Make Your Own Herbal Tinctures

    Herbal tinctures are one of my most favourite things to make. For one, they’re super easy, and for two, they’re super health-supportive.

    Tinctures are made by taking a plant, often an herb, and infusing it in a little 40% or higher booze, which serves to extract the active medicinal components. These are referred to as the “constituents.”

    I like to call these booze infusions.

    Some of my favourites include:

    • Ginger-infused vodka: Great for easing off nausea and promoting digestive health
    • Elderberry-infused scotch: A super immune enhancer
    • Passionflower-infused rum: Deep nervine tonic
    • Chaga-infused vodka: Immune modulator and anti-cancer

    In these tinctures, the alcohol is simply the carrier for the medicinal action of whatever it is that you’re infusing. Sipping on an ounce of one of these infusions, when you don’t have any other contraindications with alcohol, can be intensely soothing, healing and enjoyable.

    In this episode, functional medicine practitioner Josh Gitalis is back to share his herbal medicine and tincture-making knowledge with you and to really show us how it’s done. We talk about:

    • Best herbs for immune health
    • How to prepare a simple tincture
    • How to chose the correct alcohol for your tincture
    • A video flashback to a fateful day of herbal medicine making in 2009

    Oh, and of course I share my very poor rapping skills. (Very, very poor indeed.) Another fave moment: The part where we both burst out laughing when Josh brings up shaving something off.

    How to Make Tinctures

    • Fill up glass jar with herb halfway.
    • Add vodka so that level of the liquid is at least two inches above the herb. Note: If you are using dried herbs, you might have to add more vodka at a later time.
    • Place parchment paper between the lid and jar. (This is done to prevent the rubber seal from dissolving.)
    • Seal jar tightly.
    • Label jar with date, percentage alcohol, herbs, and method used.
    • Shake two times per day for one month.
    • After a month squeeze out the menstrum (the resulting liquid) using cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.

    The post Make Your Own Herbal Tinctures appeared first on Meghan Telpner.

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