How to make a Tincture

Tincture making is incredibly simple and is a great way to make the most of your herbs! Not only does if increase the shelflife of your herbs by capturing their potency ~ they last for years and cost pennies on the dollar. Tinctures are more efficient than taking pills/capsules because they don't have to be broken down by the body like whole herbs, and you can get all the benefits you might get from a handful of whole herb in just 1 teaspoon once a day!

To make your tincture you will need: alcohol (in my experience, it does'nt matter whether it's cheap or expensive, so long as it's CLEAR ~ vodka being the substance of choice for most ~ though I have used everclear before, which gets a little pricey (you can usually get more for your money going with a big ol' gallon bottle of vodka than a regular 5th of everclear) ~ ~ you will also need your container, some folks like to make a lot of tincture at a time, and i think this is a great way to go especially if you harvest your own and will be using fresh (dried herbs take up a lot of space on your shelf and if you won't be using them relatively soon, they can and will lose much of their original potency!) Keep in mind that if you make, say a gallon of tincture, this is obviousy WAY too much for one household to consume in a few years time (depending on how big your household is, i suppose!), but your tinc will keep for a very long time (some say no longer than 2 years, but I know expereinced herbalists that have had jars of tinc sitting in their cupboard for almost a decade!) plus, this gives you the opportunity to share with others :D  ~

If you're going to work with fresh herb, fill your jar generously, about 3 quarters full (don't pack too tight, as you could break the jar!) ~ if working with dried, fill about half full ~ pour liquid in slowly, allowing the alcohol to steep into the herb ~ fill liquid up the just above the shoulder of the jar, not too full, but not leaving enough room for the herb to "bob", so to speak ~ ~ tinctures are best if let to stand for about 6 weeks or longer in a cool, dry, dark place ~ General tincture dosage is 1 teaspoon (about 40 drops) into a beverage of choice once a day (placed in a hot drink, alcohol content will evaporate, eliminating the chances of getting "buzzed" :)   ~