Fresh Plant Tincture

If you have fresh plant material available, go with that for a tincture rather than using dried herbs. It’s almost always better, and in some cases, it’s really the only way to go. High-proof alcohol sucks the water out of the plant and makes a better extract.

What You’ll Need:

• 1 part by weight, fresh herb
• 2 parts by volume, 190 proof alcohol (sold as grain alcohol or ethanol)
• Jar with a tight lid, scale, scissors or clippers

Directions:

• Coarsely chop your plant material with clippers or scissors. Weigh it out.
• Shove the material into the jar – for leaves and flowers, squeeze as much as is humanly possible to get in there. For best results, use a jar that fits exactly the volume you need without leaving any space.
• Cover to the top of the jar with alcohol (even if this comes out to be slightly more or less that the 1:2 ratio) You may need to hold the plant material down as you fill the jar and use a knife or chopsticks to remove air bubbles. Put the lid on tight. No need to shake. Open the jar a few days later to top off the contents with a little more alcohol.
• After at least 1 month, strain the mixture through a cheese cloth. Squeeze out as much extract as you can with your hands.
• Pour into a dark glass bottle and store in a cool, dark, dry spot. The tincture will keep for 3 to 10 years!