HOW TO MAKE A HERBAL TINCTURE

Learn how to make a herbal tincture at home so you can utilize basic herbal medicine at home to support your health and immune system.

Herbal tinctures are one of the most common ways to internally take herbs. They are a potent form of medicine that uses a liquid base to extract the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from the herb. You can easily purchase single use herbal tinctures or a mixture of herbs to suite your specific purpose.

One of the benefits of making a herbal tincture at home is you get to chose what the tincture base is. When you purchase a tincture at a store, you will most likely purchase an alcohol based tincture. For many herbs, alcohol is great at extracting the medicinal qualities of the herb.

When you make an herbal tincture at home, you can opt for other bases. For children, using glycerin in a tincture is a great choice. Glycerin is sweet, making the herbal tincture more palatable to your children. It also reduces any alcohol exposure to your children. Glycerin is also a great choice to use if you have a sensitivity to alcohol, or have a past history of alcoholism, in which you choose to avoid alcohol.

Vinegar is also a great choice to make a tincture. It can be added to salad dressings, and is a great way to incorporate herbs into your diet with thinking too much about it.

BEFORE YOU START

Making an herbal tincture can be quick and easy. The downside- you cannot use it quickly. It is important to let the herb(s) and the liquid base sit and marinate for 4-6 weeks to fully extract the medicinal qualities from the plant.

It is important when making herbal tinctures to plan accordingly to what you think you might need in the future. For example, if you like to take nettle for spring allergies, make sure you start your nettle tincture 1-2 months prior to when you typically start getting allergy symptoms.

Don’t forget to plan out how much you need it. If you take nettle for 3 months during the spring, make sure that you either make a large enough bottle for 3 months, or repeat the process a few weeks after you make your first tincture. This way, you will have enough supply and not have to wait 4-6 more weeks for another bottle.

MAKING A HERBAL TINCTURE

Below are the instructions to make a herbal tincture. I recommend reading through the instructions fully before making it so you make sure you have everything that you need.

What you’ll need: herbs of choice, clean & dry glass jar (size dependent on amount), liquid base (alcohol, such as vodka or brandy, glycerin or vinegar), strainer, & storage bottle.

Pick out your herbs of choice. You can use a combination of herbs or use a single herb, dry or fresh.
Chop up your herbs well and fill a clean dry glass jar. The goal is to completely fill the jar, so choose the size of the jar according to how much herb you have.
Pour alcohol/glycerine/ vinegar in the glass jar, over the herbs to completely cover them by 1-2 inches. You may need to add more as the weeks go by. You can easily top it off with more.
Place the lid on the glass container and place the jar in a warm sunny spot. This helps the liquid extract the most nutrients out of the herbs.
Shake the bottle daily and let it sit for 4-6 weeks.
After 4-6 weeks, it is time to strain the herb(s). Strain into storing bottle of choice and store in a cool dark spot.
Alcohol based tincture will keep for many years. Glycerine based tincture will last roughly 2-3 years. Vinegar based tinctures will last about 1 year.
Enjoy!

The best way to enjoy your herb tincture is to add it to juice or water, especially if the flavor is strong. You can also enjoy is straight from the bottle.

WHERE TO PURCHASE HERBS

If you are looking for some guidance on where to purchase high-quality herbs, consider visiting Mountain Rose Herbs, your local Natural Grocers, or your local natural health foods stores. You can also grow fresh herbs in your own garden or wild forage if you know what you are looking for.