Tinctures: Alcohol & Vegetable Glycerin Herbal Remedies

Taking an herbal tincture is a great way to use herbal medicine to manage ailments of the body and mind. This method to taking herbal medicine involves ingesting it whether that is in a tea, under the tongue, in water, or another method used to receive the beneficial components of the plants orally.

As a disclaimer, I am not a registered herbalist or practicing physician (yet!). It is important that you consult with a physician before deciding to take herbal remedies.

How I started:

My first two tinctures were alcohol based. From what I researched, this was a beneficial way of preserving the herbs and infusing the tincture with the most beneficial components of the plants. The process was fairly simple, in a mason jar I combined dried herbs and everclear grain alcohol. This mixture sat for about 8 weeks, was strained and then stored.

I followed a 1:5 ratio for dried herbs meaning 1 part herb and 5 parts alcohol or vegetable glycerin and 1:2 ratio for fresh herbs meaning 1 part herb and 2 parts alcohol or vegetable glycerin. This varied slightly depending on the size of my jar or amount of liquid I had to infuse the herbs, as well as the amount of harvested herbs.

The first two attempts at tinctures were certainly a learning process! I find them to be most effective when taken on a consistent basis. The lavender tincture helped to reduce stress and ease my mind but I could not get past the alcohol taste. It seemed to overpower the herbs and made me want to dump out the mixture.

Helpful Tip: Put your tincture dosage into an herbal tea to burn some of the alcohol out of it. This tip saved me from dumping it out! I still use this helpful tip with my vegetable glycerin tinctures and find it helpful in making sure that I am properly dosing my herbal remedies while also ensuring that I am taking them in an efficient manner.

Now, my tinctures are made with vegetable glycerin. Vegetable glycerin is made using soybean, coconut and palm oils. Using vegetable glycerin reduces the harsh taste that alcohol can leave lingering in your mouth. It has a sweet taste that when combined with the medicinal herbs makes them more palatable.

The tinctures I have made so far:

Lavender Tincture – Alcohol Based

For this tincture, I used dried lavender flowers and leaves. I picked the lavender from my garden, and gave it a quick rinse. Once the leaves sat in a sunny window for about 2 weeks, it was ready to be made into a tincture. For this step, I put 1/3 of the leaves and flowers into a mason jar, then poured Everclear gain alcohol over the flowers and left the jar in my cabinets for 8 weeks. After the time was up, I strained the mixture leaving just the liquid and stored it in an amber jar.

Good for: sleep, relaxation, mood booster, insomnia, pain, depression, soothe gut, reduce inflammation and reduce bloating.

Dandelion Tincture – Alcohol Based

To make this tincture, I began collecting dandelions from areas in my yard that were free of human and pet traffic. The dandelion flowers were the primary parts used but I also collected leaves and a few roots. The flower parts were washed and then put into a jar. I filled the jar about 1/3 of the way with dandelion parts then poured Everclear over them. The jar was then stored in a dark and cool cabinet in my kitchen and shaken daily. Once it reached 8 weeks, I drained the mixture and stored it in an amber mason jar. I chose an amber jar because it helps block out sunlight allowing the tincture to remain stored for a longer period of time.

Good for: weight loss, inflammation reduction, digestion, immune system, and appetite stimulation.

Lemon Balm Tincture – Vegetable Glycerin

Another garden herb tincture from my own home garden. Lemon balm was one of my easiest and favorite herbs to grow. It continued to provide for multiple harvests this season. After gathering a collection of lemon balm, it was washed and set in a sunny place to dry for a few days. The leaves are thinner than some other herbs like lavender, so it did not take as long to finish the drying process. Once dried, I filled a mason jar 2/3 of the way full and topped it off with vegetable glycerin. This jar sat in my cabinet for 8 weeks and then was strained, and stored for later use.

Good for: Sleep, Anxiety, Increase appetite, ease pain, and to ease indigestion.

Oregano Tincture – Vegetable Glycerin

My TikTok for you page had been showing lots of people making Oregano oil as a method to boost the immune system during the cold and flu seasons. I wondered if the same concept could be applied to making it as a tincture. After researching the medicinal benefits of an Oregano Tincture, I found that it has similarities to taking Oregano Oil.

Growing in a container on my porch, a handful of Oregano was harvested, washed, and dried then prepared in a mason jar and topped off with vegetable glycerin.

Good for: antioxidants, anti-bacterial, yeast reduction, antifungal, rich in Vitamin C, contains calcium, potassium, and folate.

Peppermint Tincture – Vegetable Glycerin

This one was fun to make, peppermint is one of my favorite within the mint family. It has great medicinal properties and grows so quickly! It was almost hard to keep up with harvesting it. After drying and storing a majority of the plant, I decided to turn it into a tincture as well. The dried leaves were used alongside vegetable glycerin.

Good for: Bloat, nausea, indigestion, heartburn, cramps, IBS, and stomach gas.

Skullcap Tincture – Vegetable Glycerin

Skullcap has been my most frequently used tincture. I’ve used this as a sweetener for teas and it’s mood boosting, bloat reducing properties work well with the herbal teas it is combined with. One of my favorite blends so far has been a Mint Fresh blend using Apple Mint, Peppermint, Lemon Balm and Skullcap Tincture. It was made using herbs sourced from a local apothecary, the herbs were already dried when purchased. I combined 1/3 of the dried herb and vegetable glycerin and allowed it to sit in the herbal cabinet for 8 weeks.

Good for: Smoking cessation, depression, neurological disorders, and anxiety.

Dosages for Herbal Tinctures:

As a disclaimer, I am merely a home herbalist and not a physician. Please consult with your physician before taking any herbal remedies. With that being said, dosages for herbal remedies can vary. Generally, I found that taking ½ to 1 ML to every 1 ounce of water in my tea provides the greatest benefit for my body. I’ve seen some recommendations that call for a person to take anywhere from 10-60 drops multiple times a day. Usually, when I have an evening or mid-day tea, I will add the dosage mentioned above. I’m certain that some herbal remedies are stronger than others and therefore may react with your body differently. My only suggestion (after consulting with your physician) would be to start small and work your way up to a dosage that works best for you.

I find that it is easiest to take my herbal tinctures, under the tongue or in tea form. Both methods work to deliver the tincture quickly and work to manage my ailments.

I would love to start offering tinctures as a product, this will come in due time. Learning more about dosages and being able to provide recommendations will require more training and extensive research. Holistic Bliss will get there soon, that is a promise (and self-challenge).

How Long Do They Last? These tinctures can last on the shelf for anywhere from 3 to 5 years. Alcohol based tinctures can last on the shelf for a more extensive period of time past the 3–5-year mark. Both should be stored in a cool dark place and my added recommendation is to store them in an amber or dark colored mason jar to ensure that light coming through does not spoil the mixture.