Tincturing

Question: What's the difference between making a tincture and just eating the same amount of the herb? I've been making a tincture of parsley to drink every day, and it tastes quite terrible - is there any specific benefit to drinking the tincture of it, or can I just eat a salad or something with the same amount of parsley I'd use to make the tincture? Oops, realized that I didn't quite state my question - will I get the same benefits of the tincture from just eating the parsley?

Answer: They will have similar benefits, after all, parsley is parsley... a tincture is just a different form that's in a higher potency. If the tincture doesn't taste very good, just eat some parsley or take a couple capsules worth (especially if you don't like the taste of the straight parsley).

Question: How much black walnut tincture am i supposed to take for my teeth? I have really bad teeth so me and my family made some black walnut tincture, but we have no idea what kind of dosage we need. We've been taking about 7-9 drops from a dropper but we're not sure if we should be taking more. Please help as soon as possible. I need to kno so i can start taking the right dosage. Thanks!

Answer: never heard of that one !

Question: Are tinctures alcoholic? Can they be taken by those wishing to avoid alcohol? I've noticed many herbal remedies are in a 'base of 25%' ethanol or equiverlant. As a sufferer of adrenal fatigue and avoider of alcohol, am I okay to use the herbal remedies in tinctures?

Answer: the alcohol actually helps the herb absorb in the body better. it should be okay because its a low amount but i have heard cases that the alcohol content in their tincture was so strong that they actually felt drunk. i would research alittle and see if htere are companies that sell without... im sure there are

Question: how do i prepare the parsley tincture and how long does it take to make? how long will the tincture have to sit and do i add water to the tincture or just when i am taking it.does the tincture sit for 2weeks or 6 weeks?

Answer: This is a ratio recipe some you can make less or more by decreasing or increasing the ingredients: Parsley Tincture Combine 4 oz of finely-cut fresh or powdered dry herb with 1 pt of brandy, gin, or vodka in a glass container. There should be enough alcohol to cover the plant parts and have a 50/50 ratio of alcohol to water. Place the mixture away from light for about two weeks, shaking several times each day. Strain and store in a tightly capped dark glass bottle. A standard dose is 1/2–1 tsp of the tincture up to three times a day.

Question: What is the difference between a tincture and an essential oil? Are tinctures active ingredients extracted from an herb or flower and the oil is the essence? Just checking ...thanks

Answer: Sounds correct to me. I just made a tincture. I used alcohol to extract.

Question: Do the cheap herbal tincture presses work well? I want to make my own herbal tinctures at home, such as echinacea and cayenne tinctures. I see presses vary in price, from around $40 to almost a thousand $. Does a $40 herb press do the job, this job being to be able to make a few quarts of tincture from one batch of herbs?

Answer: I have never heard of using a press for tinctures. I think of a press for expelling oils. Tinctures are liquid extracts using the herb and a medium like alcohol (grain alcohol or vodka), vinegar or glycerin. When I make tincture, I am usually using fresh leaves. I get enough leaves to fill the bottle. I run the leaves through the food processor and pack the bottle. Then I fill the bottle with the liquid. I use 90 proof vodka or grain alcohol with water 50/50. Vinegar I use straight. I have never tried glycerin for my homemade tinctures. I did make valerian tincture a long time ago. I used the powdered root and I forget the amount I used. You can use leaves, flowers, roots or the peppers, crush or chop and for dry ingredients fill your container halfway and then add the alcohol. I would spend my money on bottles, herbs or alcohol rather than a press. Good luck! Making a gallon would require a lot of herbs. Dry herbs would be equal to half a gallon of chopped herbs to a gallon of alcohol. Most tinctures need to age for around 6-8 weeks.Then you strain them out through a sieve and then a cheesecloth or tightly woven white towel. Then bottle. Remember, tinctures are strong medicines. Use them by drops or dilute before ingesting.

Question: I need some storage ideas for over a thousand viitmin bottles and supplements and herb tinctures.? they are all over the house and too hard to take some as they are disorganized and if I store in cabinets I can't see the label and no room in medicine cabinet as other stuff in there. what is a good way to store them and would hold a lot in the smallest space..it is hard to find shelves that narrow and they don't stack well. The supplements are in various size bottle s and the tinctures are brown glass bottles with eye dropper top..also nee a way to easily find what the supplement is used for..maybe a master list or something. Thanks. (ps--do not suggest throwing out if over a year old as there is tons of money invested in this stuff that I don't take and want to start so if you can suggest a way to remember to take some of them three times a day, I would appreciate it.

Answer: make shallow shelving from long 6 inch wide boards. use deck screws and assemble the boards at different heights to fit your bottle types. arrange the bottles according to how you want you take the different things. do (not) set the shelving in a sunlit area though because sunlight destroys vitamins. maybe you could attach the shelving inside some of your cabinet doors??? use a cording or something so the bottles will not fall when you open the cabinets. there are also wire racks that you can attach to the backs of room doors or on walls. they have a lot of rows of shallow shelves and are in one piece.

Question: How are you supposed to consume a tincture of Salvia Divinorum? I put a droplet full under my tounge, but nothing happened. I paid $50 for this bottle and I would like to get my money's worth.

Answer: I heard a lot of people (ok, actually only two) who had awful experiences on salvia. They said they were laying on their bed and felt like they were rolling into an endless black abyss. So yeah, if you do get it to work.. Have fun with that, lol.

Question: How long will a tincture of echinacea stay good? It was opened 2 years ago and the expiration date is 9/09. It has been stored in a dark cool pantry. Thank you!

Answer: It's fine if it is an alcohol extract, and most of them are. If it is a glycerite, it will be labelled "alcohol free" and will have lost some of it's potency but not much. I read a doctor's report once where he tested an alcohol extract of Echinacea that still had its potency after 10 years.

Question: What is a common dose for Valerian tincture? I was wondering if anyone can tell me how many drops or how much of Valerian tincture is a common dose for anxiety (for an adult). Thank you!

Answer: http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Valerian.html. try this i hope it helps

Question: What is the difference between a mother tincture and pallets? Hi i m looking for a homeopathic medicine for enlarged spleen. the name of that medicine is CARDUUS MQ ie Mother Tincture. I found CARDUUS MARIANUS and those are pallets. I dont know is that what i was looking for. I found them at Merz ,Chicago. Thnks

Answer: All the medicines that are soluble in alcohol or water are first prepared in mother tincture form and from mother tincture further potencies are prepared. A mother tincture is the extract of the original drug substance; the extract being made with alcohol or water in certain proportion. Pallets are made from the mother tincture. You're looking for the pallets yes. Nothing in your moth 15 mins before ro after, let them dissolve under the tounge. Good luck

Question: When making a garlic tincture with fresh chopped garlic in vodka, does the mixture need to be refrigerated? I am making a garlic tincture for medicinal purposes. I chopped about 32g fresh garlic and placed it in a jar with about 4 ounces of 100 proof vodka. I know that I need to let the mixture sit for about 2 weeks, but does it need to be refrigerated, now or at any point in the future, or does the vodka preserve the garlic?

Answer: im not positiv but I think its ok if it sites in a room tempriture envierment now. all other tinctures Iv sean have ben siting out in the open. tho ya Iv sean afue in refrigurated states befor. Im gona stick with out in the open mostley because of the 100 prufe vodka shuld take cair of eney concerns.

Question: Is it ok to bring an herbal tincture to school? Tinctures always have some percentage of alcohol in them, but its in such a small amount its literally impossible to actually show up in the system. So in place of, lets say allergy medicine, is it ok to bring a tincture to school?

Answer: If any drink has alcohol or etc in it I doubt your school would find it acceptable for that type of enviorment you're in. But since the percentage is mad small I wouldnt say it should be a problem... even cough medicine has a small amount of alcohol in it...

Question: Where can I buy glycerin to make an herbal tincture? I've looked on-line and can't seem to find quality food grade vegetable glycerin. I would like it to have cononut oil in it.

Answer: I buy glycerin at the local drug store. You can buy coconut oil at any health food store and even in some grocery stores, add it to the glycerin if you want that in it.

Question: What do I need to sell tinctures online? Do I need to have a special license or certificate to sell tinctures and teas online?

Answer: Teas are OK but for tinctures the only thing you need is a total lack of conscience.

Question: How long to keep ginkgo tincture under tongue? it says to take 15-20 drops with little water. Ive read putting under tongue is a faster method.How long would i need to keep the drops under my tongue? and would i do it few drops at a time?

Answer: Thirty seconds should be about right. Two sublinguals i have found on the Internet recommend that.. ...this one for b vitamins (30 secs): http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/vf/labels/002871HB.pdf ...this one for ginkgo biloba (30 secs): http://www.nutritionaltest.com/royal-arterial-flush.html You would still need to try that with diluted tincture because it it too viscous and sticky without diluting. So in order to maximise absorption that way if any of it is to be absorbed sublingually, you may need to do it in stages as there may be too much to hold under your tongue in one go. Swallow the rest as with any sublingual....absorption will further take place in the gut. More importantly, you should perhaps half the dose or you may be getting too much this way. Consult a pharmacist who may have a better idea with regards to the maximum safe dose when taking sublingually. Best wishes.