Herbs - Preparations, Methods, and Techniques - Tinctures

This technique generally applies to a preparation made by steeping plant material in a mixture of alcohol and water. As tinctures are prepared at room temperature, they require a much longer steeping time than infusions, usually 2 to 3 weeks.

Tinctures have a number of advantages over other herbal preparations. The shelf life is very long -- at least one year and ofen longer. In addition, some plant constituents, such as alkaloids, volatile oils, and alcohol soluble resins are more effectively extracted with this technique. Mixtures of alcohol and water dissolve nearly all relevant plant constituents and act as a preservative as well.

Use 40% alcohol. Vodka works well and has no smell or taste of its own. You may also use any other liquor that has at least a 30% alcohol content.

The general proportions are 1 part herb (by weight) to 5 parts 40% alcohol (by volume). For example, if you have 100g of herb, you would require 500mL of 40% alcohol. This is known as a 1 in 5 dilution (1:5) weight/volume. Dilutions of up to 1 in 10 are acceptable, but 1:5 is the standard.

The herb should be chopped if fresh or cut/ground if dried. Pour alcohol over the herb in a non-reactive container. Cap tightly and place in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks. Shake container twice daily and, if necessary, compress herbs down to keep them covered with the alcohol.

After 2 to 3 weeks, thoroughly strain, press (if possible), or squeeze out the plant residue to obtain as much of the liquid portion (menstrum) as possible. Place liquid portion in a dark bottle, cap, label, and store in a cool, dark place.

A standardized labeling protocol is used for tinctures. If we use the above example, the number series following the name of the herb would read "1:5:40%", meaning "a one in five dilution using 40% alcohol".

If fresh herbs were used, the water concentration within the herb must be accounted for, by determining the moisture content of the herb. First weight the fresh herb, then weigh again when dried. Divide the dry weight by the wet weight and multiply by 100, for a "solids percentage" in the plant. Subtract this value from 100 for a "moisture percentage" in the plant. This percent may now be used to determine the total moisture in your fresh herb lot, giving you the correct concentration of alcohol in your finished tincture.

For example, fresh weight: 60g, dry weight: 20g. Dry weight divided by the fresh weight, multiplied by 100 would be 33% solids in plant. Therefore, moisture content is 67%. This figure will be constant for that specific herb, independent of the quantity you have.

The following example applies the moisture percentage determined above to a known quantity of herb.

Part 1: If the fresh weight is 100g, then 67% (67g) of that is water. Actual solid weight is thus 33g. In a preparation of 500mL 40% alcohol (200mL alcohol and 300mL water), the 100g of herbs adds an additional 67g of water, taking into account the herbs' 67% moisture percentage.

Part 2: If 1g water is approximately 1.0mL, the total additional water is 67mL. This would change your total menstrum volume to 567mL, as opposed to the original calculation of 500mL. Of the 567mL, 200mL is alcohol and 367mL is water. This in turn results in an actual alcohol concentration of 35%. If it is necessary to have a higher alcohol concentration, use a higher percentage of alcohol to begin with in order to maintain your 1:5 dilution. 50% alcohol may be used in this case.

Vinegar may be substitued for alcohol and prepared following the Basic Instructions outlined above. Use either apple cider vinegar or wine vinegars.

As a solvent, glycerine is more effective than water, but not as good as alcohol. Glycerine is milder on the digestive tract, but has the disadvantage of not dissolving resinous or oily material very well.

To Make: To prepare a glycerine-based tincture, use a solution of 250mL gycerine and 250mL water. Add 110g dried, well ground herb. Cover tightly and allow to steep for 2 weeks, shaking daily.

If using fresh herb, use a solution of 400mL glycerine and 100mL water. Add 220g fresh chopped herbs. These quantities accomodate the fresh plant's water content.

NOTE: This is the tincture method of choice for persons with an alcohol intolerance or those who are dealing with an alcohol-related problem.