Tincture Question

Prepperid

TBH its not about the potency of the menstruum choice but matching the type of plant or herb you are wanting to extract, the type of minerals and vitamins you are extracting from within that plant (non-polar fat soluble compounds vs polar, water soluble etc), every plant is different, some extract better in alcohol, some in fats and oils, vinegars and water..so the statement isnt that vinegar is stronger than alcohol, or olive oil extracts more than 190 proof alcohol...the question becomes, Which is the most effective menstruum to use for the particular plant/herb I am using? With that said stronger isnt always better when it comes to making botanical extracts either, sometimes a stronger menstruum can damage some of the more delicate compounds. Often we use both methods for an end product that has extracted both polar and non polar compounds form a plant.

Happy Healing
Heather

Prepperid

Thanks Heather.

creatinghealthwellness

thanks for a comprehensive and informed answer!!

Michael Gray

Prepperid, what are you intending to make into a tincture? Or, maybe it would be better to start a new question, so more people can see it.

I ask because maybe more specific questions have developed in your mind now that you’ve read Ms. Duro’s excellent reply.

alindsay22

I just did a trial with 8 small jars of herbs using vegetable glycerin because I want to get away from alcohol with my kids.

I also appreciate Heather's answer because I've often noticed some things work great for me tinctured, but others I have found work better as a tea or powder in water or capsuled.  I always wondered if it's what works for me personally or if different herbs do better with different preparations.   I would love to know if there is a resource out there to identify what works best for what.

H_D

Alindsay22

one answer is I am sure there are herbal preparation books out there that indicate this or which menstruum is best to use
my second answer (this is the route I took personally) is simply learn the compounds in your herbs and decide which extraction method is best for your needs. for instance..when i extract cannabis I use alcohol for specific needs, extract into oil for different uses and a water extraction for other uses and the results are different products.

a tip: with alcohol extractions you can eliminate the alcohol by putting the dose in hot water and let it cool to drinking temps..

herbs can have fat soluble compounds, water soluble compounds ..there are 3 basic ways to extract..alcohol (which includes the water component), glycerin, and vinegar. Alcohol is the most used because it can extract a wide variety of compounds effectively but you should also know which herbs youre using, the parts and what method is best to extract..often flowers are extracted with different alcohol percentages than roots and resins need a higher alcohol content to extract..

herbs can contain fats, resins, waxes, most alkaloids, and some of the volatile oils, as well as many other plant compounds. using everclear you almost always have to add water to the extraction. Vinegars and Glycerin will only extract certain compounds not all of them ..alcohol extracts ensure youre getting everything and better for harder to extract compounds in resins and barks this way.

with that said MRH has a great write up here for glycerite info https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/make-glycerin-extracts-glycerites and here for extracts extracts and what strength alcohol to use with which kind of herb https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/guide-tinctures-extracts

Hope that covers it
Happy Healing
Heather