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Herbal tinctures are one of the most basic ways of making plant medicine and are easy to make. Here's what you'll need.
Your fresh or dried herb of choice
80 proof vodka(the cheaper the better I say)
A pint to quart sized mason jar
Something to filter the tincture with (cheesecloth, clean t-shirt, ect)
If using fresh herbs, chop finely and fill your jar with them. If using dried, crumble or chop the herbs and fill your jar half full.
Cover the herbs to the top with your vodka, cover and give them a good shake. Add more vodka to fill the jar if needed.
Cap the jar, label it and place it in a dark place for 6 weeks, shaking it as often as you can think of it.
At the end of six weeks, drain the tincture through your filter into a clean jar and squeeze every drop you can out of the herbs. You can compost what's left of the herb at this point.
Wait a few days for the sediment to gather at the bottom of your new jar, drain the fluid off to the point of the sediment and throw the sediment out.
It is best to store tinctures in brown/amber bottles but these are not cheap so glass baby food jars, half pint masons or any other tightly sealed glass jar will work if you keep it out of sunlight. Tinctures will keep for over 50 years if stored properly.
To summarize, any herb can be made into a tincture. Use the cheapest vodka 80 proof vodka you can find, we are not going to taste here. Rum can also be used so long as it is clear and 80 proof or higher. For those concerned about alcohol consumption, when we discuss dosing, you'll see that you will be using very little of the tincture at one time and I have yet to meet a tincture that tasted good enough to be tempting to little ones.
I will later post a selection of some plant tinctures that everyone should have on hand and doseage information.
Your fresh or dried herb of choice
80 proof vodka(the cheaper the better I say)
A pint to quart sized mason jar
Something to filter the tincture with (cheesecloth, clean t-shirt, ect)
If using fresh herbs, chop finely and fill your jar with them. If using dried, crumble or chop the herbs and fill your jar half full.
Cover the herbs to the top with your vodka, cover and give them a good shake. Add more vodka to fill the jar if needed.
Cap the jar, label it and place it in a dark place for 6 weeks, shaking it as often as you can think of it.
At the end of six weeks, drain the tincture through your filter into a clean jar and squeeze every drop you can out of the herbs. You can compost what's left of the herb at this point.
Wait a few days for the sediment to gather at the bottom of your new jar, drain the fluid off to the point of the sediment and throw the sediment out.
It is best to store tinctures in brown/amber bottles but these are not cheap so glass baby food jars, half pint masons or any other tightly sealed glass jar will work if you keep it out of sunlight. Tinctures will keep for over 50 years if stored properly.
To summarize, any herb can be made into a tincture. Use the cheapest vodka 80 proof vodka you can find, we are not going to taste here. Rum can also be used so long as it is clear and 80 proof or higher. For those concerned about alcohol consumption, when we discuss dosing, you'll see that you will be using very little of the tincture at one time and I have yet to meet a tincture that tasted good enough to be tempting to little ones.
I will later post a selection of some plant tinctures that everyone should have on hand and doseage information.
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