Homemade Herbal Tinctures

I have been reading a lot about growing and using medicinal herbs.  This past fall I decided to try making my own tinctures.  There are many different kinds of recipes out there for different purposes.  The beauty about one herb is that is has a number of properties to help with different kinds of issues.  As a member of the LDS faith I often reflect upon the word of wisdom given to Joseph Smith in 1833.  D&C 89: 10-11 says;

"10. And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature and use of man - 11. Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving".

There are many recipes and combinations you can find out there.  I suggest you do your own research and make your own recipes to fit your needs!  I highly recommend a book by Rosemary Gladstar called, "Medicinal Herbs for Beginners". It is an excellent and easy to follow step by step book!

Here are the steps I took to make my own tinctures.  There are some I have made with vegetable glycerin and water and others I have made with an 80 proof vodka.  The reason why I made some with the vodka is for long tern storage purposes.  Vegetable glycerin tinctures will last for 2-3 years only.

After you have "marinated" the herbs in either a 80-100 proof alcohol or vegetable glycerin for 6-8 weeks it is ready to be put into it's storage containers.  The tinctures must be stored in dark amber bottles.  Go to http://www.industrialcontainer.com/  for an excellent source of all your container needs!  First thing that you must do is sanitize all equipment with hydrogen peroxide and then strain the herbs through a mesh strainer.

Place a cheese cloth on top of another bowl and strain again.  

Pour the strained tincture into an amber bottle for storage through a funnel.

I use blue painters tape to label my tinctures.  It's easy and cheap and I can stick the tape from one bottle to the other when I need to.  I recommend different sizes for different needs.  Rosemary Gladstar also has a great chart in her book for dosages with droppers and teaspoons.  Store in a dark, dry, cool place.