Herbal Preparations: Tinctures

Tinctures are infusions made with alcohol. In the perfect world, they're made with refluxing or percolating devices that are designed to collect alcohol vapors, but these systems are expensive and you absolutely should not make your own. Professionally manufactured equipment is absolutely required if you're going to make traditional tinctures. Alcohol fumes are explosive, so using anything but the proper equipment is a recipe for disaster. Luckily, there are other ways to create tinctures. These methods can produce a finished product that is almost as good, and they're not going to explode and hurt or even kill someone.

You might be asking why you should use tinctures if they're so difficult and even dangerous to produce. There are a couple reasons you might want to use tinctures, the first being that alcohol extracts plant material that is difficult to extract otherwise. Water works and extracts a lot, but alcohol is an entirely different substance. It just does different things, extracts other properties.

The second reason is actually even more important. Alcohol is a preservative. Herbs left in alcohol will not go rancid nearly as quickly as herbs in water. Even oil isn't as good a preservative as alcohol. So you can make tinctures weeks or even months in advance and still be able to use it when you need it. The downside is alcohol evaporates so much faster, so you absolutely must keep tinctures in a sealed container at all times. Don't leave the lid off or you'll have no tincture left in no time.

To make tinctures, you can't just use any alcohol, so don't run off and buy rubbing alcohol. It doesn't work for making tinctures. Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl, which is poisonous. You can literally kill yourself if you drink it. Even if you're making a tincture for external use, it will just stink. Do don't use isopropyl products, including rubbing alcohol.

You want ethanol for making tinctures. Ethanol is a grain alcohol that can actually be consumed. In fact, we do consume grain alcohols all the time when we partake of certain spirits. So you'll want grain alcohol (ethanol) for your tinctures. Probably the best product for making tinctures is Everclear, which is 190 proof (95% alcohol). It is perfect for tinctures, but it's also restricted in some areas so it might be difficult to find and obtain. If you can't get it, look for a 140 proof (70% alcohol) vodka. Stronger is better, but this will do. You can even use Bacardi 151 or another comparable vodka, but it will end up smelling like vodka in the end. The stronger alcohol will result in a finished product that doesn't smell quite so strongly of...well, alcohol.

A simple tincture doesn't make as much work as you might think. Start by grinding your herbs into a powder. They need to be as pulverized as possible. If you're not great at this step, consider purchasing your herbs already ground up to make the entire process a little easier. Measure out the plant material, then place in a container that seals completely. You don't want evaporation happening when you're not around, so there should be no vents in the container.

Add alcohol, but measure carefully. A proper tincture will have twice the amount of alcohol as plant material. If you added 1 cup of powdered plant material, you should add 2 cups of alcohol. You probably aren't making that much tincture at a time, but you get the idea. Put the lid on the container and shake hard, but only for a few seconds. It's alcohol, fumes are building up as you shake it. Shake for less than 10 seconds.

Take the lid off the container and let the tincture rest for about 10 minutes. This allows the gases that built up when you shook the mixture to be released. It's not always a necessary step, but it is a safe one. So let the mixture rest. Put the lid on securely.

Repeat this process three times a day for at least 2 weeks. 3 weeks is better. When you've done this, strain the tincture through several layers of cheesecloth to remove the plant material. Discard the cheesecloth. To test your tincture, place 2 drops on the inside of your wrist and wait for the alcohol to evaporate. If your wrist now smells of the plant material, your tincture is ready.

If you can't smell the plants you used, you have two options. Either add more plant material and repeat the process for another 2 or 3 weeks, or allow some of the alcohol to evaporate. This will strengthen the ratio of plant to alcohol in the tincture. Either way, you'll need a little time to adjust the material.

Using tinctures for their scent is very much like using a perfume. You apply it to the warm parts of your body and let the alcohol evaporate. When it does, you are left with a pleasant scent. So you can use the tincture method to create your own perfumes, if you like. Your perfumes will be personal and special, and they're not difficult to make.

Herbal Preparations: Teas

Whenever someone think about using herbs in a medicinal way, they think of teas. Always teas. They're familiar and comforting. They're also so easy to make that a child could so it with a little instruction. The very best way to make a tea is to bring the water to a boil, allow the boiling to come to a stop, and pour the hot water over the plant material into a cup or container of some kind. The water should be very hot, almost boiling hot, but not quite. You don't want to scald the herbs. Just steep them. 

For the very best results, actively boiling water should not come into contact with metal. This means you shouldn't use a teapot or kettle with a metal lining, but you can use a kettle that has a ceramic lining. Many kettles these days have exactly that, so check before purchasing a kettle. Boiling water that has had contact with metal will produce an inferior tea, but you can absolutely use a metal strainer or tea ball for steeping the tea. This is one of the reasons you allow the boiling water to rest for a minute.

There are several different ways to make your teas. One popular way is to place the plant material directly into the teapot. No strainer, no bagging. Just right in the teapot. Boil the water in a kettle, allow the water to rest a moment so the boiling stops, then pour the water directly over the plant material. Allow the tea to steep for several minutes. This is a very beautiful way to make tea, especially if you're using a clear teapot. You can watch the plant material swirl as the tea deepens in color. When the tea is ready, simply pour it through a strainer into a cup and drink.

There are, of course, other ways to make your teas. You can bag your plant material using clean organza bags or even buy grocery store teas. Perhaps you like to use the tea balls that cage the plant material inside them. These spoons are only designed to make a single cup of tea, but that can be handy if you only need a single cup of tea. There are also cups that come with strainers. These are yet another way to enjoy only one cup.

Another great way to make teas is using a French press. You can get them almost anywhere now and they are quite useful if you're going to start making teas as herbal preparations. A French press is basically a small glass pitcher with a top. This top features a type of plunger with a screen. It's easy enough to use and they often come with instructions, but basically you place the plant material in the pitcher and top with hot water. Place the lid in place, making absolutely sure the plunger is above the plant material. This is important. Allow the tea to steep for as long as you like. Like other tea preparation methods, the longer you let it sit the stronger the tea will be. When you're ready, push down on the plunger. This will force the plant material into the bottom of the pitcher, trapping it. Pour the tea into a cup and enjoy. It takes about the same amount of time as a more traditional way of preparing tea, so consider investing in a French press if you're interested in making tea frequently.

Tea bags work, of course, as do tea balls. Tea bags can be purchased empty, but you won't save any money that way. They cost the same as they do if they're already filled and they have to be thrown out after one use. If you're only planning on using herbs that already come in teas, you can save yourself some trouble and use tea bags from the grocery store. They have peppermint tea, chamomile tea and several other types that might be useful. As long as they contain the real herb and nothing but the real herb, they'll do just fine. If you want to make your own tea bags, you can buy small organza bags made for just this purpose. These can be cleaned, if you like, and reused. 

Tea balls work just as well. Place the plant material in the cage, close the cage, and let it steep. If you're going to use a tea ball, spend a little more and get a stainless steel one. Get a good one. Cheap ones don't seal well and will leave you with plant matter floating in your tea. Not great.

There's another way to turn your herbs into teas, one that takes a little time but gives you an extraordinary product and requires no boiling of water. Sun tea is a marvelous thing that has been used for centuries to create teas and concoctions used to heal people. It's simple to make and tastes quite delicious when served over ice.

Start with the right ratios. In general, you'll want about 2 ounces of plant material for every 2 quarts of water. If you want it more flavorful, add more plant material. You can really add as much as you like as long as you like the taste. Place the plant material and the water in a clear glass or BPA-free plastic container. Put the lid on and make sure there's just a little ventilation. You can leave the lid askew a bit if you like. Just make sure air can move a little bit. Just a little.

Set the container in the sun for at least one full day. This means you won't be drinking the tea until at least 24 hours after you start making it, so take this into account before you start. You may wish to leave the tea for longer. When the tea is ready, pour it through a strainer. For best results, serve over ice. It sounds like a lot of work, but sun tea is delicious. Give it a try. You may find yourself abandoning the kettle for a pitcher in no time.

It's the ingredients in your tea that give it the magickal and medicinal properties, so choose your ingredients with care. And remember that not all herbs are meant to be taken internally. Research carefully before making your own teas.