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| | From:  Fae_Kay (Original Message) | Sent: 2/16/2008 10:05 PM |
Tinctures
Tinctures are preparations made with plant material, whose medicinal qualities have been extracted by an alcoholic solution. The great advantage of a tincture is that it will dissolve resins, gums and oils (which often possess important medicinal qualities) far better than water. Another bonus is that the medicine will be easy to take: a few milliliters or a teaspoon in a little water. If the tincture is made with 30 % alcohol or stronger (and if it is well made) it will keep almost indefinitely.
Commercial tinctures are often made with ethanol, an industrial alcohol exempt from tax for licensees. For making tinctures at home we can use Vodka, Brandy or any other high proof spirit of your choosing.
On the labels of commercially available tinctures you will find a variety of ratio's between the plant material used and the alcoholic liquid, for example 1:3, 1:4 or 1:5 and so on. The reason for this is that some plant materials are more 'fluffy' and therefore take up more volume, so it takes a greater amount of alcohol to cover it. This means that giving recipes for the exact quantity of plant material and alcohol to use have little value, but it is more practical to give you the general rule: Use about 4 ounces (112 grams) of dried herbs (double this amount for fresh plant material), or proceed as below.
In order to make your tinctures as strong as possible, place the finely chopped up plant material (leaves, buds, flowers, berries, bark, roots, etc.) you have collected in a clean jar with a good airtight lid. Large empty coffee jars are good for this purpose. Don't pack the plants so tight that the liquid won't be able to circulate around it. Then cover all with your chosen spirit (Vodka, Brandy, etc.). Close the container and keep in a warm place (windowsill in summer, airing cupboard or near a source of heat such as radiators).
Over the course of 2-4 weeks (depending on temperature and the degree of hardness of the plant-cells, etc.) the cell walls will break down to release their medicinal content into the liquid. Shake the container vigorously every morning and night to promote this process. Finally strain the mix through a clean cloth and wring out all liquid. Put the tincture in a dark bottle (brown or dark green), close the bottle properly and store in a cool place away from sunlight.
N.B. Most commercial herbal tinctures are made with DRIED herbs in a particular ratio of plant material to liquid in order to obtain a product of a reasonably consistent strength. The average dose of most tinctures would be: 5 ml (a British teaspoon) 3 times a day. There are obviously exceptions to this rule, for example with poisonous or dangerous plants, but these should never be used for self-medication.
When we make tinctures at home, it is not always practical to dry the herbs first, so you are able to take twice the normal dosage to make up for the fact that fresh herbs are not as concentrated in medicinal strength as the dried ones (unless you have already made your tincture with roughly 8 oz of fresh plant material per pint, instead of the usual 4 oz of dried material).
Vinegar and Glycerine Tinctures
Tinctures can also be made in the same way, as described above, with vinegar. Always use Apple Cider Vinegar as this is an excellent medicine for all sorts of complaints in its own right. The acetic acid in the vinegar acts as a solvent of the medicinal substances in the plants, as well as a preservative.
Tinctures for tea-totallers and people with a sensitive digestive tract, who cannot take alcohol can be made with vegetable glycerine. The resins, gums and oils in the plants are not as efficiently dissolved in glycerine as in alcohol, but it does a better job than water with these substances.
As with alcoholic tinctures: Use about 4 oz of dried finely chopped or ground plant material to a pint of liquid (half glycerine and half water).
When you use freshly gathered plant material use 8oz and 1 pint of liquid made up from 75% glycerine and 25% water.
The process of making the tincture and dosage is the same as for the alcoholic tinctures described above.
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