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Herbal Tinctures
Tinctures are widely used liquid pharmaceutical preparations traditionally obtained by maceration of one or more medicinal plants in ethanol–water solutions (Politi et al. 2009). Alcohol around 80-proof is acceptable, but the higher the proof the better as the alcohol extracts the herb by desiccation, essentially wringing out the aromatic essence of the herb into the alcohol (Wardwell pg 20). However, the concentration of the solution is dependent on the type of herb and as some medicinal compounds do better in different solutions (Wardwell pg. 20). A mindfully made and stored tincture can last for up to 5 years as alcohol is a preservative, and a standard dose 1-2 drops of 20% alcohol herb tincture for every 5 lbs body weight, mixed in water (Wardwell pg 48). Tinctures should be diluted with water for ingestion, or taken under the tongue, especially as they generally don’t have the most pleasant taste. The amount of alcohol in the average dose of tincture is comparable to 1/30th of a standard glass of wine (Belew 1999). For frequency and duration of use depends on the illness, for acute conditions such as colds, it is recommended to take smaller doses more frequently (around 10 times a day), but for nourishing overall health or treating chronic long term conditions, it is recommended to take the standard dose 2-4 times a day, for 6-8 weeks or longer (Wardwell pg 49).

Tincture “how to” (Wardwell pg 50-51):
Materials - pint size glass jar with tight fitting lid, about 2 cups of fresh plant material, 2 cups of high proof vodka


 * 1) Clean the plants and separate the parts you will be tincturing, chopping up the plants opens the cell walls to the alcohol and speeds up the process, which is useful if you want to use it within 1-2 weeks, but isn’t necessary.
 * 2) Fill glass jar with plant material, leaving at least 1 inch for head room
 * 3) Completely submerge the plant material in alcohol, stir to release any air bubbles, add more alcohol to cover, and then shake vigorously for 1 minute.
 * 4) Label and date and place jar in a cool dark place for 3-6 weeks to sit, shaking periodically, adding more alcohol as needed.
 * 5) Then strain out the liquid using a cheesecloth, then wrapping the cheesecloth around the herbs to extract any additional liquid

** dried herbs can also be used, but they should be ground up.

Examples of common tinctures and their make up (Wardwell pg 54-57):

 * Digestive health (catnip, ginger root, dandelion root, mallow root)
 * Female reproductive health (borage leaf, lemon balm, raspberry leaf, violet blossom, burdock root, plantain leaf)
 * Cold season (poplar bark, mullein leaf, thyme leaf, lemon balm, mallow root, violet blossom, peppermint leaf)
 * Dysentery blend (blackberry root, alfalfa, mallow root, rose petal)
 * Stress reducing (young strawberry leaf, lemon balm, st. john's wort blossom, lavender, borage seeds, plantain seeds)
 * Skin wash (walnut leaf, st. john’s wort blossom, rose leaf, thyme leaf)

Alternative Medicine Overview
The use of alternative medicine has been increasing in the last few decades. From 1990 to 1997, the estimate for american adults using at least one form of an alternative medicine increased from 38% to 42% (Belew 1999). The potentially savings in healthcare costs has also attributed to the increased in interest in natural remedies. A cost-analysis study at a medical center in Oklahoma concluded that they spent nearly $1 million on Prozac (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and researchers concluded 25% of these patients could be treated with St. John’s Wort, saving over $250,000 a year (Belew 1999). Many developed countries such as Canada, England, France, and Germany still recognize and use herbal remedies, in Germany specifically, physicians prescribe herbs to 60-70% of their patients (Belew 1999). Herbal medicine has been shown to be an effective treatment for many chronic, stress related problems such as eczema, acne, PMS, menstrual irregularities, menopause, chronic hepatitis, asthma and other autoimmune diseases (Belew 1999). Herbalists prefer to use tinctures as many believe they are as effective if not more than standard extracts because of how tinctures are able to nourish the entire body in a deeper broader way (Belew 1999).

Study Findings Supporting Usage
A study examined the practice of Curanderismo (alternative medicine) in the southwest and tested the effectiveness of herbal tinctures to treat wounds and infections by the antibacterial properties and found that tinctures are effective in generating antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Romero et al. 2005). Another study looked to see if the antibacterial properties in Althaea officinalis (marsh mallow) affected the microbial metabolism of Escherichia coli, and found Marsh mallow to be effective (Watt et al. 2007). Additionally, a study looked to see if Echinacea purpurea, Astragalus membranaceus and Glycyrrhiza glabra, had the ability to activate immune cells and found that the activation took place in 24 hours and continued 7 days after ingestion, demonstrating tinctures ability to be immune boosting (Brush et al. 2006). Another study looked at Solidago (goldenrod) to see if it had effective phytochemical characteristics and antioxidant proporites and found that preparations prepared with 70% ethanol were very effective (Apati et al. 2003).