Tinctures are concentrated liquid extracts of the water and fat soluble constituents of plants to preserve their vital properties.

They last up to 2 years stored in a cool dark place, is easy to dispense and to take with when traveling.

• Herb material, fresh or dried,
• Vodka OR Apple Cider vinegar,
• Glass container with lid,
• Label and pen,
• Strainer, Muslin or other suitable cloth,
• Dark glass bottle with screw-top,

 NB: Only use one type of herb per tincture, don't mix different herbs together in one bottle.

Step 1

• Put 240g , finely chopped fresh herbs from your garden, OR
• 120g of finely chopped or ground dried herbs , into a glass container that can be tightly closed,
• Pour 500ml Vodka OR Apple Cider vinegar on the herbs and then close the container tightly,
• Ensure that all the plantmaterial is covered, add a bit more Vodka if necessary,
• Put a label on the bottle with the Name of the Herb and the date of preparation!
• Keep the container in a warm place, away from direct sunlight, for two weeks and shake it well every day

Step 2

After two weeks:

• Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth,
• Wring out all the liquid,
• Pour the tincture into a dark bottle and keep in the cupboard,
• Put a label on the bottle with the Name of the Herb and the date of preparation!
• Tinctures are diluted in water (±125 ml) when used.
• See individual herb factsheets for recommended dosage.

Combinations:

If you want to use different tinctures together for a specific ailment:

• Make a selection of 3 - 5 herbal tinctures to use that relate to your condition,
  NB: LESS IS MORE
  (do not put every single herb that you know into a mixture, if you select more than 5 you must re-evaluate your selection and narrow it down!!!)
• Take equal quantity of each individual tincture and mix it together in a seperate bottle,
• Label it for its specific use,
• Write on it the combination of herbs for easy reference in the future, and the date