i made this tincture in late summer with fresh lobelia plants that were growing near the creek.
i use the aerial portions. they're immediately tinctured fresh in vodka and left to steep for a few months.

i used to make a weaker lobelia tincture with one tiny sprig in a quart jar.
as of 2025 this tincture is made from 3 sizeable lobelia inflata sprigs in a quart jar.
i noticed that the lobelia by the creek was larger and less intense than the tiny sprigs in the full sun field.
they seemed less stressed.
my skull cap + lobelia tincture is one tiny sprig of lobelia in a half gallon of strong fresh skull cap tincture.

if you want a a few drops or a dropper of lobelia put into any size tincture bottle filled with plain vodka,
just reach out. glad to accommodate.

lobelia inflata is a tiny sprig of a plant
but it has a big presence, big actions and an interesting history
it is not a dangerous plant
but it needs to be taken in tiny doses with sincere respect for its big herbal actions
or you could really not have a great time. 

i use it for:
+ asthma
+ vagus nerve conditions
+ certain nerve conditions
and even in these instances we have a lot of other options.

THERE ARE THREE REALLY IMPORTANT QUALITIES SPECIFIC TO LOBELIA

1. it is extremely sedative and even in homeopathic doses it can really clunk someone out.
  - driving, operating machinery etc: no no no. this is a remedy that needs to be taken in a tiny dose before bed. 
- i'd also consider taking it post hot shower before bed if you're very sensitive. the heat helps it penetrate the system more deeply.

2. it is a deeply cleansing and clearing plant. if there is phlegm, debris or obstruction, lobelia thins, cleans and clears away. where there is constriction in tubes it relaxes and dilates. 

  - this can be incredible for things like asthma where we need to open constricted bronchioles and clear away viscid mucous in the lungs. it can be a bit jarring to cough up a gob of phlegm that's been sitting in your lungs for who knows how long so this is why informed consent is important. 

  - along this same vein, clearing obstruction can be serious business so we have to be careful that we're not trying to do something dangerous like coax out a kidney stone that is too big to safely pass.  

  * lobelia can be used to instigate important cleansing actions at tiny doses. at even small (not tiny) doses you can instigate vomiting. it was used as a reliable emetic in the past. as a cleansing and opening herb it inspires sweating, bowel movements, urination, phlegm expectoration and vomiting. 

3. it is a specific for vagus nerve conditions. 

it strongly acts on your nervous system and is a strong alterative. alternatives have seemingly paradoxical actions, but think of them as resetting your 'homeostasis' between the pillars of dichotomy. it is both an irritating stimulant that catalyzes deep cleansing, opening and release. but it is equally deeply sedative. so at a stiff dose it thoroughly deep cleans and passes nasty stuff from your whole body, puts you into a deep sleep and you wake up feeling brand new. 

it is also considered an ‘acrid’ remedy which is a bit of an uncommon taste in herbalism. acrid remedies both stimulate and relax, similar to an alterative. but acrid remedies are commonly emetic, whereas alterative remedies are not commonly so. acrid remedies get to deeper parts of the system and can make big adjustments to ‘tensions’. i consider acrid remedies to be similar to nervines in that they act on the nervous system. but instead of just relaxing tensions or reducing excess excitation, they adjust the tensions back to factory settings. they are deeper and more pragmatic. matthew wood rightly considers them ‘heroic remedies’, which have modernly gone out of style but in the past may have been the difference between life and death.

dosage determines how long of a leash you give them to do their work. in general, acrid remedies are more advanced remedies that need to be used masterfully and with sincere respect to dosage and herbal actions. they are serious tools that can do serious things. i like to use lobelia at one drop before bed for this reason.

if you want to read about someone very tough and cool who was fine with telling their patients to puke a bunch to get better from a myriad of things, doctor christopher absolutely rocks and thought lobelia was #1 herbal gift from god. there aren’t too many books that demonstrate his level of clinical mastery with herbs.

if you ever take the tiniest nibble of fresh lobelia you’ll notice immediately that it is irritating and both stimulating and relaxing. it has a burning and peppery sensation that seems mild at first but quickly builds to be difficult if you weren’t discerning. eyes and nose start watering, saliva is strongly stimulated. this is an important reminder that herbal actions begin with experiencing the taste of herbs. without even swallowing, lobelia has started working.

i also tell you this so that you understand that when i say try 1 drop doses and give it some space, you know why. even in 1 drop you get the peppery taste. i’m not doctor christopher. i’m with matthew wood on team tiny doses.

HISTORICAL NOTE
there are a bunch of old stories of lobelia being a fairy plant, telling men to take a nibble. then they start sweating, puking and losing control of their bowels. thinking they’ve been poisoned, they sink into what they think is death but it is actually a deep, restorative sleep. while sleeping, lobelia takes full rein to ‘adjust all your tensions’ and sweep out all the gunk tangled up in there. the men were said to wake up feeling better than ever and deeply restored. i’ve read other stories that men thought this was funny and would then trick their friends into doing the same thing, then laughing at the aftermath. i know that this was before tv and the internet.. maybe even literacy as a norm, but there was not one story of women doing this. that’s all i have to say on that front.

CLOSING CONSIDERATIONS
lobelia is a model remedy for the greek humoral paradigm 
it truly wastes all mal humors
what we need to be careful of is initiating that process in a gentle and controlled way

very good herbalists have said that it's good to pair lobelia with a second herb that is fully indicated in a person's overall presentation. the homeopathic lobelia becomes more of a secondary catalyst to assist the main herb to more fully complete its tasks. please note that i have a skull cap + lobelia tincture as well. i could also make a custom remedy. 

i love using a dropper full of skull cap and a drop of lobelia before bed for vagus nerve issues or tension issues like migraines. you can add another couple drops of ghost pipe if the imbalance is rooted in trauma.

i love a dropper full of rabbit tobacco with a drop of lobelia for deep asthma. rabbit tobacco on its own usually works great. especially if you can do a bout of rabbit tobacco tea (simmer lidded 20 mins and steep overnight before straining. drink very hot) before bumping down to rabbit tobacco tincture (chase with hot water or a hot shower to open things up)

but sometimes people need that drop of lobelia to really open things up and work on that root tendency towards bronchiole constriction. it is almost always fully resolvable. it does take some finesse and careful consideration. i see absolute junk herbal asthma protocols all over. i consult for free so that we can chat about your situation and make really educated and specific decisions based on what you have going on.

i do have a chest decongestant salve with a smidge of lobelia infused oil in it. if you’re nervous to internally use lobelia (reasonable) you can use your skin and still get it chatting with your nervous system.

please feel free to message me anytime. i consult for free for your safety and benefit.

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