How To Make An Herbal Tincture

Tinctures are simple and fun to make. Basically, the process of making a tincture involves extracting the virtues of the plant into an alcohol solution, simultaneously making and preserving the medicine. Tinctures are often convenient where time constraints or bitter tastes hinder the use of a tea. People often use tinctures for pets, for children, when traveling, or when bedridden.

Different herbalists may suggest slightly different dosages for various tinctures, but one standard dosage for simple herbs that many follow is: 1 to 2 drops of 20 percent alcohol herb tincture for every 5 pounds of body weight, placed in an 8 oz. cup of water.

Materials 

• Pint-size glass jar and tight-fitting lid
• About 2 cups fresh plant material of your choice (should fill jar leaving one inch of headroom)
• 2 cups 80-proof vodka, brandy, or rum

Directions

Clean and sort through your freshly gathered plants. Discard any yellow, moldy, damaged, or rotten parts. Separate out the parts you will be tinturing-flowers, leaves, or other parts. Wash off muddy roots. You may chop the herbs to help open the cell walls to the alcohol. This speeds up the process, which is useful if you want to start using the tincture in one to two weeks.

Fill the glass jar with the plant material, leaving about 1 inch for 

headroom.

 

Completely cover the herb with vodka, brandy, or rum. Insert a butter knife into the jar and run it around the inside the jar to release any trapped air bubbles. Add more alcohol to cover. Put on the lid and shake vigorously for about 1 minute.

 

 

 

Label and date each tincture. If you have room on the label, not what the weather and seasonal conditions were when you gathered the herbs. This will help you identify and track the best gathering times for various herbs.
Place the jar in a dark place and let it sit for 3 to 6 weeks. Shake periodically, and check to make sure that the plant material remains covered with alcohol. Add alcohol as needed.

 

 

After 3 to 6 weeks have passed and the plant material looks pale, limp, and spent, strain and press the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth into a glass or stainless steel bowl or pitcher, leaving the plant material behind in the jar or on the cheesecloth.
Once you've poured out all the liquid, spoon out all the herbs onto the cheesecloth. Wrap the cheesecloth around the herbs, hold over the bowl or pitcher, and wring out any additional tincture.
 

Using a funnel, if desired, pour the tincture into a glass bottle of the appropriate size. Label, date, and store the bottle in a cool dark place.

If you don't get to the last three steps, that's okay. The alcohol will keep the plant preserved until you are ready to bottle.

Enjoy!

Here is a Skin Wash tincture recipe that may come in handy.

This is for external use only and can be made with rubbing or isopropyl alcohol, or with vinegar. Dilute to the standard dose with water and use as a topical application. Good for all manner of skin parasites, fungi, poison ivy rashes, impetigo, or other irritated, wet, itchy skin conditions.

• 2 parts black or white walnut leaf (antifungal and antiseptic)
• 1 part rose leaf (astringent)
• 1 part St. John's-wort blossom (promotes rapid healing)
• 1 part thyme leaf (antiseptic)