What if I told you that you could heal your family naturally and save money at the same time? Making your own tincture may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. If you follow these 6 easy steps to make an herbal tincture you will see how simple it really is.
Have you ever walked down the aisle at a health store? Tinctures are not cheap, the price is enough to scare any frugal gal away. Tinctures don’t have to be that expensive. In fact when you make your own the price you would pay for one 4-oz bottle is about the same price you will pay for a quart or more of a tincture.
Supply List
- Herbs (My favorite stores to buy herbs are Bulk Herb Store and Mountain Rose Herbs)
- Mason Jar
- Vodka
- Cheese Cloth or Flour Sack Towel
- Small Glass Bottles with Droppers
1. Find Your Vodka
I try to stick with a 80-100 proof vodka.
2. Select and Add Your Herbs to a Jar
Mason jars are awesome, need I say more? Select the size jar you want to use. I use a quart or 1/2 gallon jar for most of my tinctures.
Fresh Herbs:
- Bruise (crush) gently
- Fill your jar 2/3 of the way full
Dried Soft Herbs:
- Fill Your Jar 1/3 full
Dried Hard Herbs:
- Fill your jar 1/2 full
3. Cover with Vodka
Pour vodka over the herbs. If needed use a knife or the end of a spoon to remove the air bubbles from the jar. Screw on the lid.
4. Store in a dark place
It is important to store your tincture out of the sun light so that it does not expose your tincture to the sun, depleting the potency. A cupboard that you open once a day is a good place to store your tincture.
This will insure that you remember to shake the jar at least once a day. (Let me be honest though, some times I forget for longer than that.)
5. Strain the tincture
Cheese cloth, a thin, tightly woven towel or shirt is important when staining a tincture. Place your cloth over a large bowl. Pour a small portion of the tincture through the cloth. Bring the cloth together and squeeze all the liquid out that you can. (Optionally you can use a very fine mess strainer and press the liquid out or a french press.)
Toss the herbs or compost them. Repeat the process until all of your tincture has been strained.
6. Select your storage containers
I tend to store most of my tinctures in quart sized mason jars. I use a small funnel to pour into small amber or colbolt glass bottle for use. I prefer bottles that have droppers for ease of use. You can use bottles with a screw on lid and pour the tincture into a spoon.
Once you try these simple steps you will have a strong foundation for creating any tincture you want! You will never want to buy one at the store again!
Tincture Recipes
- Cramp Tincture
- Heavy Bleeding Tincture
- Cramp Tincture #2
- Allergy Tincture
- Immunity Boosting Tincture
Where can I find out what herbs are good for tinctures what they are good for and dosages?
That’s where part of the fun comes in, the sky is the limit when it comes to making tinctures. Think of your favourite tincture you may already have on hand. You can buy those herbs and then research how much to use of each one. Or if you follow the links in the post to Bulk Herb Store you will find premade mixes that you can use to make tinctures. I have a few tincture recipes on the blog that I will link in this post. Those recipes have suggested dosages.