Making Tinctures

Some herbs have flavors that work well in teas, while others may not suit your palate. Nevertheless, more bitter or astringent herbs may offer beneficial medicinal properties that are more easily imbibed through a tincture. Unlike a tea, you can carry a tincture with you and dose as needed. Tinctures contain more concentrated doses of herbal compounds because alcohol–which actually contains alcohol and water–can extract both water-soluble and alcohol-soluble constituents, including almost everything except fiber and some minerals. Tinctures are one of the most popular forms of herbal medicine and have been used across many cultures for centuries.

Alcohol tinctures are quite easy to make. While you can find lots of information online about the best alcohols to use and the most effective proof or flavor for a given herb, making tinctures doesn’t have to be complicated! An 80-proof vodka or brandy (40 percent alcohol) will work for most herbal tinctures. 100-proof vodka (50 percent alcohol) is ideal for dried herbs, which benefit from the additional water.

While there are recipes for making tinctures with fresh herbs (and some, like St. John’s Wort, work optimally with flowers and leaves that have been freshly harvested), the water content in fresh herbs can expose tinctures to mold and other bacteria. (Higher-proof alcohols will protect against this.) 

When stored correctly–in dark glass containers kept in a cool, dry, dark place–tinctures can last up to 10 years. Over time, you can build your own herbal apothecary!

Recipe for Dried Herbal Tincture 

  • When making a tincture using dried herbs, chop or crumble the herbs into small pieces. You can grind them with a mortar and pestle, or toss in whole flowers. The smaller the herbal matter, the more access for compounds to be extracted. Place the crushed/chopped herbs into a glass jar.

  • The mathematical method: For every 1 ounce of herb (by weight), add 5 ounces of alcohol to the jar. (Do not use ethanol unless it’s diluted with distilled water.)

    OR

    The folk method (*my preferred): Fill the jar about 1/4 – 1/2 with herbal matter, and cover the herb with alcohol to about the shoulder of the jar.

  • Seal the jar and shake the herbs every few days. Leave the jar sitting for at least a month to macerate. (You can certainly leave this for longer, which will increase the extraction.) There is some debate among herbalists about whether to place tinctures in the dark while they are macerating, with some suggesting the sun may degrade the potency of the herbs. Despite this concern, I do place jars near a sunny window for at least a few days to allow the sun to contribute to the tincturing process!

  • When you are ready to strain the herbs, use a fine mesh strainer lined with muslin or cheesecloth. This will allow you to squeeze the last drops from the leaves and flowers. (Crushing them with the back of a spoon through your strainer works too.)

  • If sediment remains, strain a second time through a coffee filter.

  • Store your tincture in a dark glass bottle. Label with the name of the herb and the date you strained it. If stored correctly, your tincture can last up to 10 years! 

How to Dose Tinctures

Tinctures can be taken in combinations, as certain herbs will complement the actions of others. You can make a specific combination tincture by placing more than one herb in the jar to macerate. An example is mullein and marshmallow leaf/flower to assist with seasonal allergies. Or, you can tincture herbs individually and them combine tincture blends when you dose, based on what will support wellness or address an acute illness.

Dosing: The dose for an adult is generally 1/2 tsp. You can lower this to 1/4 tsp for children, or when taking tinctures in combination. For very small children, a dose can be as small as 1-3 drops. Alcohol-based tinctures are considered safe for children because the amount of alcohol in a dose is so minimal. However, you can also evaporate off the alcohol by adding a few drops of boiling water, and then allowing it to cool. This makes tinctures safe even for pets (if they are made from pet-friendly herbs!).

Of course, there are a number of alcohol-free options for giving herbs to children and pets, such as teas, syrups, herbal vinegars, and herbal honeys. 

Tinctures are best applied by dropping the dose under your tongue. Or, they can be added to juice to make them more palatable.

Redosing: Tinctures can be safely re-dosed every few hours, especially if you are using them to combat an acute illness or other health issue and want to provide your body ample support. For example, at the start of a cold or flu, I take tinctures of elderberry, ginger, and echinacea root up to six times per day.

Building an Herbal Apothecary

As you learn more about the actions of herbs, you can build an apothecary of medicinal-strength supplements. While many herbal supplements are available to purchase as capsules and powders, a tincture is minimally-processed and contains only what you’ve put in it. Depending on the herb, an herbal tincture can also be more cost-effective than a store-bought supplement.

When shopping for ingredients to make tinctures, be sure to:

  • Buy only organic herbs.

  • Buy herbs that are as freshly-dried as possible. While dried herbs are optimal, older ones and those ground too fine will have reduced potency.

  • Use the best-quality alcohol you can get your hands on. This might be a good excuse to splurge on an expensive brand.

  • Alternatively, you can save money using grain alcohol (189 proof/94.5 percent alcohol), but will have to dilute with distilled water to get the 40 or 50 percent ratio of alcohol/water required.

Plants and herbs supported the health of our ancestors; they contain vital nutrients that can restore and optimize your well-being today!

Tincture of Marshmallow leaf and Mullein