Tinctures

Tinctures are made with alcohol and herbs. The alcohol is used to extract the constituents of the herbs into an ingestible form. In other words, so you can get the healing qualities of the herbs by swallowing it.

When I create tinctures, I like to make what we call "simples." By that what I mean is that it is one herb only rather than a formula of multiple herbs. That way, if I want a formula, I can mix the tinctures instead of trying to mix the herbs first.

I found out a while ago that if I use my standard pint size jar to make a tincture, that I end up with way too much, so I have started to use a small 4 oz jar to make them. I find that limiting my batch size like that works better for me.

There are a lot of folks who talk about specific ratios of herb to alcohol at certain strengths of alcohol (sometimes called "proof"). I know that this is a more scientific approach to making them, but I feel that there are other variables that I cannot control, that it is more bother than useful. If I were selling my mixes I would be more attentive to these things, but since I only make these for my personal use, I have found that the simpler way works for me.

My method goes like this:

1. Fill the jar (whatever size you like) 3/4 full of the dried herb.

2. Pour Everclear (95 percent alcohol) over the herb and fill just to the top of the herbs.

3. Top the jar off with 40% vodka (80 proof) to the top of the jar.

4. Cap it and shake.

5. Next day the herbs will have absorbed a lot of the alcohol, so I top off with water.

6. This is effectively a 60 - 65 % alcohol which is reasonable for releasing most of the constituents of the herbs.

7. I set it on a counter where I can remember to give it a shake every day for the next 6 weeks. I put a reminder on my cell phone calendar for the date that it is done.

8. After the six weeks, I strain the mix through a wire strainer and cheesecloth. This allows me to squeeze the cheesecloth to get as much out of the herbs as I can.

9. I put this final product into dropper bottles, so that I can give myself a few drops each day.

10. Lable the droppers so I remember what they are.

Tinctures are very concentrated, and it only takes a few drops each day for most of them to be effective.