Tinctures have become very popular but they are very easy to make yourself. This skill comes in handy for anyone looking into getting more comfortable in using certain herbs for yourself or your family.
What is a tincture?
Tinctures are made by steeling plant parts or mushrooms in alcohol for 4-8 weeks (longer for medicinal mushrooms) before you filter off the plant material. You will be left with a liquid that contains certain ingredients of the plant which can be used for medicinal purposes.
If you do not like to use alcohol there is a way to use vinegar or glycerin but alcohol is considered the best way because it acts as a universal solvent meaning it’s able to get the essential oils from herbs, roots of herbs and medicinal mushrooms.
Another benefit to using alcohol over glycerin or vinegar is because it will last longer!
There is little possibility for the tincture to go bad because alcohol is fatal to any microorganism.
The biggest issue I’ve seen with alcohol tinctures is them evaporating and to avoid that from happening always use well sealed amber colored bottles when storing your tinctures.
Benefits
If you’re using a tincture then it becomes easier and faster for your body to absorb the healing compounds of a plant, especially in an alcohol tincture.
This is mainly because the tincture starts absorbing through the stomach wall or your mouth when taken orally.
So instead of being digested like the food you eat, it goes directly into your bloodstream.
On top of all that, the medicinal properties you find in a tincture because it is concentrated, makes tinctures more potent than other remedies.
Different methods
There are two different ways to make a tincture the first we just went through with the alcohol or glycerin base and the second is a method that’s a double extraction.
This means that it is a combination of a tincture and a decoction.
It uses both alcohol and water to extract different properties of a plant.
This method is popularly used with medicinal mushrooms and lichens because some beneficial properties in these plants are water soluble and others alcohol soluble.
How to Make a Tincture
I’m choosing a fairly easy plant you can find or grow yourself, dandelion root. Most people know it as a weed but it has great medicinal properties and I like to have it on hand for springtime for a liver detox.
It’s important to know what you’re putting into your tincture.
Make sure you do not harvest something that has been sprayed with chemicals and also when out in the wild harvesting make sure you leave a plan with at least 2 leaves from the stem to make sure it keeps growing.
The best way to harvest a plant is to grow it yourself in your own garden so you know what you are getting from your tincture.
Let’s start with a simple tincture…
Dandelion Root Tincture
Ingredients & supplies
- 80-proof alcohol (Vodka)
- Dried Dandelion Root
- Glass jar
- Wooden Spoon
- Dark Glass Dropper
- Label
- Pen
You’ll need 80-proof alcohol or 40%. Like I mentioned before you can use apple cider vinegar or glycine but remember that the finished product won’t last as long and it won’t be as potent. I like to use vodka because it’s easy to find and it’s tasteless but you can use other alcohol like whiskey or rum.
Directions:
- Fill half of a glass jar with dried dandelion root. You can use fresh ones, but you’ll double the amount.
- Add the alcohol until you have about half an inch left in the jar, and stir well.
- Close the lid and store it in a cool and dark place for about 4-6 weeks.
- At the end of the month, strain and put the tincture in a dark glass bottle. If you also have a dropper, that would be perfect, it will be more convenient to use.
- Label it and you can start using it. Some herbs do need a longer time for the base to extract all the medicinal compounds, some 8 weeks or even longer.
Immuno-Shield Mushroom Extract
As the name suggests, this double extraction type of tincture will shield your body from harm. A double extraction is a combination of a tincture and a decoction. And it’s widely used for mushrooms, lichens, and roots.
I wanted to share how to make it with one of the most potent medicinal mushrooms out there which thankfully grows in many places, Turkey Tail.
You will need:
- 2 oz. or more of dried Turkey Tail
- 6 oz. of 80-proof alcohol
- 4 oz. of distilled water
- Canning Jar
- Wooden Spoon
- A ceramic or glass pot
- Strainer
Instructions:
Making the tincture
- Fill a canning jar half-full with your diced dried mushrooms
- Fill it to about half an inch of the top with alcohol.
- Stir and cap it, and shake it every day for about 2 months.
- Strain out the alcohol and set it aside.
Making the decoction
- Put 4 oz. of water into a ceramic or glass pot with a lid.
- Add the turkey tails left from the first step.
- Cover and simmer the mixture until half of the water has boiled off. This will take a few hours and if you see the water level dropping too quickly, add more so that you can continue simmering your mushrooms. The end result should be 2 oz. of your decoction.
- Allow the water to cool, and then strain out the mushrooms.
- Mix the water and alcohol – you should have about 6 oz. of alcohol tincture and 2 oz. of your mushroom decoction- together to create the finished double-extraction. For future reference, note that it’s about a 3:1 ratio of finished mushroom alcohol tincture to mushroom decoction.
Because of the high alcohol content, it will be shelf-stable for many years, if you store it in a sealed container, in a dark cool place.
Dosing Sheet (for adults and kids)
Take about 2 dropperfuls per day for an adult person. If you’re actively trying to get rid of a cold, you can take it about 5 times a day. If you’re using it for prevention or for a chronic issue, I suggest you take it once or twice a day.
For children that are 10 yrs and up the dosage is about one-quarter to one-third of the recommended adult dose, depending on the weight of the child.
If you prefer, you can mix the tincture with water if you feel the taste is too strong for you. This will not affect the quality of the tincture in any way, though it’s absorbed better if taken orally, like this.
How long do they last?
An alcohol-based tincture will last up to 7 years. But if you store it properly, that is in a dark and cool place, it can last even longer.
The ones made with glycerin last around 2 to 3 years, also in a dark, cool place. And the vinegar-based ones last about a year, and you should also refrigerate them, especially if you live somewhere warm.
As always there are interactions with certain herbs and mushrooms and medications and also health conditions so please check with your doctor if you’re thinking about adding one to the mix or reach out to me for a consultation.
May God keep you and protect you.
