Tincture Worksheet for Alcohol based tinctures

INTRODUCTION For alcohol extracts a good formula to begin with is 1:5 ratio of dried herb to menstruum (or 1:2 if you want to use fresh herbs). That means that 4 ounces by weight of herb, you'll need 20 ounces (by volume) of liquid. If your herbs are not covered by that amount of alcohol, keep adding more until the herbs are fully submerged. Try covering the herbs by 1/2-1 inch. For the fluffy herbs like mullein, the ration may shift to 1:10. Keep track of the amount of alcohol you added. To increase surface area, grind up your herbs. Let it sit for 2 weeks and then strain well through a fine cloth such as muslin or cotton and store it in a glass container (avoid plastic & metal). Dosage: Depends on the herb and on the menstruum, but standard is 1/2 to 1 tsp 2-3x a day. If you make clinical strength tinctures using varying alcohol percentages, the following calculations may be used: Total menstruum desired multiplied by % alcohol desired divided by the percentage alcohol in the liquor used: equals volume of liquor needed. Subtract this amount from total menstruum to find total water needed. Total menstruum x % alcohol _________________________ = Volume of liquor needed % alcohol in liquor Example: If you have 4 ounces of dry herb and you want to make a tincture with 1:5 dry strength, you will need 20 ounces of menstruum (4x5). If you have 75% alcohol (=151 proof) and you will need 40% for your tincture, you'll need to make your calculations about the alcohol-water ratio. So to make a 20 oz bottle of tincture from 4 oz of dry herb in a 1:5 ratio with 40% finished alcohol content, you need to add 10.5 oz of 151 proof alcohol and 9.5 oz distilled water. 20 oz x .40 (40%) = 8 oz = 10.66 (round to 10.5) oz alcohol. 20-10.5 = 9.5 oz of water _______________ _______ .75 (75%) .75 (75%)