Once you have learned the basic about an herbal tincture, now it is time to get down to the nitty gritty and prepare the remedy. Tinctures can be used to treat an array of medical woes, including chronic and persistent coughs. In this article, you will learn the steps to creating a tincture, as well as a few cautions to take note of.
Before you begin to make a tincture, you should refresh your memory on the kind of tools and pieces of equipment needed to complete the task. The equipment needed to prepare a tincture at home includes a large jar with a screw-top; a jelly bag or muslin bag; a winepress; large jug; dark glass bottles that have been sterilized. The glass bottles should have screw caps so that tinctures are stored in an airtight manner. A funnel is also suggested to assist in the process of making a tincture.
First, (after selecting the herbs you will use for your tincture) you should place the correct amount of herb (according to its dryness or freshness) into a large jar. Next, covering the plant matter with the alcohol and water mixture should follow. The jar should then become sealed and stored in a cool place for two weeks. It is suggested to shake the mixture on an occasional basis.
After the two weeks have passed, you should fit a muslin bag inside of a winepress and then pour the mixture through it. Next, pressing the mixture through the winepress is required, where the liquid then pours into a jug. If you are wondering what to do with the residue that is left behind, you can toss the leftover in your garden. After the mixture has gone through the winepress, the liquid should be poured into sterilized, dark glass bottles, which is usually made easy when using a funnel to pour the tincture into the containers.
Cautions
When creating tinctures at home, there are a few cautions to consider. For starters, there are some alcohols that are extremely harmful and should never be used to prepare an herbal remedy. These include industrial alcohol, denatured alcohols (also known as methyl alcohol), and rubbing alcohol (also known as isopropyl alcohol). Also, when administering tinctures to children, former alcoholics, and pregnant women, special care should be exercised. In these cases, an alcohol-reduced tincture might be in order.
Alcohol-Reduced Tinctures
Recovering alcoholics, women going through a pregnancy, children, and patients with gastric or liver inflammation will benefit from a tincture that is reduced in alcohol content. This can be achieved when adding 25 to 50 milliliters of nearly boiled water to a tincture dose (around 5 milliliters). All of this should be combined in a cup and allowed to cool, which also furthers the evaporation of the alcohol.
To get an idea of the kind of tinctures one may consider for home use , combining cinnamon sticks to a mixture of vodka and water makes an effective remedy for colds and stomach chills. It may also help to stimulate the circulatory system.