Catgirl asked me a question concerning tinctures so I thought I’d just write up how I make them. I’ve spent a lot of time learning how to do it and the stuff I make is very high quality, better than what you can buy off the shelf. When I take singles, I do not take drops, I take a teaspoon, so I’m getting a higher dose than what is often suggested and with better results.
I’ve tried the vodka and brandy approach and have found that they are inferior to 190 proof alcohol combined with distilled water. Usually the best proportion is about half alcohol and half distilled water. The Buhner books, which I got from the library, tell the optimal ratio for the herbs he recommends. I also use “Making Plant Medicine.” I’ve tried Everclear and do not like it. I’m sure they use chemicals and it shows. I use 190 proof organic grape alcohol that I get from http://organicalcohol.com/store/. I buy it by the 5 gallons to cut down on price but it is very expensive. Regardless, the final product is a fraction of what it would cost to buy already made. They have other cheaper alcohols but I have not tried them.
I buy the herbs I need mostly from mountainroseherbs or I can get some of the harder to find from dandelionbotanical.com. I get them pretty whole and grind them in my Vitamix dry grains container for maximum freshness. Then I stick four ounces of the herb in a quart jar, add alcohol and distilled water, put on a canning lid, and shake. I then put the jars in the basement in the dark and shake them every day. If I’m in a hurry, I do this for two weeks; if not, I process them for six weeks. It’s important to label with name of herb and date.
When ready, I strain the fluid out into another bottle using a strainer and I squeeze the strained herbs in an Oxo potato ricer with a muslin cloth that I cut out for the task covering the ricer holes. Apparently there are good minerals and substances in the squeezed herbs. After that, I usually put the tincture through a coffee filter to get out more of the residue. After that, I let the herbs sit for awhile, pour the top part of the fluid into a separate smaller jar, and put the rest, which still has some residue into a smaller container. Eventually I dump the very small part with the residue out.
I’m sure this sounds like a bit much but it’s not such a big deal when you are set up and used to it. I figured it out with a lot of brain damage and with a gut that could not tolerate antibiotics anymore. I think I’m over lyme and probably still have babesia but with very improved symptoms. I’ll be doing another round of Buhner’s babesia protocol in the future. I’m also using essential oils for babesia and finding them pretty effective. Buhner’s new book on healing lyme is now out.
[ 09-25-2015, 10:21 PM: Message edited by: lymenotlite ]
Posted by SacredHeart (Member # 44733) on :
Thank you for the info. =)
Posted by tulips (Member # 44773) on :
Thank you. I really appreciate this information.
Posted by ukcarry (Member # 18147) on :
Thanks very much, Lymenotlite: good instructions. I have made wild (or bear) garlic tinctures, but have chickened out of making others.
Posted by Nula (Member # 38409) on :
This is so helpful. I'm always impressed when people make their on tinctures ...
Posted by gz (Member # 43818) on :
Thanks for posting lymenotlite. Very timely, I've been studying buhner lately and have also decided to make my own tinctures. There's no way we could afford the herbs any other way.
I did one of red root a while ago that turned out really nice. I love that many of the plants grow easily as weeds in much of the US. There is a stand of knotweed in my backyard that I have my eye on.
Teasel is another I am looking to harvest myself, and while I haven't had the energy to put in a garden I have been happy to let the poke keep growing . Buhner says it can be substituted for red root.
Given the price of the dried herbs I think boneset and sida acuta would be very good ones to cultivate.
Posted by lymenotlite (Member # 33166) on :
Since I had an inquiry about the tinctures, I thought I'd add something on this thread that I initially omitted. Washington state and organicalcohol.com in Oregon require a liquor license permit to purchase 190 proof alcohol.
I obtain a permit when I am low on the stuff and I email it to Alchemical Solutions (organicalcohol.com) as required before the purchase.
The reason I give to my state's liquor licensing people is that I am experimenting with a new product. This is in keeping with a website that I have featuring chocolate. The fee is only $5.
I've figured that, even with the expensive alcohol that I buy, the cost is about 1/4 what it would be if I purchased the tinctures online.
Posted by lymenotlite (Member # 33166) on :
And in response to another question;
I take artemisia tincture instead of artemisinin capsules. You can get artemesia annua at 1stchineseherbs.com and you have to order a pound. I couldn't get ahold of bidens pilosa so I am substituting with artemisia annua tincture.
I try to buy most of the herbs from mountainroseherbs but they do not have some of them. I got crypto and sida from dandelionbotanical.com. They were not cheap but much cheaper than buying already made tinctures. When mountainrose was out of American ginseng, I got some from Pacific Botanicals.
The Buhner book for this protocol only came out in the spring so a lot of people may not have tried it out yet. My symptoms are far fewer after 6 weeks. I will be taking the tinctures for five months because that is how long I was given mepron and I think babesia can survive for four months. Not sure about the specifics of that.
Everything that I take now is tinctures that I have made myself.
I accidentally sent catgirl a post so please ignore it.
[ 09-25-2015, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: lymenotlite ]
Posted by msdixie (Member # 46254) on :
Thank you!!! The tinctures like crypto add up in cost quickly .
I want to get the courage to try making the tinctures too.
Are you using essential oils internally or externally ?Which ones seem to help you the most ? I am also fighting babs and have no LLMD . Mepron often does not work , so this may help a lot of people . Also , many of the herbs and oils can hit MULTIPLE pathogens , unlike drugs. I think many can eradicate parasites and protozoa.
Please update us with your progress.
Where did you get the tincture info ? Was it in Buhner's book? Was it hard to make these tinctures? It could save a fortune because sida acuta and crypto are VERY costly for a tiny bottle that would be used up in literally a few days !
Posted by lymenotlite (Member # 33166) on :
And here is the Buhner protocol. I have read the book.
salvia miltiorrhiza (red sage or dan shen) tincture, 1/2 tsp 3x daily (get from sage woman herbs only, other formulations are too weak, will change shortly)
msdixie, I use mostly antibiotic essential oils like tea tree, frankincense, oregano, thyme, clove, and rosemary.
For years I've had a problem with swelling on my head, especially on the right side. Also my right ear was always bothering me. Headaches too. That has really diminished since I started with the Buhner babs protocol in conjunction with dropping essential oils on whatever part of my head was bothering me. I'm only using the essential oils externally. I did drop tea tree oil into my ear and it helped a lot but some of the oils can sting so be careful.
Posted by lymenotlite (Member # 33166) on :
I took notes from the Buhner book on alcohol to distilled water ratios and here are the pertinent ones:
Sage (Dan Shen), Salvia miltiorrhiza 50% alcohol, 50% water, 1:5
Cryptolepis sanguinolenta 60% alcohol, 20-40
Bidens pilosa Fresh juice is the best. Fresh plant, 1:2, 95% alcohol. Dried plant would be 1:5, 50% alcohol, entire plant but aerial parts best Look for it in your yard.
This is all I have for these ratios from Buhner but I also use "Making Plant Medicine" and it gives these ratios.
Artemesia annua Fresh plant is the strongest (Buhner) 1:5 (50%alcohol/50% water)
Ginseng, American (panax quinquefolius) 50A/50W
Schisandra berries 75%A/ 25%W
Licorice Water extract (tea) is preferred. Make a strong decoction and preserve by adding sufficient grain alcohol to bring the final alcohol content to 20%. This differs from what Buhner says but this is how I do it.
190 proof alcohol is 95% alcohol. 100 proof vodka is 50% alcohol.
Hope this isn't too intimidating but once the production line gets started, it's not so bad.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
. Buhner says it can be substituted for red root.