How to Make Herbal Tinctures

Katie Wells Avatar

Reading Time: 3 minutes

This post contains affiliate links.

Read my affiliate policy.

How to Make Herbal Tinctures
Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Remedies » How to Make Herbal Tinctures

I have several tincture recipes posted (including my two favorites: Chamomile Tincture and Digestion Tincture) but I realized that a post with general instructions on how to make a tincture from any herbs would be helpful.

A tincture is a concentrated liquid form of an herb that is easy to make and easy to take. Tinctures preserve and concentrate the properties of the herb, making them more effective and longer lasting.

Alcohol based tinctures have a shelf life of several years and are easy to use when needed! I keep several tinctures on hand for my kids, as they can be used externally even on small children for relief from common problems.

If you’ve ever bought tinctures from the store, I’d encourage you to try making your own, as they are very inexpensive and can be made in minutes.

Tincture Making Supplies

I make most tinctures in an alcohol base as this makes them the most long lasting, but tinctures can also be made with glycerine, vinegar or even with honey to make a syrup!

To make a tincture, you will need the following supplies:

  • A clean glass jar (at least pint size) with lid
  • Consumable alcohol like vodka or rum- at least 80 proof (or apple cider vinegar or food grade vegetable glycerine)
  • Herbs of choice (I typically grow my own)

How to Make a Tincture

Also called an extract (in fact, the same process is used to make real vanilla extract), alcohol tinctures are the most common type and the easiest to make.

First, pick which herbs you plan to use. These are some of my favorite tinctures:

Fill the jar 1/3 to 1/2 full with dried herbs. Filling half full will make a stronger tincture. Do not pack down.

Pour boiling water to just dampen all of the herbs. (This step is optional but helps to draw out the beneficial properties of the herbs)

Fill the rest of the jar (or the entire jar if not using hot water too) with alcohol and stir with a clean spoon.

Put the lid on the jar. Store the jar in a cool/dry place, shaking daily, for at least three weeks and up to six months. (I usually leave herbs for six weeks)

Strain through cheesecloth and compost the herbs. Store the tincture in colored dropper bottles or clean glass jars.

NOTE: The alcohol can be evaporated before use (see below) or a tincture can be made in the same way using apple cider vinegar, though it will need to be stored in the fridge and will only last 3-6 months.

 

How to Use Herbal Tinctures

The standard adult dose we take is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day as needed. Kids usually get 1/4 to 1/3 of the adult dose.

For children, pregnant women, or those not wanting to consume alcohol, it can be poured into a hot liquid like tea to evaporate the alcohol before consuming.

Ever made your own herbal tinctures? What is your favorite? Share below!

Herbal tinctures made from dried herbs are a great way to preserve and concentrate the benefits of the herbs. They are inexpensive to make and last for years!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

154 responses to “How to Make Herbal Tinctures”

  1. nancy Avatar

    Hi, does anyone have any idea what herbs are good for teething babies? I’m trying to make a glycerin tincture for my one year old since she has a lot of teething pains.

    1. Frederica Avatar
      Frederica

      Another herb that has been historically for tooth pains is clove. You could use either whole cloves steeped in the alcohol or glycerine. You could also use a small pepper grinder to grind up the cloves just before adding the extracting liquid. I expect that more of the essential, bio-active compounds would be extracted more quickly that way.

    2. kelly Avatar

      Placenta tincture is amazing as a teething remedy! I’m a placenta encapsulation specialist and do this often for mamas! Maybe no help with this baby, but maybe useful in the future!

  2. Dami Avatar

    There are so many different types of tinctures that is recommended to be taken daily? How many different types of tinctures can you take on a daily basis?
    could I have 1 tsp daily of 10 different tinctures?

    – Dami

  3. Heather Avatar

    I will start adding a couple steps to my method, thsnk you! I would encourage people not to sweat the instructions too much…i started making tinctures and extracts before I knew what i was doing and my products almost always work out. If you haven’t gone shopping for dried flowers yet, you may not realize how inexpensive they are! Buy them in bulk at a health food store, today i loaded up on 10 different herbs and flowers, beeswax, a couple new bottles for diy product, and a couple lbs of turbinado sugar. $20. This stuff works and it isn’t rocket science…have fun!

    I think they make grain alcohol for crafting that is somehow treated so it tastes undrinkable. That may be an option for those in recovery. Alcohol is in many, many products – at high concentrations – that you would not normally drink.

  4. Sjhara Avatar

    Hey there, thanks SO much for this brilliant post! I have a question… I recently found a treasured box of tinctures that I made years ago but thought was lost. The tinctures have all been kept in the dark but they must be at least 5 years old. I would throw them all out & start again, but I am time poor (with a toddler) & I’m rather attached. So my questions are a) how long can a tincture last? (if in the right conditions) & b) what are the signs that it has expired? ie. how will i know if it’s good or bad? Thanks so much! I love your work!! xx

    1. Katie - Wellness Mama Avatar

      If they were in high alcohol content and they don’t have an off flavor or smell, they should be ok. Our teacher where we take jujutsu has talked about herbal tinctures (especially dit da jow) that are made by families and continually refilled so they are thousands of years old. They scoop out tincture as needed, and add more herbs and alcohol.

  5. Olivia Wu Avatar
    Olivia Wu

    You use many glass containers in different recipes. Do you boil to sanitize or just clean the glass jar or glass sprayers before use? Thanks!

  6. Ashley Avatar

    You said in your post that the tinctures can be taken externally, I’m assuming so that kids don’t need to consume alcohol, but you don’t mention how, just curious. Love your page!

  7. Karen A. Avatar

    I was so happy! I just finished my first set of herbal tinctures. That is, until I went to purchase more vodka.Then, I realized that I had used 42 proof vodka in my first batches. Will this harm the tinctures? And, will they be shelf stable?

  8. Ed Lutz Avatar

    I have a small garden and have grown herbs from an organic source in organic soil. Making tinctures is new to me but I look forward to learning this process and thank you for your clear, simple instructions. I have just put together tinctures of oregano, sage, and rosemary and, as soon as the herbs are dried, I will do thyme also. Six weeks to go! Question #1: I have been drying my herbs in the sun. Is that good or is it better to let them dry out in a cool, dark place? Question #2: How do I use the tinctures to maximum benefit? Is it best to dilute them or not and, generally how often does one dose?

  9. Adrienne Avatar

    Hi Katie. Love this post. I did hear that tinctures from glycerine aren’t as potent as those from alcohol – wondering what you think about that. Thanks!

  10. Lauren Avatar

    Quick question, will dampening the herbs with water dilute the alcohol too much?

  11. Melanie Avatar

    I’m a recovering alcoholic so rum and vodka isn’t such a good idea for me what can I do about this.. Thanks

  12. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Hi! I was wondering if there is any way to know how many mg of the particular herb you are getting in each dose?

  13. Katie Avatar

    Hi
    Thanks for your recipe. I’m keen to start making tinctures but where I live I can only seem to buy 69 proof alcohol from our bottle shops and then only in 500ml bottles. Would this still make a strong enough tincture?
    Thanks
    Katie

  14. Josie Avatar

    I made a St. Johns Wort tincture. But when I strained it, it didn’t have that amber/brownish look tinctures generally have. I didn’t think much of it and left it for a while. When I came back to it, it had separated. The brown watery part on top and what looked like green plant matter on the bottom. Do I keep both parts or do I dispose of the green plant matter?

  15. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Hi thanks for the great info. I want to try making my first tincture using mimosa flowers. Have you done this before? Can I use fresh flowers or should I dry them first? Thanks!!!

  16. Vivian Avatar

    Great article and I love your website….always such great info! I found a lavender tincture tucked away in my cabinet that would have been ready to bottle after 6 weeks on 1/31/14. It’s now 6/11/14…would it too old to use? It was made with an alcohol base.

      1. Vivian Avatar

        Thanks so much!! I was hoping I hadn’t ruined it. Thanks for all the info you supply on your website, too.

  17. Danielle Avatar
    Danielle

    I am in the process of making an echinacea tincture with 80 proof vodka. Are you allowed to give a drop of this to a child when it is made with alcohol?

    1. Joanne Avatar

      You are allowed. They would probably get more alcohol in most cough medicines, unless you specifically buy it without. Some people, for philosophical or religious reasons, don’t want to give their children alcohol.

  18. Krystal Avatar
    Krystal

    I made a ginger honey and a mint glycerin tincture at my bot pharm class. Delicious!

    1. Nicole Sternad Avatar
      Nicole Sternad

      Ginger & mint essential oils or fresh ginger root & fresh herbal mint? Thanks 🙂

  19. Ciara Avatar

    Is it okay to add peppermint essential oil and ginger essential oil to the chamomile tincture? If so, how much is okay to add?

  20. Olivia Avatar

    Can I put an herbal alcohol tincture into a homemade lotion (beef tallow base)? Will the homemade lotion become medicinal once I add the tincture? (and how much should I add) – THANK YOU so much!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *