• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / How to Make Herbal Tinctures at Home

How to Make Herbal Tinctures at Home

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Herbal Tinctures 101+−
    • Complex Supply Chains
    • Costs for Herbs Keep Increasing
    • Alcohol or Glycerin?
    • What about Vinegar?
  • How to Make a Tincture from Fresh or Dried Herbs +−
    • Dried vs Fresh?
    • Place Herbs in Glass Jar
    • Cover with Base Liquid
    • Gently Turn Jar
    • Strain and Label

Learning how to make herbal tinctures is an easy and important life skill for those who prefer traditional, science-backed remedies for nonserious illnesses instead of over-the-counter drugs and other pharmaceuticals with many side effects. homemade herbal tincture in amber glass bottle

While steeping herbs in hot water and then allowing them to cool à la herbal infusion is my preferred method for using plants as natural remedies in my home, I also brew and bottle concentrated herbal tinctures for the home medicine cabinet as well. Tinctures keep for years, whereas a concentrated infusion stays fresh for mere days.

Before I provide my method for making them in a base of either alcohol or glycerin, let’s go over why you might want to try it yourself!

Herbal Tinctures 101

An herbal tincture is a concentrated liquid herbal extract.

All traditional cultures used them in some form or fashion. They are particularly prominent in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Complex Supply Chains

The global supply chains for herbs and the tinctures made from them are extremely complex. This means tracing the country of origin can sometimes prove difficult and time-consuming.

Hence, sourcing quality, organic herbs locally for tincture-making or growing them yourself is an attractive option. This avoids the potential for contaminated herbs from other areas of the world.

Costs for Herbs Keep Increasing

Besides questionable quality, the price of organic tinctures is increasing. This is especially true since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic. This trend shows no sign of reversing for the foreseeable future.

Thus, to keep costs under control and maintain optimum quality and potency, more people are turning to homemade herbal tinctures as time goes on.

Alcohol or Glycerin?

When it comes to tinctures, the medicinal or culinary properties of herbs can be extracted in a base of either alcohol or glycerin.

For example, homemade vanilla extract is actually a tincture when you think about it. Vanilla beans are simply soaked in a bottle of vodka for a couple of months. The resulting concentrated extract is bottled in amber glass the same as you would do with a medicinal herb.

Some people prefer to use organic or nonGMO glycerin instead of alcohol. While the choice is a matter of personal preference, for what it’s worth, I prefer alcohol tinctures. They seem more potent in my experience.

In addition, given the small amounts in which you use herbal tinctures (or cook with it…where all the alcohol is heated away), I don’t think using glycerin is of as much benefit in the final analysis.

If you do choose glycerin over alcohol for making your tinctures, be sure to avoid the synthetic stuff.

Always choose pharmaceutical grade such as this brand.

What about Vinegar?

You can also use vinegar for making tinctures. However, vinegar has a much stronger taste than either alcohol, which is virtually tasteless, or glycerin which is slightly sweet.

Since most tinctures are taken with a small amount of water, I would recommend against using vinegar unless your tincture is expressly for culinary purposes such as this recipe for elderberry vinegar. The Master Tonic is another well-known vinegar-based herbal remedy.

How to Make a Tincture from Fresh or Dried Herbs

There are 4 steps for making an herbal tincture at home. Note that you can make them with either dried or fresh herbs.

Fresh is always better, but not always available. Organic herbs grown in healthy soil and picked at their peak (not hydroponics) produce the most potent tincture possible.

Dried vs Fresh?

If using fresh herbs, be sure to use the part of the plant that is appropriate medicinally.

For example, an elderberry tincture would use only ripe, dried berries. The elderberry stems, leaves, bark, or unripe berries would not be used as these are poisonous.

When using dried herbs, a good rule of thumb is to use one-third the amount that you would use fresh. Keep this in mind as you are sourcing so that you buy the correct amount.

Place Herbs in Glass Jar

Once you have the proper amount of fresh or dried herb for making a tincture, place the herb in a clean, one-quart, wide-mouth amber mason jar.

It is very important to use amber glass jars (like these). The darker glass of the amber jars protects the potency of the herb as it steeps.

If using fresh, chop the cleaned herb coarsely and fill the jar to 3/4 full. If using dried, fill the jar to 1/4 full.

Cover with Base Liquid

Add alcohol (I recommend potato vodka) or pharmaceutical grade glycerin to cover. Screw on the lid securely.

Gently Turn Jar

Let the jar sit on the kitchen counter in a spot that doesn’t get direct light or in a cabinet for 6-8 weeks.

Every morning and evening, turn the jar gently to remix the liquid and herb.

Strain and Label

After 6-8 weeks, strain the herb out of the liquid by pouring the contents of the amber mason jar into a large bowl lined with a large, clean, cotton cloth (like these).

Gather the ends of the cloth together and gently squeeze out any remaining liquid from the herbal matter.

Rinse the plant matter and compost for the garden (or toss).

Decant the strained herbal tincture into small amber bottles with eyedropper lids (I use these) and label with the type of herb and date.

Store your DIY herbal tinctures in a cool, dark cabinet. They will be potent enough to use for 3-5 years.

If you’ve made more than you can use, share with family and friends who would enjoy and appreciate them. They make a wonderful gift!

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Natural Remedies
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

coconut oil for strep

Coconut Oil Stops Strep from Damaging Tooth Enamel

The Master Cleanse: Crazy Detox or Beneficial Fast?

6 Strategies for Relieving Stress Naturally

6 Strategies for Relieving Stress Naturally

Natural Ways to Resolve Anemia in Pregnancy (no iron pills!)

home bladder infection remedies written on a prescription card

At Home Bladder Infection Remedies

man and woman smelling a rose after covid recovery

How to Recover Taste and Smell Post-Covid

Going to the Doctor a Little Too Often?

Get a free chapter of my book Traditional Remedies for Modern Families + my newsletter and learn how to put Nature’s best remedies to work for you today!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Comments (4)

  1. Patricia Summers

    Aug 4, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Hello Sarah. Thank you for practical how-to’s.

    Reply
  2. Dana

    Jul 21, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    Sarah, thank you for sharing such great and helpful info!
    What are some of the tinctures you make? Can you share some recipes?
    Thank you!
    Dana

    Reply
  3. Sa

    Jul 7, 2021 at 11:50 pm

    what proof alcohol should I use? is there a recommended weight ratio of dried herb:alcohol?

    Reply
  4. Michael

    Mar 31, 2021 at 3:00 am

    I like your information. Thank You

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2023 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!