How To Make Herbal Tinctures

Materials:

-Up to 8 ounces dry herb or  2 cups fresh

-80+Proof Alcohol such as Vodka

-Pint or Quart size mason jar or other jar with lid

-cheesecloth or coffee press

- glass bottle with cap for finished product (amber or dark color to protect from light)

-2 Labels and waterproof marker or pen

Tincture versus Extract

First of all I'd like to clarify what the difference is between a tincture and an extract that you see at the health food stores. An extract is usually distilled using steam or percolation machinery. A tincture as we shall see is made by soaking the herb in alcohol or vinegar for at least 2 weeks or longer. You can even use oil or glycerin but that may take longer and is usually not as strong when using woodier parts of the plant such as a root or bark. I found that 1 ml ( about 1 dropperful) of extract is equal to about 1 tsp of the tincture. You can tell how potent an extract is by it's herb to menstrum ratio (usually looks like this - 1:1  is 1 part herb to 1 part menstrum or  base) Both are shelf stable for 1-3 years

Instructions

Take the jar and fill it halfway with the fresh or dry herbs. Pour alcohol into jar until it is about 1 to 2 inches above the herb if it is dry, or equal to herb if fresh (you may want to bruise or finally chop fresh herb to help break up the fibers allowing for better extraction). Place lid on it and gently shake jar. Label the jar with contents then set aside in cool dark place. Check next day- if alcohol has been soaked up, add more alcohol until it is again slightly above herbline or equal to if fresh. Replace lid and place back in cool dark place. From then on, gently shake jar once or twice a day to infuse the herb into alcohol. After 2 to 8 weeks, open jar and strain using cheesecloth, pour slowly into bottle(s) using funnel. Better yet, I like to use a french press, pour contents into press, then push plunger down, straining the liquid from the herb, then pour into bottle. Place cap on bottle(s) and label with contents.

Suggested Use:

I like to take 1 teaspoon in a small amount of water 2-3 times a day, or as needed. You can play with this amount depending on the herbs. If you'd like to remove some of the alcohol, you can put the teaspoon of tincture into hot water, some of the alcohol will evaporate out. You can add the teaspoon to a hot tea and sweeten with honey if the taste is not too alarming. Any questions or comments please feel free to email me at tulin@healingbead.com