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Homemade Chamomile Tincture

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how to make chamomile tincture for kids Homemade Chamomile TinctureChamomile is one of my favorite herbs because of its delicate scent and great taste in teas. It is my absolute favorite herb for kids and I keep a tincture of Chamomile on hand for any childhood aches and ailments.

Switching to a real food diet has eliminated our bouts with ear infections and stuffy noses (though Chamomile helps with those too!) but some things, like teething pain, can’t be fixed with healthy food!

herb profile chamomile 300x186 Homemade Chamomile TinctureChamomile is a naturally calming herb that relaxes nerves and reduces pain. It has been known to settle the stomach and reduce gas and colic in infants. I use Chamomile to sooth fussy babies, calm down upset toddlers and and on bruises.

Adults can use Chamomile to improve sleep, to ease menstrual cramps, relieve headache and sooth frayed nerves. Chamomile is also great for the skin and can even naturally lighten hair.

A homemade Chamomile tincture is incredibly easy to make and is my favorite baby gift for new parents. I take it to the hospital when I have a baby (mainly for me during labor!).

Perhaps  you’ve seen Chamomile tincture in stores, but you can make your own for much less than you can buy it. I make a quart for the price I used to pay for a 4-6 ounce bottle.

Making tinctures also helps preserve herbs, which is especially important for Chamomile, since its positive benefits are in its volatile oils which decrease over time unless preserved.

Chamomile Tincture Ingredients:

  • 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh or freshly dried Chamomile flowers
  • approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups boiling water
  • approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups vodka or rum
  • Quart size glass jar with airtight lid

Instructions:

1. Put fresh or dried Chamomile flowers in clean quart size glass jar

2. Pour boiling water over flowers to just cover them (may have to stir)

making homemade chamomile tincture Homemade Chamomile Tincture

3. Fill the rest of the jar with vodka or rum (do not use rubbing alcohol or non-consumable alcohol!) and tightly cover with airtight lid.

vodka in homemade chamomile tincture Homemade Chamomile Tincture

4. Store in a cool, dark place and shake daily for 4-6 weeks. This will make a strong tincture!

5. After 4-6 weeks, remove from cabinet, and pour through a cheesecloth or strainer. Store in a jar or in tincture vials for easy use.

6. Normal dose for adults is up to 1 tsp 1-3 times a day as needed. For infants, only a few drops are needed, and often it can be rubbed on the gums or stomach for teething or colic pain. For toddlers and older children 1/4 to 1/2 tsp can be taken 1-3 times a day while needed. It is especially useful for babies and young children who are having difficulty sleeping. A dose right before bedtime can help relax and sooth them for more peaceful sleep.

Any herb can be preserved with this method, and often this is the most cost effective way to use herbs. Any herbs I don’t grow myself, I get from this website. Another tincture I keep on hand is my homemade Herbal Digestive Remedy Tincture, which is also very simple to make!

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Wellness Mama is a full-time housewife with a background in nutrition, journalism and communications. Her passion is helping others achieve optimal health through a “Wellness Lifestyle.” She has helped hundreds of clients lose weight, increase athletic performance, improve fertility, and overcome numerous health problems and diseases. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, & Pinterest.

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DISCLAIMER: The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

  • http://profiles.google.com/ceciliapowers Cecilia Powers

    how does the vodka/rum change over time? i refrain from alcohol, but if it makes it non-alcoholic, then this sounds amazing… thoughts?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It is the alcohol that actually preserves the herbs, but if you don’t
    want to drink the alcohol, just put the amount of tincture you are
    taking in a glass of water and let it sit on the counter for about 15
    minutes before drinking it. This will let the alcohol evaporate so
    you don’t actually consume even a small amount.

  • Courtney

    Check out this awesome book if you are interested in herbs and kiddos.

    It is an awesome book. So useful.

    http://www.amazon.com/Herbal-Healing-Children-Demetria-Clark/dp/1570672148/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305293168&sr=8-1

  • Joelle

     How are the properties of a tincture or extract different than those of an essential oil?  I use a lot of essential oils in my homemade beauty/cleaning/healing products, but I’ve always wondered about extracts and tinctures.  

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Essential Oils are much more concentrated and for health and beauty
    products are great. Chamomile in particular though, is incredibly
    expensive as an essential oil, and many of the health benefits can be
    gotten from a tincture. A tincture is stronger than a tea or
    decoction, but not as strong as the essential oil. For internal use,
    teas and tinctures are almost always better though, because unless
    there is a serious problem that warrants very high doses of a certain
    oil, they are often too potent for much internal use. For cleaning
    though, things like lemon or lavender essential oil are more
    concentrated and are even naturally disinfectant.

  • Karyn

    You can also use glycerin as a preservative. Mountain Rose Herbs sells glycerin for herbal medicines. Glycerites are particularly nice to use with kids, since it makes the medicine taste sweet. But glycerites don’t last as long (two years as opposed to five or so).

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  • Bigtennisluv

    hey how much do you give infant for gas pain or agitation?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    a couple of drops usually helps a lot, and I don’t ever give more than about 1/4 tsp. Rubbing it externally on the stomach and feet helps a lot too if you’d prefer not to give internally.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    a couple of drops usually helps a lot, and I don’t ever give more than about 1/4 tsp. Rubbing it externally on the stomach and feet helps a lot too if you’d prefer not to give internally.

  • http://knit5together.typepad.com/ anna

    So, just because my husband is going to ask, do you give this to kids with the alcohol still in it (don’t many OTC drugs have alcohol in them too?)?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    You can as it is a very small amount, or you can put it in an ounce of water and wait 15 minutes… the alcohol will evaporate.

  • http://knit5together.typepad.com/ anna

    Thanks! 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joshua-Wayne-Howard/100000609382201 Joshua Wayne Howard

    If I may, I’d like to add something here. I’ve recently begun to study Alchemy and this is what I’ve learned.

    The alcohol is an essential part of the tincture because it is an ingredient to give life back to the dead plant and transform it into something more than it was. And it’s funny that I use the word ‘essential’ because that’s exactly as it is, an essence. The alcohol should be the purest possible, unflavored vodka or Everclear in highest proof you can acquire. Pure grape alcohol is rare to find, but is the absolute best quality. 

    As for removing the alcohol, well, again, the alcohol is an essence in the tincture, if you remove it, it’s not the same. As has been mentioned, it can easily be diluted. Still, keep in mind, you’re only using drops at a time. 

    Remember that Tinctures come from a time in history when alcohol was seen the spirit of a plant, not a party beverage. Every alcohol we have today, consumable or not, was found by fermenting plant materials with was seen as a way to release the volatile spirits within the plant and these spirits were used in healing and rituals. It just turns out that over time some people learned of the extreme effects these spirits had over the human body after consuming large quantities.

  • ANgie

    I love your site! I noticed your sleep tincture is recommended only for children 2 and older, while this one is safe for infants. Is there a reason for that? I’m looking for a calming tincture for my 2 month old.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    For little ones, chamomile alone is plenty to relax them :-)

  • Angie

    Thanks!  I just ordered the chamomile from Mountain Rose Herbs.

  • waggie

    I appreciate this wonderful information that you give.  I never had thought about the alcohol being the spirit of the plant it was made from.  It made me wonder if tinctures could also be made using Apple Cider Vinegar (or other vinegar) since it is made similarly to alcohol.  

  • MoonMom

    I have a teething 9 month old – how would I go about using this on him without the affects of alcohol?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Just out a dropperful of the tincture in an ounce or so of water in a wide mouth cup and let evaporate for 15 minutes before using

  • Alex

    I would like to use this for my son, but I don’t feel comfortable with using alcohol.. is there anything else I can use?

  • Alex

    Oh and he is a 4 mo old

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    You can make a glycerine tincture, there are a lot of recipes online just google. You can also just let the alcohol completely evaporate before using…

  • Guest

    For baby’s with colic, you just rub some on the tummy’s, and to help baby’s with teething.. you just rub it on there gums?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Yep…. You can give a few drops diluted in the mouth too

  • http://www.facebook.com/robyn.moore.503 Robyn Moore

    What is the shelf life of the tincture? I am due in 2 months and would like to have some prepared before the baby gets here, but I don’t want to make it too soon if it expires quickly. Thank you! :]

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It will last for years and takes weeks to make, so this is a great time to make it!

  • Rachael

    My kids won’t take it as it is. I’ll try the evaporation trick but wonder if doing this reduces the quality of the tincture…

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    The evaporation shouldn’t reduce the potency of the tincture. You could also try adding a little bit of honey to help them take it.

  • Rachael

    Thanks for the reply! A total side note: I “know” your father from an online Catholic message board. He linked to you once on a discussion on “wheat belly” with the disclaimer that you were his daughter. I replied that I was a fan. :) thank you for all of the great resources here… I’d love to hear how you manage all this with four young children. I also have 4 but they’re a little more spaces out than yours, I think. But not by much! I feel so incredibly overwhelmed most days that I just don’t think I could handle going grain free even when I know we should! We are all very settled in our taste and texture preferences and I just haven’t found the strength. :/ I have one daughter who is particularly picky and she can go meal after meal with our eating if she doesn’t like a food. Anyhow, keep up the great work!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I completely understand! Have you ever read the book “A Mother’s Rule of LIfe?” It was really helpful to me in time management and being able to get things done without being too overwhelmed. It definitely is still exhausting at times though! I’m working on a resource for moms of the 20% of diet and health things that you can do that will give 80% of the results without taking up all your time… I’ll try to remember to come back and let you know when I finish it… :-)

  • disqus_frCeTJMPsF

    Can I use 40 proof (i.e. cheap) vodka, or should it be a higher proof?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    40 proof should work, but I’d reduce the water in the recipe by 1/3 to make sure the alcohol is strong enough.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/moretta.frederick Moretta Shuert

    That resource you’re making up sounds like something I should read… is it available yet?!

  • http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.brown.16906715 Rebecca Brown

    Ive asked many about this after I made your recipe, n Im fearing its going to rot fairly quickly. What is the reason for the water in the extraction process?thankyou

  • http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.brown.16906715 Rebecca Brown

    Once its in a small amount of juice they have no idea its even there.

  • juan michelle

    how much do you give to the babies at night when they have difficulty sleeping

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Depending on age I give 15 drops diluted after six months and just use externally on the feet before then.

  • juan michelle

    is 1 oz of water optimal for dilution of the 15 drops or would i need more than that. Also would i need to let it sit so that the alcohol can evaporate?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    One ounce will work and you can let sit for 15 mins to evaporate the alcohol

  • Shalene

    You mentioned using chamomile during labor. I don’t have time to let a tincture mature, but would chamomile tea help during labor?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Yep…

  • http://www.facebook.com/oneill.danielle Danielle O’Neill

    How does this help you in labor?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It is relaxing/soothing and some people find that it takes the edge off of contractions…

  • http://www.facebook.com/melissa.christoffer Melissa Christoffer

    I’m a new mama with all of this. My baby already has two bottom teeth at 11 weeks and appears to be getting more. Can I order an already made tincture online? Is there a website you recommend? I found an organic tincture on etsy. Also – Can you dilute it in breast milk?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    You can order pre-made and diluting is a great idea…

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  • Sheree

    Adding the hot water to the herbs isn’t necessary, you can just use the alcohol. However, using both the water and the alcohol helps best extract the herbal properties. I have read that some herbs respond best with using the hot water to extract the properties, and of course, using the alcohol will preserve the tincture and also extract the beneficial properties of the herbs. If you made an alcohol tincture, it shouldn’t “rot” quickly. It should last for a couple years or possibly longer. Tinctures made from glycerine or apple cider vinegar will not last as long.

  • mountain girl

    I made your recipe, but used glycerin instead of alcohol. It’s finally finished and strained, but can I continue to keep it at room temp, or should I refrigerate?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I’d refrigerate, but it isn’t necessary…

  • Dena Barnes

    to get the alcohol out, can i let it evaporate in a glass of water longer than 15 minutes? Say I’m getting baby ready to bed down but don’t know if he will be ready in 15 mins or an hour….or will something change if it sits longer than 15? also, how long does this take to start working? thanks!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It works pretty instantly and you can definitely evaporate longer…

  • Emily Puklicz

    Could I use Chamomile tea bags if the only ingredient is Chamomile flowers?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Yes

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  • http://www.facebook.com/jill.prayner Jill Prayner

    Hi Katie,

    I love your blog! Thanks so much for all the fabulous tips!! I was curious is this would work for dogs. I have a huge dog who absolutely flips out in the car when bikers pass. We live in the city, so this is a lot and very annoying. Do you think this would help calm him? And if so, would he have to ingest it?

    Thanks for your help!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I would think it could help… I’d actually try rubbing on his ears or just a drop or two under the tongue to see if it helps..

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  • Deanna

    I know you’ve answered a million questions about the alcohol content, though my 5 month old son isn’t drinking water yet, so how would you evaporate the alcohol? I’ve used 1 drop on his poor teething gums, but he was still upset so I wondered if I should use more. But then I’m hesitant bc of the alcohol content that hasn’t been evaporated yet…

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    You can evaporate in a tiny bit of milk or formula

  • Deanna

    Oh ok! So do the 15 drops in a tiny bit of breast milk for 15 min then? And just rub a small amount on his gums throughout the day until I need to throw out the breast milk?