Tinctures are a concentrate of herbs in liquid form. A small amount of drops is needed to absorb the herb's active ingredients. The drops are dripped directly into the mouth or taken in a glass of water or smoothie.
It is a simple and at the same time complex process to make a tincture. We only need two ingredients; herb and solvent. The herbs are prepared and then left to steep in the solvent for at least two weeks. But preferably longer. Some people like to keep their tinctures simmering for a whole year, but it is probably not because they will be more potent but more for sentimental reasons :-).
Choice of solvent
The choice of solvent is important. We have to choose between water, alcohol, glycerin, vinegar, honey, etc. Different solvents extract different ingredients. And they have different shelf lives. Here we highlight the pros and cons of the most common:
Water - The best extraction agent. Water dissolves most of the plant's constituents (alkaloids, glycosides, vitamins and minerals, essential oils, etc.). The disadvantage is that it does not last more than a couple of days.
Alcohol - The solvent, after water, that dissolves the most ingredients. Vitamins and minerals are not dissolved. But you can get around this by using an alcohol of, for example, 50%, which means that there is 50% water in the solvent. Alcohol tinctures have a very long shelf life (several years).
Glycerin - A very sweet liquid made from fats and oils from plants and animals. Very good tincture for those who cannot tolerate alcohol. The disadvantage is that it only dissolves a few ingredients. Shelf life 6 - 9 months.
Vinegar - A solvent often used to dissolve vitamins and minerals. It is popular for making nutritious "tonics" (for example, nettle, violets) and is nutritious in itself. But like glycerin, it loses important ingredients. Shelf life 6 - 9 months.
Örtfabriken's tinctures are based on alcohol as it becomes a more potent herbal product than when choosing other solvent liquids. The alcohol in a dose of tincture is negligible. It can be compared to the degree of alcohol in a ripe banana. But there is a point in using tinctures on vinegar and glycerin. For example, if you have an alcohol problem or do not want to come into contact with alcohol. Örtfabriken hopes to offer several varieties of tinctures in the future.
Please contact us if you have any questions!
1 comment
Hej! Tack för bra info gällande tinkturer!
Kan man maximera extraktionen genom att använda vatten och sedan spä med alkohol för hållbarhet? I exemplet med en 50% alkohol, är det en kompromiss eller det bästa av två världar? Får man ut allt samt flera år av hållbarhet?
Är det även möjligt att dra i vatten och sedan spä med glycerin?