Making tinctures is easy. The basic idea is to put so much of an herb into vodka that it will become a medicine. (A smaller quantity of the herb could be used, in many cases, to produce a flavored vodka.) Read on to see how we make Holy basil tincture on our farm.
We start with cheap vodka of 80 or 100 proof.
We use quart jars and half-gallon jars. To make tinctures on a home scale, you might want to use half-pint jars or baby food jars.
Many recipes call for dried herbs, but that’s largely because dried herbs are easier to purchase in stores. I prefer to tincture fresh herbs.
To tincture fresh leaves or fresh mixed aerial parts (leaves together with flowers, stems, buds, etc) it is generally best to stuff as much plant material into the jar as possible. Roots and dried plant material tend to have higher concentrations of the active compounds, but with fresh leaves, you’ll usually want as much of the herb as you can get into your container.
In this case, we filled our holy basil tincture jar halfway with vodka and then went to the herb garden and stuffed as much freshly cut holy basil into the jar as possible. It was quite a few handfuls of holy basil. This brought the liquid up to near the top of the jar.
I used a spoon to press the topmost holy basil leaves and stems under the alcohol. Then I tasted the tincture. It already tasted like holy basil.
If you’re working with powerful medicinal herbs, it can be important to avoid making your tincture too strong. So I would generally recommend that beginning tincture makers start with very safe herbs. Many of these safe herbs are common in kitchens as well a medicine cabinets. Echinacea, lemon balm, valerian, thyme*****, lavender and plantain, are some examples of very safe herbs. However, be aware that when you make a tincture, a much larger amount of active compounds is extracted and absorbed than when you make a tea or eat a fresh herb.
Holy basil is often used culinarily and as a tea; its has a broad range of benefits including ******** however it does have some contraindications, most prominently for people taking blood thinners, and women trying to conceive.
Taking tinctures is also easy. To take a tincture, put 1-2 dropperfuls in a large spoon or small glass of water and drink. If you have doubts about sure how much is the best amount, you can start with less and then you can work your way up. Consult your doctor or herbalist before adding a tincture to your **********
****General safety of herbal meds*****
*****Dosage; certainty that you have the right thing; why to trust yourself more than a corporation*****
For more information on how to make tinctures, consult The Mountain Rose Herbs guidelines or the Wise Woman Herbal guidelines.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, so is better to use services as Test Country to do drug tests online. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.