Home-made tinctures

[myakka]

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I am working on resurrecting some of my old lost knowledge from a long time ago when I was managing a health food store, and ate slept and breathed natural remedies for all life's ailments.

I figure to start offering some general information, but like all disclaimers let me first say
"I am not a doctor, anything I write please check with your doctor before you try it. Just because it works for everyone else doesn't mean that you are not ALLERGIC to it, so please proceed with caution." Also, the things I will write about are my opinion and the opinion of the folks who's books I read, or from conversations I have had or things I have tried. There might be other things you can do too.

That being said:

How to make alcohol tinctures. This is fairly simple if you know which part of the plant has the good stuff in it.

1. start with the highest grain, strongest alcohol you can get. Absolute, moonshine, anything that is flamable is the idea.

2. in a glass milk bottle, place the appropriate part of the plant (stem, leaves, roots) then cover with alcohol up to the narrowing of the neck of the bottle.

3. allow the uncovered bottle to sit for 48-72 hours up to three weeks depending on the herb.

The evaporation of the alcohol will leech the chemicals out of your plant.
For most plants you then place the fluid into a DARK bottle and cap. Store in a cool dry place. This tincture should be good for up to 3 months depending on what plant it is.

This is the process as I remember it. I have ordered a couple of books that I used to swear by, and will ammend or correct this post if I find something that I misremembered.

I will try to do a few posts on specific plants and what they are commonly used to treat.

If this is an area of expertise for you and you have a differing opinion please speak up. No ego here. I want to start the discussion, not act like I know everything. Thanks!

[myakka]

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I should have mentioned this, but maybe it deserves it's own post.

Not everything is best in tincture. Some plants need to be boiled to get at the good stuff.

Some folks will heat their tinctures to get a stronger yeild, but this can also change the chemical make up of the plant, and actually do just the opposite.

[RICHFL]

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Can always use good info for at home medical supplies. I did hear just 2 days ago that high grain alcohol is good to kill toenail fungus. If so I will give it a try later this week.

If it does not cure me on the outside maybe I have to drink it to cure it from the inside!

[myakka]

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Black walnuts in a tincture have been used for a TOPICAL antifungal for years and years. As soon as I get my reference materials I will see about more specific methods for making a specific tincture if you are interested

(I also know someone who dewormed his dog on it, but he used a store bought tincture)

[Bue]

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I'd forgotten!! My mom used to make tincture of Gincko (sp?) Can't remember it all but it seems she said it had positive effect on brain function. Does that sound right?

[myakka]

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Ginko Biloba. I used to sell buttloads ( sorry but that's my favorite word today) of it, and the most common thing people touted it for was brain function. I think there is some liturature out there about it being used -vs- dementia, but I havent looked at anything in almost 20 years, so even if there was studies when I was into this, there might be new information now. But yes, Ginko Biloba was BIG for brain funtion back then.

Can you get your mom's recipe by chance? would make a great thread of your own. And you can post a similar disclaimer to the one I used above, we arent doctors, but this is something your mom used to make etc..

[Bue]

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I remember picking the leaves in the fall just as they were beginning to change color. She always used pure grain alcohol (PGA) I'll check with my sister and see if she still has mom's herb books

[myakka]

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Just fyi to folks making tinctures, the liquid you use can be alcohol, water, or vinegar.
I started this thread on alcohol, but if you use PURE grain alcohol, you will probably need to add a little water to get good results. That's why I usually talk about using a drinking alcohol like moonshine, or absolute.

Thanks Bue. Let me know if you and your sister have your mom's books. This kind of passed down knowledge is PRICELESS.

[Morgan101]

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Wendy Brown's book "Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs" has a great section on tinctures, teas, and herbal medicines. I think she recommends using vodka.

I have heard that vodka is also a good bug repellant, but I have not tested the theory. I have only used it orally not topically.

[ZombieHuntress]

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There is a book called "Oils, Incenses, and Brews" written by Scott Cunningham that decently explains making extracts and tinctures. Mind you, it is an occult/new age/pagan herbal book, so the things used in the book are for ritual/ceremonial use, but the making of extracts and tinctures rarely vary when it comes to the several methods of processing. The same author was also wicked knowledgeable about herbs and plants in general, so picking up whatever other books of his dealing with herbs and such isn't a bad idea.