Hey.
I posted here last fall, and "alcohol in tinctures" was a topic discussed then. But I want to be sure about two things if I'm going to tincture with everclear (which I am):
1. Dropping the dosage in freshly boiled water (for tea) allows the alcohol to evaporate to a point where it shouldn't be a concern.
2. the potency of my tincture dose will not be effected.
I've added: Lavender, St.JW, Feverfew, Soapwart, Nettle, Ginkgo, Lemon Balm, Licorice and Marshmellow to my garden and I'll be tincuring them when their time comes (soaking Lavender and Lemon Balm now!)
Jeffrey
Safe tincturing for the alcoholic
Jeffrey, alcohol will not evaporate or burn off completely. If someone is avoiding alcohol for religious reasons or because they are physical alcohol problems, I wouldn't recommend an alcohol tincture. You may try making a glycerite or acetum or tea for them.
Thanks for your reply, herbalbetty.
My other concern was losing strength of the dose. Do you have any knowledge regarding that?
Thanks in advance.
Jeffrey
You can make tinctures with apple cider vinegar or food-grade glycerine. Glycerine is one of the best choices, if you can't use alcohol. It creates tinctures that hold up just as long as alcohol tinctures, and many people think it tastes better, though I've always found it a little sweet for my tastes. Supposedly, glycerine extracts just as much useful "stuff" from the herbs as alcohol. :) Apple cider vinegar tinctures are neither as potent or as long-lasting, so I'd only use ACV as a last resort.
It is true that boiling will remove SOME of the alcohol--about half--but not all of it.
When I tincture with alcohol, I use vodka and cut it with spring water to get a 50/50 ratio. It's said that using pure alcohol will result in a lack of certain water-soluble herbal components in your tincture, and that the alcohol will draw some of the components out while the spring water takes care of the rest.
I'm not sure how the water issue works when you're working with glycerine, so you might want to look into that!
Good luck,
-Moonpye
Thanks, Moonpie.
My resistance to using anything but Everclear was because everything I've read told me nothing works better for extracting the compounds I need from the herb -- including glycerine and water. It's amazing to me that there's still varying opinions. Haven't tests been done to prove one process or another? I mean, if glycerine works just as well... and lasts just as long,..
You might check out a great book called The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook by James Green. He covers each of the tincturing options in depth!
I'm guessing there haven't been a lot of studies done, simply because studies require funding, and most funding for medical studies comes, in part, from big pharmaceutical companies/the government...that's why only a small handful of the vast, vast number of medicinal plants out there have been "officially" tested.
It's especially frustrating, because we live in a world where funded medical studies are everything. If it wasn't tested in a study hosted by a major university or pharm. company, it must be poisonous and terrible. : /
At any rate, I feel your pain with the confusion here. I'd like to think that tincturing is often made out to be far more difficult than it actually is! Once you've settled on a menstrum, you're home free. I'd definitely recommend the James Green book. I found it immensely informative.
-Moonpye
Just my 2cents -- having a very dear friend who is an alcoholic, I wouldn't risk an alcohol based tincture, no matter how carefully it was prepared. I would be afraid it would be enough to set the next incident off. Not worth it!
Moonpye.
Thank you for your recommendation. I'll pick up the book this weekend. I study under Dr James Duke, here in Maryland, but I haven't been to his garden for two weeks to ask. I have a lot of his books too. He's amazing.
Again, my concern isn't only the alcohol. It's the shelf life of the tincture. I plan to market them and need to have solid info to pass on to my customers. (I've heard 5 to 10 years) I'll also check on what happens to the dose of the alcohol-based tincture when it's dropped in hot water. I'd hate for the medicine to evaporate, even a little.
I'll post any info as I get it (if it's fact anyway)
Jeffrey
This would be an appropriate thread for the "medicinal herbs" forum if we ever get one. Just spreading the word -- if y'all have a subject that is more medicinal than culinary, please put "MED" in the subject line. That way the powers that be can guage whether it would be worth it to establish another forum. Thanks!