Tinctures

Excerpt from Practical Herbalism

Tinctures are concentrated liquid extracts made with fresh or dried herbs. Herbal material is macerated (soaked) in a natural solvent called a menstruum. The menstruum – usually a mixture of distilled spirits and water – dissolves and carries the active constituents out of the fibrous plant material. When the mass is pressed and filtered, the resulting extract more or less contains the same proportion of naturally balanced ”actives” as the original plant. Tinctures are, therefore, called whole herb extracts, and can be used with the same safety considerations and expectation for outcome as the herb itself.

The key advantages to tinctures are that they are concentrated and convenient to use, easy to mix into combinations, dosages are easier to control and they have an excellent shelf life. They may be taken internally, applied directly to the skin, or used in external applications like fomentations. On the downside, tinctures are more costly and tedious to make when compared to drying herbs. Some people also find the alcohol that is usually used to make them to be objectionable.

The menstruum can be varied, and many tinctures are made with either cider vinegar or glycerin and water. Wine is also occasionally used. Aqueous alcohol solutions are generally preferred for two reasons. Many of the most active constituents of plants are alkaloids or resins, and these chemicals are most soluble in alcohol. Non-alcohol extracts may not retain the original balance of these important phyto-chemicals. Secondly, the alcohol itself acts as a disinfectant and preservative, helping to destroy contaminating bacteria and molds. When properly stored, alcohol tinctures will retain their potency for five years or more. Non-alcohol extracts have a shorter shelf-life, and should be used within one or two years.

Commercial tinctures are usually made according to strict proportional standards set in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia (U.S.P.), the National Formulary (N.F.), or in traditional homeopathic formularies. These standards require measuring the moisture content of fresh herbs, and varying the proportion of water and alcohol accordingly to precise tolerances. The percentage of alcohol (proof) in the menstruum also varies for each herb, based on the known solubility of its constituents. Commercial tincturing is an interesting process that attempts to get the most potency from every herb, but it is unnecessarily complex for tinctures that are for home and personal use.

If we consider tincturing as a method of preservations rather than a standardization process, then we can reduce the steps to a very manageable level. Our product will be as safe and effective as the original herb, and it will more closely resemble the tinctures and extracts that have been used since before the time of Galen. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at having prepared these traditional extracts is very gratifying.

Making a Basic Tincture

Materials Required:

  • 4 oz. fresh herb or 2 oz. dried herb
  • 16 oz. 100 Proof Vodka (50% aqueous-alcohol solution)
  • 1 Quart Mason jar with lid

Method:

1. Weigh out the amount of herb required.
2. If fresh herb material is used, it should be very finely chopped or crushed. A food processor makes short work of this task. Dried herbs also need to be reduced as much as possible. A food processor or blender works well for most dry herbs, but very hard material like some roots or barks may require a grain mill or coffee grinder (reserve it for this purpose).
3. Put the finely cut or ground herb into the jar.
4. Measure out the Vodka (Brandy, Rum or other good quality distilled spirits may also be used), and pour it over the herb.
5. Seal the jar and shake to mix thoroughly.
6. Set the jar in a warm place where you will pass it regularly. A sunny window sill or porch railing is ideal. Shake the jar at least twice daily to mix its contents.
7. After two weeks, strain off the liquid through a clean piece of muslin or linen fabric. Squeeze as much of the menstruum as possible out of the herb pulp. If desired, the liquid extract that is recovered can be filtered once more through an unbleached coffee filter paper, but any remaining particles will eventually settle out of the tinctures once it is in bottles.
8. Pour the tinctures into dark amber glass bottles. Fill as completely as possible to eliminate air, and cap tightly. Label the bottles with the herb name, date made, and menstruum used. Store in a cool, dark cabinet until needed.

Many old time herbalists prepared their tinctures according to the phases of the moon; starting the tinctures on the New Moon, and finishing it when the moon is full. Muscle response testing indicates that this lunar support may make a difference, and like chicken soup, it can’t hurt.

Tincture Notes and Recipes:

  • If using glycerin as the menstruum, always use vegetable glycerin, and dilute it with two parts of distilled water. Simmering the mixture at the beginning of the process (as for a decoction) for 15 minutes or so may help extract the plant actives.
  • Cider vinegar (raw) should be at least 5% acidity. Use it undiluted.

Excerpt from The How to Herb Book

Herbs aged in alcohol or apple cider vinegar. Put 4 oz. powdered herb or 8 oz. dried herb to 1 pint apple cider vinegar or alcohol. (Everclear bran 190 proof is a good one.) Shake bottle 2 times daily and allow it to age from 12-14 days. Powdered herbs only take 4 or 5 days. Aging herbs in alcohol extracts more of the properties than does vinegar. It also mixes easier when putting tinctures or extracts in juices. Putting the dosage of alcohol tincture in about 1/4 cup very warm water will dissipate the alcohol. These herbal preparations are easily assimilated and much more concentrated than the herb alone.

Excerpt from Herbal Antibiotics

A tincture is made by immersing a fresh or dried plant in full-strength alcohol or an alcohol and water mixtures. Alcohol is extractive: it pulls all the water out of plants into itself. The resulting tincture is a mix of both water and alcohol. With fresh plants, the liquid tinctures is generally equal to the amount of liquid added at the beginning. With dried plant material, especially roots, the final volume is often much less than what you started with.

Store tinctures in amber jars out of the sun. Alcohol-based tinctures will generally last for many years. Because of the shelf life and ease of dispensing, many herbalists prefer tinctures over capsules and infusions. Tinctures from various herbs can be combined for dispensing as a blend (although a certain few such as myrrh and propolis do not combine well).

Using Fresh Herbs

Fresh leafy plants may be chopped or left whole before placing them into the alcohol or pureed with the alcohol in a blender. Fresh roots should be ground with the alcohol in a blender into a pulpy mush. Fresh plants naturally contain a certain percentage of water. When a tincture is made from fresh plants the plant is placed in 190 proof alcohol (95 percent alcohol): one part plant to two parts alcohol. For example, if you have 3 ounces (85g) (dry measure) of fresh Echinacea flower heads, they would be placed in a jar with 6 ounces (177ml) (liquid measure) of 190 proof alcohol.

I generally use well-sealed Mason jars, store out of the sun, and shake daily. At the end of 2 weeks, decant the herb and squeeze in a cloth until as dry as possible (an herb or wine press is good for this), and store the resulting liquid in labeled amber bottles.

Using Dried Herbs

Plants as they dry lose their natural moisture content. Some plants, like myrrh gum, contain virtually none; others, like mint, contain a great deal. When making a tincture of a dried plant you add back the amount of water that was present in the plant when it was fresh. Many books list the amount of water that should be added back. One good one, and the one I use, is Michael Moore’s Herbal Materia Medica listed in the Resources. Generally dried plants are tinctures at a 5:1 ratio, that is, five parts liquid to one part dried herb. For example, Echinacea root contains 30 percent water by weight. If you have 10 ounces (284g) of powdered Echinacea root you would add to it 50 ounces (1479ml) of liquid (1:5), of which 35 ounces (1035ml) is 95 percent alcohol and 15 ounces (444ml) is water. Again, do not use tap water. Dried herbs are generally powdered as fine as possible, usually in a blender or Vita-mix. It is best to store herbs as whole as possible until they are needed. The tincture is left for 2 weeks and then decanted.

How-To Directions

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