Traditional and folk tincture making
What are tinctures? Potent liquid herbal concoctions to support the body in one way or another. There are many reasons to take tinctures. Some do it to boost the immune system, to fight an ailment, to support an organ, maybe to prevent something (such as high blood pressure, liver support, nausea, miscarriage and so on)
You may not be able to find the tincture you’re looking for or perhaps you just want to make them yourself and be more self sufficient. Clearly when making a tincture, you should research which herbs you need and obtain them to make it. Herbs are going to be more readily available in the areas they are native to and flourish. You may find them at an your local markets, herb store, a homestead or you may need to order them online.
You will also need 4 or 8oz glass jars to steep the mixture in for several weeks prior to use. If you are planning to transferring them into individual bottles for sharing or selling them, you will need 4-8 of the 1-2 ounce jars with dropper tops. Darker colored bottles are best as they keep the tinctures safe from spoiling /expiring.
Loosely add 1/2- 3/4 of your mason jar full with the herbs for your concoction. Then you can pour a high proof alcohol made from grain or vodka, over the herbs and fill to the top of the jar. The alcohol will extract the active compound of that herb. You must fill completely to the top so that all herbs are covered.
Seal a lid over the jar and let it sit a minimum of 6-8 weeks. Keep in a cool dark place and shake weekly. When you are ready to use the extraction, take a cheese cloth or a fine metal sifter to remove the leaves and bits from the liquid. Pour the remainder into a smaller individual jars with a funnel into smaller bottles. Or place back into the large jar to use as needed.
If you are planning to separate into 1-2 oz tincture bottles, you will need to buy quite a few of those and have labels ready to mark the tinctures with the date and herbal information. Tinctures tend to store well in a cool place for up to 3 years but some have lasted several years longer than this in sealed jars without a vial/dropper in it.
There are many places to read up on womanly related tinctures. Look into Susun Weed. I call her the guru of womanly supplements.