herbal tinctures + what they are + how to make them + dosage

hello hello + happy winter to all.  navigating through the tincture world can be a little confusing at times, that is the reason for this post.  first off lets start with.... what the heck is a tincture anyway? tinctures are alcohol based herbal preparations.  in other words i use alcohol to extract the active constituents of the plants. resulting in a high concentration of plant medicine in a little bottle.  the gathering process...

most of the plant material used in simply josephine herbals, is wildcrafted by me and/or some of my people that i have recruited .  some plants are organically grown in my garden, and a select few are ordered from mountain rose herbs.  i absolutely LOVE the wildcrafting process, honestly being in nature is the true medicine, in my mind.

i tincture my fresh plant material the same day that it is harvested, to ensure a quality product.  its respectful to myself, you, and the plants.  when its harvested, its processed right away.  the fresh plant material is laid out on a cutting board, inspected for dirt and bugs.  they are removed, and the plant material is chopped, placed in a clean jar, packed lightly to 3/4 full, then filled up to the top with 100 proof vodka.  capped tightly, labeled and dated, then stored in a cool dark place for months.  i keep mine in my pantry. if you are making your own tinctures, its really important to use 100 proof. it works the best i have found, but feel free to explore, there is a lot of information out there.  and it seems the only things that herbalists can agree on, is that everything must go into glass jars, haha. always alway always label and date your jar.  trust me if you think you can remember, you won't. 

the longer the medicine sits the better it becomes, however sometimes the show must go on.  all of the tinctures made by me, infuse for a long time.  i strained this lemon balm tincture in december, it had been infusing since july.  i have since made tinctures (dec 2017), that i will strain for the 2018 cold and flu season.  they are alcohol based, so they can infuse for as long as you need.  some people only strain as they need them. so therefore they can sit for years. after i strain the tinctures, through cheesecloth.  i bottle them in 2 ounce dropper bottles.

oh my goodness... moving onto dosage.  this is the hard part, as dosage is widely variable.  first off i will state, that it is good to take a few drops of the tincture ahead of time.  just to ensure that you and the herbal preparation get along. even if you don't need elderberry at this time, you might want to try a few drops in water, to make sure you all get along before you start pumping it at the onset of the flu. that is the first thing, okay great you get along.  when it comes time to take the tincture,  i like to put  them in a little water.  i have a very small tea cup, its cute and works well for taking the tincture in water.  a shot glass would work well also.  start with a few drops, and move up from there. tinctures start working right away, so if you are not seeing the results you want, move up quickly, with the dose.  if i personally feel something like a cold coming on, i will take two dropperfuls of echinacea tincture, several times a day. i will give my children one dropperful, several times a day.  all of the tinctures i make are very nutritive, and can be taken in large doses, given that you have worked your way up to them.

currently i offer:

elderberry : flu season, taken at the onset of the flu, very liberally

echinacea: viral infections, taken liberally at the onset

st johns wort : also for viral infections, especially herpes, improves mood, and muscles soreness

lemon balm : relax the mind, helps with sleep and anxiety  

yarrow ~ comes in a spray bottle : astringent, anti viral as well, excellent for those suffering from acne, spray directly on face.  bug repellent, also good for the mouth, you can brush your teeth with it.  in fact that is what i prefer to toothpaste

hawthorn : heart tonic, taken daily for the aging heart

catnip : calming irritable children 

well i guess some of these are out of stock, for the season.  this is my first year offering tinctures, so now i know i need to bump up production, and will do so happily.  i guess we are coming to an end, it sure has been fun.  if you want to stay connected or see my latest offerings, check out simplyjosephine.com, thanks for taking the time to explore tinctures, namaste    dacia