The MAIN Reasons For Using Alcohol when Making Tinctures
In theory, any plant can be made into a tincture, but this preparation might not be the best depending on what you want to extract. Some phytochemicals extract more readily into oil, others into water or glycerin. Other constituents are better extracted in alcohol, and the alcohol percentage of a menstruum may also determine which chemical aspects of the medicine are brought out in tincturing.
Generally, you’ll want to use nearly-pure alcohol to extract resins, balsams, and camphors. Other constituents (like essential oils, alkaloids, glycosides, acrid, bitter constituents, and pigments) do best in an alcohol menstruum, and still other constituents (like sugars, proteins, and mucilage) do just fine with a 50% dilution of alcohol.
Tinctures are concentrated herbal extracts.
All tinctures are extracts, but not all extracts are tinctures! Alcohol must be the solvent used to extract the herbal properties. If you are using vinegar, glycerin, only water, or any menstruum (solvent) other than alcohol, your preparation is an extract, but it is not a tincture. Any spirit may be used, but many herbalists prefer something neutral like vodka so the taste of the herb comes through. They can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, roots, barks, or berries.
Tinctures are dietary supplements in a concentrated, shelf-stable, and liquid form. Like other herbal extracts, tinctures can be used to support a wide range of wellness goals.
Their effects will depend upon the herbs tinctured, the amount and frequency taken, and the individual ingesting them, so it's recommended that folks consult a qualified medical professional for advice on appropriate use for your personal needs.
Tinctures can be taken straight by the dropper or diluted in tea or sparkling water. Some tinctures may also be used to add flavor smoothie recipes.
Alcohol:
1. Dissolves MOST, if NOT ALL, of the Constituents in MOST Herbs.
NOTE: There are a FEW Herbs such as Lobelia, that you would use 50 parts - Alcohol (100 proof - 50%) & 50 parts - Organic RAW Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar to make a Tincture. And in the case of our SUPER TONIC, you would use 100 parts - Apple Cider Vinegar (5%) to make a Vinegar-based Tincture.
2. Makes the Mucous Membranes in the Mouth MORE Permeable, so that the Herbal Constituents can pass through and into the Bloodstream MORE EFFICIENTLY, BYPASSING your Digestive System!
3. INCREASES the Shelf Life of the Herbal Constituents up to 50 years or more!
The HIGHER THE ALCOHOL content, that is used, the BETTER THE EXTRACTION will work. Ideally, 200 proof Ethanol would be BEST, except that Ethanol can NOT be distilled to this Proof, and so Benzene is used to remove the LAST vestiges of Water. This makes "PURE" Ethanol POISONOUS!!
Occasionally a few people have an emotional or spiritual aversion to consuming alcohol. About this aversion, we will make the following statements:
The base of the majority of our herbal formulae is mostly distilled water, but some do have a pure grain alcohol content a pure grain alcohol content. Grain alcohol dissolves and extracts certain important phytochemicals, plant chemicals that are necessary for different formulae to be effective. Therefore, it is better than just water alone. For example, the diosgenin in Discorea Villousa (wild yam root) is only soluble in alcohol and not in water. The alcohol also helps the herbs to assimilate quickly into your body and preserves the formula, which gives it an almost indefinite shelf life (over 50 years).
The amount of alcohol per dose is so insignificant; there is more alcohol in some mouthwashes. The amount of alcohol in the average dose of tincture is equal to the amount of alcohol in a ripe banana. This dosage has been tested on people, who are alcohol sensitive with NO adverse reactions. It is also a SAFE amount for anyone in a 12 step program or Alcoholics Anonymous. If you're still concerned about the alcohol, you can place the tincture in a cup, pour boiling water into the cup, and the alcohol will evaporate within seconds.
We have received many questions over the years regarding statements made by other people example :
"We also use high quality extracts instead of actual plant material to maximize the concentration of the solutions and minimize the amounts of plant material floating in each tincture."
If you are using something other than plant material you are not extracting something naturally.
OTHER THAN IN A LABORATORY ENVIROMENT USING CHEMICAL SOLVENTS THIS CANNOT BE ACHIEVED NATURALLY.
We are able to extract out most if not all of the constituents in our process, as we use a commercial 80 ton press for all our tinctures.
