For some, the word, "tincture," conjures images of bubbling caldrons filled with questionable ingredients, but tinctures play a valuable role in conventional and herbal medicine. A tincture is a solution that contains the medicinal properties of an herb or another substance. Herbal tinctures are available in health food stores as an alternative to drugs, and on pharmacy shelves. Consult your doctor before using herbal tinctures to treat medical conditions.
History
Ancient Egyptians recorded the use of tinctures as early as 1550 BC, according to the Natural Herbal Tinctures website. Early tinctures used alcohol and vinegar to preserve valuable herbs, storing the liquid in earthen vessels. Throughout the centuries, healers extracted and combined their tinctures to make healing potions. Today, herbalists still use tinctures to preserve their herbal harvest for later use.
Constituents
A combination of water and either ethyl alcohol, vinegar or glycerol provide the base liquid for making a tincture, according to Andrew Chevallier, author of "Eyewitness Companions: Herbal Remedies." A simple tincture contains one herb, while a compound tincture contains multiple herbs.
Process
Place the desired herb into a dark glass container and pour in the liquid. To make the extracting liquid, author Chevallier recommends a ratio of 45 percent alcohol or glycerol to 55 percent water. One part herb in three parts extracting liquid will render a standard tincture. The solution rests for a few days or weeks before the herbalist strains it and bottles the remaining liquid, which is now a tincture.
Benefits
Tinctures have a long shelf life if people store them in a dark, cool spot, and they may provide medicinal benefits if people add them to cough syrups or herbal teas. Tinctures combine easily with other tinctures to make custom herbal remedies. Tinctures have their place in conventional medicine, as well. Pharmacies sell tincture of benzoin and tincture of iodine for treating minor cuts and abrasions.
Considerations
Since medicinal properties vary from plant to plant and an herb may contain pesticides or other unknown elements, every batch of tincture will vary slightly in quality and strength. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not oversee the production and sale of most herbal tinctures. Manufacturers market them in health food stores as supplements, but they may contain medicinal properties that can cause side effects. Use tinctures under the direction of a certified herbalist or a doctor of naturopathy.
References
- Natural Herbal Tinctures: A Brief History
- "Herbal Remedies---Eyewitness Companion"; Andrew Chevallier, 2007
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