Making Herbal Tinctures

כ"ט אייר תשס"ט
Annwn 30

To make an herbal tincture:

1. Grind selected herbs with mortar and pestle.
2. Cover completely ground plant material with high quality vodka, grain alcohol or whiskey.
3. Let mixture stand loosely covered for 3 weeks.
4. Add glycerin (optional preservative) in the ratio: 2 tablespoons for every pint of mixture.
5. Dilute with distilled or spring water in the ratio: 90% water, 10% herb-alcohol-glycerin mixture.
6. Strain with filter paper or filter cloth (cheesecloth) into seal-able amber or cobalt blue bottle.

For a stronger tincture, ground herbs may be placed in a cone-shaped piece of parchment paper. Pass the alcohol repeatedly through the herbs in the parchment, catching the slow drippings in a jar. The greater the number of passes, the stronger the tincture.

To dilute or make a water tincture, evaporate the alcohol and add 20-40 drops of the remaining tincture to 1 cup of distilled or spring water.