Want to learn how to make herbal tinctures at home and some of the best tincture recipes? Continue reading this article and discover how to make tinctures at home from plants.
Herbal tinctures are easy to make at home, it’s simple alchemy with miraculous effects. If you want to learn how to make herbal tinctures, here are a few simple tips. The best time to prepare herbal tinctures at home is the month of August (in the Northern Hemisphere). August is when the majority of the medicinal plants are in full maturity and their active healing substances are most potent.
Herbal tinctures, salves, and oils are prepared from fresh flowers and herbs. They are easy to make at home and we believe that no home should lack a handy green pharmacy and reliable help when your health becomes poor. Without further ado, here is how to make herbal tinctures at home.
How to Make Herbal Tinctures at Home
Herbal tinctures are actually essences extracted from plants, obtained by macerating the plants in 40% ABV, rye rakia, or homemade fruit brandy (plums, apples, pears). In some parts of Europe, these alcoholic beverages are made at home following ancient recipes, passed on from generation to generation.
If you don’t find these types of alcoholic drinks handy, you can opt for a 20% concentration of ethyl alcohol for tinctures. Even more, if you wish to make alcohol-free herbal tinctures, you can switch the alcohol to vegetal glycerin. This is how to make herbal tinctures at home.
How to Make Herbal Tinctures
- Fill up a bottle or a jar up to the neck with freshly cut flowers or plants.
- Pour the alcohol/glycerin on top, so that it covers the plant completely.
- Close the bottle tightly and place it in a warm place for 14 days (or even longer).
- Shake the bottle from time to time, so that the alcohol mixes with the essence coming out of the plant.
- Strain and store in amber bottles (with a dropper for internal use).
How to Use Herbal Tinctures
Herbal tinctures are used both internally, as drops, as well as externally, in compresses, or mixed in ointments. This depends on the herb used and its healing properties. Now you know how to make herbal tinctures at home. Below are 8 amazing herbal tincture recipes using some of the most popular healing herbs out there.
How to Make Herbal Tinctures at Home – 8 Recipes
1. Burdock Root Tincture
Use the well-washed and brushed roots of the plant. Cut them finely and cover them with alcohol. Burdock root tincture is amazing for rheumatic pains and swelling caused by this condition. Use it externally to friction the painful areas with it. Internal uses: menstrual disorders, urinary tract diseases, nerve diseases, facial neuralgia, typhus, rheumatism, ovarian pain, respiratory diseases, lung diseases (pleurisy, emphysema) – 10 drops of burdock root tincture diluted in water, once a day.
2. Nettle Tincture Recipe
For the nettle tincture, use the roots that have been harvested in spring or autumn. Nettle root tincture is amazing for a wide range of liver and gallbladder conditions, as well as spleen disease (even tumors), inflammation of the stomach lining, respiratory issues, stomach cramps and ulcers, intestinal infections, and lung disease. Topically, it is used for hair loss, eczemas, ulcers, painful acne, fungal infections, skin blemishes, sciatica, and nerve inflammation.
3. Shepherd’s Purse Tincture
Use the whole plant, finely chopped. This tincture is used externally, for muscle atrophy, sphincter fatigue, groin hernia, and intestinal prolapse, by rubbing the diseased areas. Internally, the usual dosage is 10 drops of the tincture, 3 times a day in a cup of lady’s mantle tea (a teaspoon of the plant, scalded in a cup of hot water, infuse briefly, strain).
4. St. John’s Wort Tincture Recipe
To make this herbal tincture, add 2 handfuls of freshly picked St. John’s wort flowers on a sunny day in 1 l of alcohol. Seal and leave the jar in the sun for 3 weeks. St. John’s wort tincture can be used both internally and externally. It is amazing for nervous system illnesses, including neurosis, insomnia, and weak nerves – 10-15 drops in a spoonful of water. Externally, use it to rub painful areas caused by neuralgia.
5. Calendula Tincture
To make the calendula tincture, pour 1 l of rakia over a handful of calendula flowers. Use it externally to make compresses with boiled and chilled water. Calendula tincture compresses are great for wounds, hematomas, muscle strains, cancerous tumors, contusions, bumps, and vaginal discharge (10-20 drops added to the vaginal douche tea).
6. Yarrow Tincture Use
To make a potent yarrow tincture, pick the yarrow flowers on a sunny day. This is a wonderful herbal tincture that has a powerful healing action on the bone marrow and spinal cord, stimulating their blood supply, and aiding in osteoporosis and fragile bone. Other uses of yarrow tincture are irregular periods, menopause, genital cancer, inflammation of the testicles, leukorrhea, lack of periods, migraines, bloody sputum, hemorrhoids, stomach pain, and burns.
Use it externally to rub the diseased areas, multiple times a day. Internally, dilute 5-10 drops of tincture in tea or water and have this twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, before meals.
7. Thyme Tincture
To make thyme tincture, gather the plant’s stems in sunny weather. When uses externally, this powerful herbal tincture helps strengthen the limbs in underdeveloped children and multiple sclerosis. Rub it in through a simple hand massage. Internally, thyme tincture is used for menstrual disorders, UTIs, mental conditions, facial neuralgia, typhus, rheumatism, ovarian pain, respiratory diseases, and lung diseases (pleurisy, emphysema). Internally, you can have 10 drops of thyme tincture diluted with water once a day.
8. Horsetail Tincture
To make this herbal tincture at home, add 10 g of the plant to 50 ml of rakia. It is great for kidney and bladder diseases (including stones), accumulations of water in tissues, open wounds, ulcers, hemorrhoids, and foot odor. For kidney and bladder diseases, add 4-5 drops of tincture to your tea. You can also use it as a topical disinfectant for skin conditions and sweaty feet. Wash your feet well and then rub the tincture in well.
Read Also: 30+ Burdock Root Uses, Benefits, and Amazing Home Remedies
Now you know how to make herbal tinctures at home. In all actuality, if you follow the simple preparation steps and tips above you know how to make herbal tinctures at home and enjoy the healing power of plants in your own home. Share so more people can learn how to make herbal tinctures. Stay healthy, naturally! ??
