroma of coumarin. This odour is particularly strong when the plant is damaged. It has small, yellow flowers in midsummer which are arranged in long clusters of up to 30 to 70 florets at the tip of the plant. The clusters, which attract a lot of bees, have an extended blooming period, resulting in wilted florets alongside flowering ones as well as buds. The fresh, flowering herbage is used for the tincture.
Melissa officinalis Ø
Lemon Balm emanates a refined and intense odour of honey and lemon and is native to Mediterranean regions. The oval leaves with their deep-seated veins are covered in glandular hair that releases the typical fragrant aroma when rubbed between the fingers. The fresh herbage needs to be processed prior to the bloom, since the plant’s pleasant aroma disappears as soon as it begins to flower. The fresh tips of the shoots are only gathered after sunny and dry stretches in late summer.
Mentha piperita Ø
Peppermint, probably a coincidental cross between two types of mint that occurred in England, is picked in midsummer. Peppermint has a very strong aromatic odour and taste which is so intense that it easily covers up other aromas. Peppermint must not flower before its leaves, which are covered in oil glands, are gathered. The fresh leaves are picked in the early hours of a midsummer day, after sunny periods without rain.
Millefolium Ø
Yarrow is an erect plant with a tangy, very fragrant and bitter aroma. Its flat-topped, clustered inflorescence consists of white or reddish florets. The fine, long leaves sit on a very strong stem. The fresh aerial parts both of the white and the red flowering species are gathered in midsummer when the Yarrow is in full bloom.
Passiflora incarnata Ø
The Passion Flower’s most striking feature is its flower. Its petals form a unusually beautiful and large flower together with the radial filaments, the stamens and the protruding styles. The leaves, but mainly the flowers, produce an aromatic, tangy odour. This climbing plant is native to America and prefers dry, warm places. We therefore grow it in a special region in Ticino. The fresh, flowering herbage is gathered in midsummer.
Plantago lanceolata Ø
The small Ribwort, whose slim, lanceolate leaves emerge from a rosette, starts to flower in spring. The flowers form at the end of long stalks, opening up in rings from the bottom upwards. The leaves, which are rich in mucilage, are carefully hand-cut in spring. They make an aromatically earthy mother tincture.
Ribes nigrum Ø
The fresh leaves of Blackcurrent emanate a distinctive scent of cassis. This prickleless shrub has glands on the reverse sides of its leaves which produce the scent when rubbed between the fingers. The light green to dark green large leaves of these shrubs are harvested in early summer, at a time when the plant’s inconspicuous green flowers have already wilted.
Rosmarinus Ø
The needle-shaped, warmingly spicy and slightly bitter tasting young leaves of Rosemary plants are harvested in summer, after the blooming period. The young leaves, hairy on both sides, are hand-stripped off the shrub. Harvesting the leaves of this herb native to the Mediterranean region is done in warm, sunny weather only.
Salvia Ø
Sage grows in the Mediterranean region; it stands out due to its richness in essential oils. The essential oils give the plant, especially the leaves, an intensely spicy aroma. The slim leaves have a wrinkly surface and are gathered before bloom, in midsummer, when the aroma of this sun-loving plant is strongest.
Sambucus nigra Ø
The Elderberry begins to flower at the end of spring. Its yellowish white flowers fill the air with their sweet and spicy fragrance, especially in the evening hours. Both the flat-topped clustered inflorescences and the unpleasant smelling leaves are gathered. Elderberry is collected from its natural habitats only, it is not cultivated.
Solidago Ø
Golden Rod has a spicy fragrance and flowers in midsummer. It is the only native species among the multifaceted family of golden rods, and it populates various sites. Particularly beautiful specimens of this plant are found in select places only. The erect, very tough inflorescence of the Golden Rod is the part that is picked. It is studded with a large number of small, bright yellow blooming flower heads.
Taraxacum Ø
The adaptable and very vigorous Dandelion is one of the first plants to be processed in the year. When its golden yellow flowers with their slightly sweetish taste appear in the meadows, the time for harvesting has come. The plants including the bitter roots are dug up by hand when they are flowering. Dandelion is not cultivated; the plants are all taken from organic meadows.
Thymus vulgaris Ø
Thyme is an evergreen Mediterranean plant that prefers predominately dry soils and warm climates. Almost all parts of the plant have glandular trichomes and are aromatic. The characteristically warm aroma is particularly intense on the Thyme’s small, slim leaves, whose edges are always curled down. You will smell it if you rub the leaves between your fingers. The plant’s flowering herbage is gathered in summer, after a sunny period without rain.
Tropaeolum majus Ø
Nasturtium has a hot peppery flavour similar to cress and is native to South America. The shape of its leaves is typical of water plants. The petiole leads down from the centre of the thick leaves, which gives them their typical shield shape. Fiery red, yellow or orange flowers with lots of sweet as well as hot peppery nectar develop in summer but are frequently covered up by the leaves. The fresh, flowering herbage is gathered in midsummer.
Urtica dioica Ø
The Stinging Nettle is studded with spiky stinging hairs. Due to its efficient manner of spreading, it quickly takes over suitable places and turns these into a virtual jungle. The defensive plant predominately populates nutrient-rich sites. You can avoid getting stung by Nettles if you touch it by pulling hard upwards. The stinging hairs are then bent over and can no longer penetrate deeper layers of the skin. The herbaceous plant has an animal odour and contains a lot of mineral constituents. It is harvested when the tiny green leaves have opened.
Valeriana Ø
Valarian’s time is autumn. The plant’s extensive, wide-spread system of roots emanates its typical odour also when it is fresh. Prior to processing, the underground parts are carefully washed and dried. This intensifies the aroma that makes it so irresistible for cats. The dried roots are then made into the Valeriana mother tincture.
Viola tricolor Ø
At first sight, Heartsease seems to consist almost entirely of flower heads. The slight appearance of this plant is dominated by its lively, colourful, typically three-coloured petals. Other striking features include an intense odour, a sweetish flavour and a mucilaginous consistency. The flowering herbage is gathered in summer.
Viscum album Ø
The last plant in the year to be harvested is Mistletoe. Seen growing on leafless trees in winter, it seems to defy the seasons. Mistletoe grows slowly into almost ball-shaped shrubs and has leathery leaves. It is found in the higher, less dense regions of treetops. Under favourable conditions, Mistletoe may live up to 50 years or more. The plant will only germinate and grow on particular trees. It is gathered from fruit trees in autumn, at the time when the fruit is ripe.
Absinthium Ø
Aesculus Ø
Alchemilla Ø
Allium ursinum Ø
Angelica archangelica Ø
Avena sativa Ø
Bellis perennis Ø
Betula folium Ø
Bursa pastoris Ø
Calendula Ø
Carduus marianus Ø
Centaurium Ø
Chamomilla Ø
Cichorium intybus Ø
Crataegus Ø
Cynara scolymus Ø
Echinacea purpurea Ø
Equisetum arvense Ø
Euphrasia Ø
Fraxinus excelsior Ø
Gentiana Ø
Geranium robertianum Ø
Ginkgo Ø
Glechoma hederacea Ø
Hedera helix Ø
Hypericum Ø
Imperatoria Ø
Lavandula Ø
Lupulus Ø
Lycopus europaeus Ø
Melilotus Ø
Melissa officinalis Ø
Mentha piperita Ø
Millefolium Ø
Passiflora incarnata Ø
Plantago lanceolata Ø
Ribes nigrum Ø
Rosmarinus Ø
Salvia Ø
Sambucus nigra Ø
Solidago Ø
Taraxacum Ø
Thymus vulgaris Ø
Tropaeolum majus Ø
Urtica dioica Ø
Valeriana Ø
Viola tricolor Ø
Viscum album Ø