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Tinctures are one of the most recognizable herbal preparations. They have been made and used for centuries because they are a versatile, practical, long-lasting way to preserve your herb harvest — no electricity required!
So what is a tincture?
In this article, we'll cover the following:
- What is a Tincture?
- The Solvent: Alcohol
- Should I Use Fresh or Dried Herbs?
- Tincturing Methods
- How to Use Your Tinctures
- Tincture Storage Tips
- Read More
Let's get right into it!
What is a Tincture?
Put simply, a tincture is a strained mixture of herbs and alcohol.
In other words, the herb material and alcohol are combined. They steep for a few weeks and are then strained, and that strained liquid is the tincture.
Learn how to make a tincture here.
Tinctures can be made out of any safely usable part of an herb. The Ingestibility section of each of our gardening facts articles discusses which parts of that plant are safe to consume. That section also discusses which parts of the plant are beneficial for use in herbal preparations like tinctures. To learn what the herb:solvent ratio given in those articles means, check out our How to Make a Tincture: Mathematical Method article here.
The Solvent: Alcohol
Tinctures have the longest shelf life of any herbal preparation. They last so long because of the alcohol, which is their solvent, just as water is the solvent in a tea. See the Tincture Storage Tips section below.
Alcohol is an excellent preserver. It also extracts certain constituents (herbal properties and nutrients) that other solvents do not. Some similar herbal preparations that do not use alcohol include herbal vinegars, which we will consider in a future article, and glycerites, which use vegetable glycerin as their solvent. However, vinegar and glycerin each extract different constituents and nutrients than alcohol, and both of these preparations last for a significantly shorter time than true tinctures.
See the Herbal Preparations section of our Further Reading page here for more information on different ways to use and preserve your herbs.
Basically, different preparations use different solvents. Different solvents extract different herbal constituents and nutrients from different plants. Herbs are also beneficial in many culinary preparations such as soups, broths, stirfry, salads, smoothies, and more. They can be included in pickles, sauces, and other canning combinations, so many preservation methods include them or would welcome them as additions.
So there is no one-size-fits-all method of using and preserving your herbs and no perfect solvent that captures all of their nutrients and constituents together. Certain culinary and herbal preparations may work especially well for a particular plant. In that case, they will be mentioned in the simple uses article for that plant.
It is beneficial to try the herbs you grow in a variety of preparations over time. However, since the whole basis of our site is to make things less overwhelming (not more!) for busy gardeners, I recommend trying 1 method at a time, maybe 1 new method per year or per season.
Should I Use Fresh or Dried Herbs for My Tincture?
Herbs can be tinctured fresh or dry.
Some plants are best tinctured fresh such as St. John's wort, plantain, cleavers, and the toothache plant. This is because some of these particular plants' herbal constituents are not well-preserved when the plant is dried.
However, most herbs have a similar nutrient content whether they are fresh or dried. The water content of fresh herbs should be taken into account when calculating which ratio and alcohol percentage to use, although this is more important in the mathematical method than it is in the folk method.
Tincturing Methods
There are 2 main methods of making tinctures — the folk method and the mathematical method.
The folk method is great for home herbalists and gardeners. It does not take individual plants' exact weights and specific alcohol percentages into account. Learn how to make a tincture using the folk method here.
The mathematical method is much more precise. It is commonly used for commercial tincture preparation, where it is more important to have each batch be identical. Learn how to make a tincture using the mathematical method here.
How to Use Your Tinctures
Tinctures are commonly ingested by mixing with juice or water and then drinking.
They can also be squirted or spooned directly into the mouth, but many people find the undiluted taste unpleasant.
Tinctures can be measured by the drop, dropperful, or tablespoon. The amount ingested at a time varies by herb, person, and circumstance.
Tincture Storage Tips
Tinctures are the herbal preparation with the longest storage life. Most tinctures are at their most potent for the first 2 years after straining. However, they last for at least 5 years, with many lasting (and still beneficial) for decades.
However, be on the lookout for any discoloration or other signs that your tincture has gone bad. Inspect your tincture for these things from time to time. It is especially important to do so when the tincture has been stored without use for a while.
Store your tincture in a cool, dry, dark place that is out of direct sunlight. Temperature extremes, excessive humidity, and direct sunlight can all cause the quality of your tincture to degrade. They may even make it spoil prematurely. So proper storage is important.
You may choose to keep your tincture in the jar you strained it into. You can also transfer some or all of it into dropper bottles for convenience. Here is a good example of dropper bottles.
If pouring into dropper bottles, it is best to use a funnel. I personally use these funnels. I like that the spout is small, as this works well for small dropper bottle openings.
Read More
Learn more about tinctures in these articles:
- How to Make a Tincture: Folk Method
- How to Make a Tincture Method: Mathematical Method
- Tincture Basics
And check out these related articles:
- How to Make a Tincture: Mathematical Method
- What is a Tincture?
- Tincture Basics
- How to Make a Hot Herbal Infusion
- How to Make an Herbal Decoction
- How to Make an Herbal Syrup