You may ask, what is a tincture? It is a medicinal extract of plant material.

Some people call them tinctures, others extracts. Most tinctures are made with alcohol, water or organic apple cider vinegar being used to pull compounds from the plants. If you use 80-120 proof alcohol and you are concerned about the alcohol content all you have to do is get a small amount of water boiling and put the tincture into the water, the alcohol will evaporate and still have the medicinal value of the herbal tincture. Do this right before you consume the tincture.

Other advantages of using tinctures include: convenience, portability, long shelf life, and easy absorption and assimilation.

I use mason jars to make my tinctures, but you can use any kind of jar, spaghetti sauces jars, pickle jars, I even use the gallon pickle jars for large quanitities of tincture.

I have a Super Tonic tincture that I call Super Cider that will knock a cold or flu right out of it tracks! I usually make 2 gallon jars at a time.

Fresh tinctures are the best but you can also tincture dried herbs.

Select good-quality, fresh plant material. Aerial parts of herbs are best harvested either just before or just at flowering time, while roots are better harvested in the cool fall season. Rinse the roots, but leave the aerial parts alone unless they are really dirty. Chop the herbs coarsely or tear them apart with your hands, then fill the jar almost to the top. (If you choose to use dried herbs, only fill the jar one-third to one-half of the way. The herbs will expand as they take up fluid.)

Now completely cover the herbs with your choice of 80-120 proof alcohol. I generally use brandy or vodka, although some herbs call for more creative use of spirits. Gin also works quite nicely as well.

Cap the jar and shake it well. Label it clearly with the name of the herb, the alcohol, and the date, then place in a cool, dark location. Check on it the next day, and top off the alcohol if needed. I find that I need to top off my dry herb tinctures more often than the fresh ones. You may gently shake the jar every few days, or just leave it be.

For extra potency, many people put up their tinctures during the new moon and decant them at the full moon.

After 4-6 weeks, pour the tincture through a mesh strainer lined with muslin or cheesecloth. I like to decant into a large bowl or liquid measuring cup. Wring out your herbs for every last ounce, and taste your fingers—do you like what you have made? Re-bottle in a clean, labeled glass container, and store away from excessive light and heat.

I go one step beyond and put the herbs through the juicer to get every ounce of herb that I can in my tincture.