The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [85]
6. Cap jar tightly.
7. Shake tincture frequently for 14 days, then let it sit another day.
8. Decant, press, and filter.
9. Bottle, cap tightly, and label.
Tincturing fresh plant material
VARIATION 1
1. Chop and weigh the plant and place it in a large jar.
2. Prepare custom menstruum (see this page).
3. If you chose not to use an undiluted (absolute) 190-proof ethyl alcohol menstruum, be sure to mix together all the liquids of the menstruum thoroughly in a separate container before adding them to the plant material.
4. Add the menstruum to the herb.
5. Cap jar tightly.
6. Shake the tincture frequently for 14 days, then let it sit another day.
7. Decant the tincture, press the remaining wet pulp, and combine the two liquids.
8. Filter if desired.
9. Bottle, cap tightly, and label.
VARIATION 2
1. Chop the plant into small pieces and place them into a Vita-Mix or some other suitable blender.
2. Prepare custom menstruum (see below).
3. Cover the herb with menstruum and blend it like a smoothie. (You will have to use enough of the menstruum to cover the blender blades.) Use as much of the measured menstruum as you can to make the mixture churn actively in the blender. (In some instances, you may not be able to fit in all the menstruum during this blending stage.)
4. Pour the liquefied ingredients into a jar and cap tightly. Be sure you have added all the measured menstruum to the herb at some point during or after the blending process, in order to maintain the intended weight to volume proportion.
5. Shake the tincture frequently for 14 days, then let it sit another day.
6. Decant, press, and filter.
7. Bottle, cap tightly, and label.
Preparing the custom weight to volume menstruum
Two problems need to be addressed in preparing a custom weight to volume (w/v) menstruum: (1) determining the total volume of menstruum needed for the quantity of herb at hand; and (2) determining the “correct” (based on your judgment) combination and proportion of solvents within the menstruum.
To Determine the Total Volume of Menstruum
Example 1: To determine the total volume of menstruum required to make a 1:5 w/v tincture (also called a 20 percent tincture) of 400 Gm of powdered dried herb, simply multiply the weight of the herb by 5 (400 × 5 = 2000). This tells you that you need to prepare (a volume of) 2000 ml of menstruum to add to (the weight) 400 Gm of herb to give you a tincture strength of 1:5.
Example 2: To determine the total volume of menstruum required to make a 1:10 w/v (10 percent tincture) from 260 Gm of powdered dried herb, multiply 260 by 10 = 2600. You will need to prepare a volume of 2600 ml of menstruum for the weight of 260 Gm of herb.
Example 3: To determine the total volume of menstruum required to make a 1:2 w/v (50 percent tincture) from 215 Gm of fresh undried herb, multiply 215 by 2 = 430. You will need to prepare a volume of 430 ml of menstruum for the weight of 215 Gm of fresh herb.
When tincturing a fresh plant, one ordinarily makes a 1:2 w/v (50 percent tincture) and usually, but not necessarily always, uses a menstruum of pure 190-proof ethyl alcohol (according to the standards recommended by the International Protocol adopted at Brussels in 1902).
To Determine the Proportion of Solvents in the Menstruum
WHEN TINCTURING DRIED PLANT MATERIAL
This step requires some simple research. You need to look up the unique characteristics of the plant to become acquainted with its salient organic constituents (to later determine overall how much is water soluble and how much is alcohol soluble). As you involve yourself in the art and science of Herbalism, you will accrue a good working library of herbal references. Refer to these herbals to give you a