September has a particular urgency to it in the herbalist’s calendar. The elderberries are ripe. The roots are beginning to concentrate. The last of the summer herbs need to be preserved. And the cold season, with all its demand for immune support, warming preparations, and respiratory herbs, is weeks rather than months away.
The herbalist who arrives at October well-stocked is in a completely different position from the one who arrives under-prepared. This is the month to do the stocking work.
What You Need for Winter
Elderberry: fresh or dried for syrup, tincture, or oxymel. If you have access to wild elder trees, harvest the berries now. If not, order high-quality dried berries from a reliable supplier before they sell out (they do, particularly from late autumn onward).
Echinacea: tincture or dried root, ready for the first cold. This is not a herb to take daily, but having it ready for the moment it is needed is important.
Thyme: dried for respiratory tea and syrup. Fresh thyme infused in honey (see herbal honey preparation) is one of the best sore throat remedies and is made in minutes from fresh garden thyme.
Valerian and/or passionflower: for sleep support through the darker months when the shorter days and increased indoor time can disrupt sleep patterns for many people.
Ginger: fresh (keep a piece in the freezer for on-demand warming decoctions) and dried (for adding to immune preparations).
What to Make in September
Elderberry syrup: make a large batch now from fresh berries while they are available. Elderberry and thyme oxymel: if you did not make it in winter, make it now. Fire cider: start the four-week maceration process now so it is ready by October. Rose hip preparations: rosehips begin ripening in September and are at their best after the first light frost. Make rosehip syrup, rosehip vinegar, or dried rosehips for tea.
The Herbalist Codex app is your reference for all of these preparations, with step-by-step guides and the herb profiles that give you the confidence to know what you are working with. September is the preparation month. Use it well.