Tuesday, January 29, 2013

"What is a Tincture?" Explained

Yarrow, a great herb 
for Women's Health
There are many ways to use herbs for medicinal purposes and one of the is in a tincture.  Other uses include consuming in food, salves, herbal vinegar and herbal oils, teas and even syrup.  I thought I would start with Tinctures because it is quite simple and easy to use.




From squidoo:  What is Menstruum?
Menstruum is general vodka, when making a true herbal tincture. Vinegar can be used, it is safer than alcohol, but is less effective at leaching out the medicinal components of the plant. When tincturing dried herbs, water is mixed with the vodka or alcohol. The ratio of vodka or vinegar to water depends on the plant material being used. For that reason, I always recommend consulting a recipe specifically for the herb being tinctured.

An herbal tincture is simply an herbal extract.  Herbal remedies have been used throughout history to treat illnesses and ailments without "modern medicine" and pharmacueticals.  Tinctures are easy to make, home remedies.  If properly prepared and stored, your tincture will last indefinitely.

I used whole flower Chamomile from Doc's Herbal Tea
You'll need:  A clean jar, vodka or everclear, herb(s), measuring cups and/or scale, labels and cheesecloth or strainer.  If you don't have a strainer you can use a funnel with a coffee filter.

The best way to use liquid herbal tinctures is to put the suggested amount in a glass of water, tea, or juice and drink the entire contents.  You can just consume straight but some tinctures can be a little stout or spicy (like the cayenne).

Single herb tinctures use only 1 herb variety.  Combination tinctures are a blend of specific herbs used for a specific purpose.  I prefer to use homegrown herbs as often as possible.

Helpful Links to learn more about plants and tinctures:


I am currently working on an Allergy tincture.  
I used 1 ounce of  Doc's Allergy Tea from Doc's Herbal Tea.  I'm not at the stage in my life for the "Flashes" Tea but I'll be making up a batch for a friend.  Stay tuned!

11 comments:

Unknown said...

A good friend of mine makes tinctures. When she was 9 months pregnant, she had to buy an industrial sized bottle of vodka at the liquor store. You should have seen the looks she got!

Becky Elmuccio said...

Thanks for explaining the basics on these. They are definitely something I'd like to learn more about. Thanks for linking up with Tuesday Greens!

Tammy Killoough said...

Thank You for spelling that out! I'm not sure I ever really knew the proper term for this...I Love that I learn something every time I'm here! ~Tammy

Becca said...

I always think it's cool how much we can do naturally! Thanks for sharing at A Humble Bumble :)

Sole Searching Mama said...

I am so happy to have found your blog through the MIAD hop! Our family loves everything natural, and this spring we are diving into learning about heirloom seeds and will be planting our own starts this spring! I have been reading "The Heirloom Life Gardener" and love it!

Mary Smith said...

Now that's funny! thanks Shannon!

Mary Smith said...

Thank you for hosting Becky! Stay tuned for more recipes.

Mary Smith said...

thanks for thanks for stopping by Tammy! Lots more coming your way.

Lisa Lynn said...

Thanks for the info! Glad to have you share this on The HomeAcre Hop!!!

Deanna Lyn said...

an other great post! thanks for sharing

Katherines Corner said...

Hugs and Thank you for sharing at the hop :-)