Bulk Herb Blends: Sleep Sweet Tincture

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At the end of every day my three children (Joe Courage - 4 years, Ryshoni Joy - 2 years, and Hannah Sunshine - 10 months) have all played, squealed, jumped, growled, tripped, ran into something, fell off a chair, climbed furniture, and had a thousand con-versations. I’ve heard of children that sit quietly and play quietly, and like to be alone. I still struggle with believing stories like that. "Quiet" and "child" seem like contradictory terms to me. And not much fun, either.

Needless to say, at the end of every day, both the kids and their mama have an ex-hausted but keyed-up look in our eyes. Adrenaline has been flowing full blast for hours. How to slow the flow? Most days Daddy is able to unwind us with his calming presence and tuck us all to bed for a night of oblivion. Some days it takes a little more.

The most useful, and appreciated remedy in our house is called Sleep Sweet Tincture. There’s a bottle of it in every room. It goes on every trip with us. Sleep Sweet Tincture is a combination of herbs that are both good for you and calming. These herbs have no negative effect on my children, no addicting properties, and no side effects. This valuable tincture is easy to make, so the last time I made a batch, I recorded the process for any moms out there that have... normal children!

Lemon Balm: Antibacterial, and antiviral. Lowers fevers, relaxes spasms, improves digestion, mildly sedative.
Peppermint: Antiseptic, carminative, antispasmodic, and diaphoretic. Relieves stomach and bowel spasms, and promotes the expulsion of gas. Aids digestion, and relaxes muscles.
Chamomile: Anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, nervine, and anti-allergenic. Mild sedative, soothes the nervous system, treats allergies, rheumatism, arthritis, swellings, intestinal and menstrual cramping. Good for fevers, sore throats, aches and pains.
Oatstraw: Antidepressant, diuretic, carminative, and nutritive. High in nutrients, regulates blood sugar, improves digestive system, eases tension, and chronic pain.
Hops: Relaxant, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory. Relieves nervousness, asthma, head-aches, toothaches, lowers fevers, promotes sleep without hindering alertness. Contains some estrogenic activity.

As mentioned in the Emotional Remedies section of The ABC Herbal, the combination of nervine herbs such as these, can work miracles after an emotional upset or dramatic / stressful experience. Adults and children can quickly regain their calm and noticeably feel better only minutes after taking this tincture.

Ingredients

10 cups Chamomile flowers - whole
4 cups Lemon Balm - cut
4 cups Oatstraw - cut
4 cups Peppermint leaf - cut
5 cups Hops flowers - whole
1 Liter 80 proof vodka
2 quarts glycerin
Hot water
5 quart crock-pot
Cheesecloth strainer (cotton cloth will do)
Pressure cooker
Air-tight glass container
Quart jars.
2 Weeks time

Directions

Day 1:

  • Fill a quart jar 1/3 full of the premixed herbs.
  • Top off jar with vodka, screw on lid.
  • Keep in a dark and cool place for 2 weeks. Shake mixture once a day.

Day 11-13

  • Fill crock-pot 1/3 full of the premixed herbs. (If you have any left over, or don’t want to make such a huge batch, you can keep the extra premixed herbs in an air tight bag, clearly labeled for up to a year. I make a huge batch to give away to friends and family.).
  • Pour hot water over herbs, mixing with a spoon, until herb mix is damp - not soaked.
  • Pour glycerin over herbs until crock-pot is full (Appr. 1 inch from rim), stir well, and cover with lid. This will take about 2 quarts of glycerin; don’t worry if it takes a little more or less.
  • Heat on low for 3 days. Stir occasionally.

NOTE: If your crock-pot gets too hot on low, the herbs will smell like they are "cooking" and turn dark and strong smelling within 24 hours. This will not ruin the tincture, but it does speed up the process, and may not be quite as effective as a slow heat. My crock-pot got too hot, so after 42 hours, I went ahead and strained the mixture, and it was fine. You can also water bath the herb mixture by putting the herb/glycerin mixture in a jar with lid, in hot water on the stove for 3 days. The idea is to break down the herbs so that the properties are in the glycerin. You have succeeded when the mixture becomes dark and strong smelling.

Day 14

  • Strain your vodka/herb tincture through cheesecloth, removing all the herb particles. The remaining liquid should be brown. Set pulp aside.
  • Strain the glycerin/herb tincture while it is still warm, so that the glycerin is very fluid. Set pulp aside.
  • Take the herb pulp from both mixtures and place it in pressure cooker with just enough water to saturate it. Pressure the pulp for 10 minutes. Note: This step is optional if you don’t have a pressure cooker.
  • Strain the pressure cooker pulp and throw away the pulp.
  • Mix the 3 different tinctures together and allow it to cool to room temperature.
  • Pour into quart jars for storing or into tincture bottles if you have them. Label, and keep in a dark, cool place. This mixture, including the alcohol tincture should be good for up to 3 years. Without the alcohol, a year is the standard life expectancy.
  • Make sure to label your jars clearly with the contents, the date, and your name.

NOTE: Many people make only a glycerin tincture, or only an alcohol tincture. Each process is valuable and abstracts properties from the herbs that the other method may not be as successful in abstracting. Finally, the pressure cooker abstracts even more. I like to do all three and mix them for a stronger final result. I tested the mixture on myself before I gave it to my children. I discovered that 3 droppers full sent me to sleep pretty quickly. 1 dropper for my baby, and up to 2 droppers for my 4 year old.

For more information on making tinctures using alcohol or glycerin, see the Preparing Remedies page. The following books have been our best references on making our own tinctures at home over the years:

From Our Reading and/or Experience...

  • This dry herb mixture can be brewed into a tea. It's not as effective as the tincture, but it can help nonetheless. As a tea, it tastes good (not as good as Sleepy Time Tea or Sweet Sleep Tea), and can be made in a matter of minutes.
  • The mixture could be ground up into powder and encapsulated, as some folks simply prefer capsules.
  • The Sleep Sweet Tincture can be used to benefit men, women (including before, during or after pregnancy, and nursing), and children.
  • It can be used as often as you would like, and in any way you choose.
  • As is the case with most herbs, this mixture should be stored in a dark, dry, and cool place. Refrigeration or freezing is great, but certainly not necessary. Following these suggestions will delay the loss of its highly valued nutritional and medicinal properties.
  • Follow the same instructions for storage after you make it into a tincture. We do not use any bottles in particular, but recycle empty glass bottles, whenever possible.
  • An alcohol tincture (extract) doesn't taste the greatest but is the most effective way to draw out the goodness of the herbs, and are the easiest to make. For those two reasons alone, alcohol tinctures are the industry standard in all ready-made store bought tinctures. They also keep the longest (at least 2 years).
  • Glycerin tinctures (or glycerites), though not as effective, are much more palatable with their sweet flavor. However, they will only keep for up to one year or so.
  • A combination of both alcohol and glycerin has the benefits of both (effectiveness, sweet flavor, and longer shelf life).

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