Here are some troubleshooting tips for that perennial problem: the herbs in your carefully calculated tincture won't stay under the alcohol.
Keeping Tinctured Herbs Submerged
Solubility in Medicine Making
Solubility: The Basics Something is soluble if it dissolves in a particular liquid: picture stirring sugar into hot tea (soluble) versus cold water (not). Many plant compounds that we use for medicine have to dissolve in the water/alcohol/honey/oil/etc. for medicine to be a thing. Many plant constituents are polar, meaning they have a positive side … Continue reading Solubility in Medicine Making
Echinacea Tinctures From Your Garden
This article appeared in the fall issue of Green Living Journal. It is a very basic explanation of tincture making. For a more in-depth exploration, please see the article Making Weight-to-Volume Tinctures. Throughout New England, gardeners treat themselves to the charming long-season blooms of echinacea, or purple coneflower as the ornamental cultivars are sometimes known. Folks … Continue reading Echinacea Tinctures From Your Garden
Nettles, Burdock, & How to Make Tinctures That Actually Work and Don’t Taste Like Death
This is an excerpt of a longer article originally published in Country Grind Quarterly about spring tonics and tincture-making. Much more info here about making weight-to-volume tinctures, and some gems here on troubleshooting tinctures. If you're in Vermont, come to the tincture-making class in June! Info here. Spring is the time to start making your own herbal medicine, or get … Continue reading Nettles, Burdock, & How to Make Tinctures That Actually Work and Don’t Taste Like Death
Milky Oats Tincture: What’s the Secret?
It seems like folks have a hard time making a really good milky oats tincture. When I teach advanced tincture making, we always discuss past "failures" or at least tinctures that didn't turn out how students expected, since there is more space to learn from our mistakes than from easy successes. Milky Oats is one that comes up often (along with … Continue reading Milky Oats Tincture: What’s the Secret?
Making Weight-to-Volume Tinctures
Let's break down the art of tincture making! Tincture ratios, percents, solubility, and all the rest of it. First, Some Basics Weight-to-volume tinctures are made by carefully considering two aspects of balance: the balance between the weight of the marc and the volume of menstruum, and the balance of alcohol and water in the menstruum. … Continue reading Making Weight-to-Volume Tinctures
Folkloric Tinctures and Infused Vinegars
From an accessibility standpoint, folkloric tinctures are the best thing ever. There's no need for measuring and weighing and doing arithmetic--and you don't have to study the intricacies of weight-to-volume tinctures to make something truly fabulous. Provided the plants you're tincturing aren't poisonous in any dose, you're good to let your kitchen scale gather dust … Continue reading Folkloric Tinctures and Infused Vinegars
Old Ways Herbal: Juliette Abigail Carr 