Herbal tinctures are also known as herbal extractions. They are made by using 25% alcohol and water as the mixing solution. They are generally single herbs tinctures rather than multiple compounds. Normally, if a tincture is going to be made into a compound mixture, the individual herbal tinctures are prepared separately and then the selected tinctures are blended together.
Commercial tinctures usually use ethyl alcohol; whereas, home made tinctures are mostly made from vodka. Extracts are more concentrated than tinctures in reality because in the process of making the tincture some of the alcohol is actually filtered or distilled off. Typically a tincture will be 1:10 concentration (or 10 units of extract come from 1 unit of herbs), while the fluid extract is 1:1. When an extract is made into a powdered form they are even stronger in nature as all of the solvent has been completely removed in the drying process. Some are up to 4 times as strong as the fluid extract and up to 40 times stronger than the tincture.
Before explaining the directions to make a home made tincture it is important to note that homeopathic liquid formulas are not the same as a herbal tincture. In fact the usage of each is vastly different.
A simple extraction can be made by placing approximately four ounces of a dried chopped herb or 8 ounces of a fresh herb into a quart canning jar and pouring one pint of 100 proof vodka over the herb. Close the jar and place in a warm environment, shaking the jar twice a day for about three weeks. Decant the liquid into a bowl and pour through cheesecloth straining the liquid several times to obtain a clearer extract. Pour the extract into a dark glass bottle and seal tightly in a dark location. An extraction made using these directions will keep for several years.
There are other common mediums for extracting herbal properties for therapeutic use including wine, apple cider vinegar and vegetable glycerine's. Alcohol however releases the widest variety of essential herbal elements in an unchanged form and the preferred method. Alcohol also has a long term preservative property which works well for tinctures. If alcohol is not desired, prepare with the vodka but prior to drinking place 1/30 ounce of the tincture in a glass of warm water for about 5 minutes. This will allow the alcohol to evaporate before drinking
Commercial tinctures usually use ethyl alcohol; whereas, home made tinctures are mostly made from vodka. Extracts are more concentrated than tinctures in reality because in the process of making the tincture some of the alcohol is actually filtered or distilled off. Typically a tincture will be 1:10 concentration (or 10 units of extract come from 1 unit of herbs), while the fluid extract is 1:1. When an extract is made into a powdered form they are even stronger in nature as all of the solvent has been completely removed in the drying process. Some are up to 4 times as strong as the fluid extract and up to 40 times stronger than the tincture.
Before explaining the directions to make a home made tincture it is important to note that homeopathic liquid formulas are not the same as a herbal tincture. In fact the usage of each is vastly different.
A simple extraction can be made by placing approximately four ounces of a dried chopped herb or 8 ounces of a fresh herb into a quart canning jar and pouring one pint of 100 proof vodka over the herb. Close the jar and place in a warm environment, shaking the jar twice a day for about three weeks. Decant the liquid into a bowl and pour through cheesecloth straining the liquid several times to obtain a clearer extract. Pour the extract into a dark glass bottle and seal tightly in a dark location. An extraction made using these directions will keep for several years.
There are other common mediums for extracting herbal properties for therapeutic use including wine, apple cider vinegar and vegetable glycerine's. Alcohol however releases the widest variety of essential herbal elements in an unchanged form and the preferred method. Alcohol also has a long term preservative property which works well for tinctures. If alcohol is not desired, prepare with the vodka but prior to drinking place 1/30 ounce of the tincture in a glass of warm water for about 5 minutes. This will allow the alcohol to evaporate before drinking
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