Where do you find 100 Proof Vodka for tinctures?
lynnfrazer
15 years ago
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wanderingbluemu
15 years agofatamorgana2121
15 years agoRelated Discussions
astragalus root tincture
Comments (5)Not a dumb question at all; just a bit of algebra. (You remember algebra. "Jimmy's taking algebra in school! Say something in Algebra, Jimmy!" ;-) ) (By the way, the rule of thumb is if you're over 22% total alcohol by volume, you're okay, based on all I've read. I just added a little margin for comfort, and to account for measuring inaccuracies, when I said 25%.) Taking the scenario I gave above as an example, you'd have 16 ounces of decoction, consisting of only water (and plant compounds, of course). Rather than go into the formulas, just go by this: Start by measuring the amount you have, and apply one of these models: * If you can get 95% pure ethanol to preserve with ("Everclear" is the brand in my local liquor store), then just add a little more than one third as much 95% ethanol as the decoction. For our example, this is (16*0.33)/0.95 = ~5.5oz Everclear. That will bring the total to 21.5oz, of which 5.5 ounces is alcohol, or -> ((5.5oz * 0.95) / 21.5oz) * 100 = ~27% alcohol * If you can only get 100 proof vodka (~50% alcohol), then use roughly an equal amount of vodka as decoction. That will make three parts water, and one part alcohol, or 25% alcohol. -> ((16oz * 0.5) / 32oz) * 100 = 25% alcohol * If you can only get 80-proof vodka, then you'll need to add about 1-1/2 times as much vodka as decoction. In our example, this would be (16*1.5) = ~24oz vodka. Then you'll have a total of 16oz + 24oz = ~40oz. The percentage of alcohol in that case would be: -> ((24oz * 0.4) / 40oz) * 100 = ~24% alcohol A couple of notes are in order here: 1. As you can see, the cost of the endeavor goes up substantially with the lower-concentration vodkas! Even though Everclear is more expensive by the ounce, in the end it's much less expensive, since you use much less of it. Even 151 rum (~75% alcohol) is probably less expensive in the end, if you can get that. (Use about half as much 151 rum as the volume of the decoction to get 25% total alcohol by volume, or 16oz decoction + 8oz rum, (to get 6oz alcohol).) 2. The lower concentration sources of alcohol also mean that you'd be taking potentially a lot more of the overall preparation, and more alcohol, to get a given amount of active plant components. Best to use the most concentrated alcohol you can get. If you must use 50% or 40% vodka to preserve with, you'll probably want to increase the dosage to 1/2 teaspoon every three or four hours. And BTW, some herbalists recommend that you soak the herb overnight in cold water before beginning the simmering and reduction process, to get the most out of it. I did, and as I said, the resulting medicine seems to work quite well. Please let us know how you make out in the end! -BH...See MoreSeeking tincture making advice
Comments (13)I realized after some thinking that Erodinia made an assumption that alcohol extracts was the best and only way to pursue the use of herbs. However, from her responses to many of the postings, I also realized that she doesn't have enough knowledge or experience to have made the decision to use only extracts. Truth is, a working knowledge of various methods of extractions is necessary to make a judgement of which application is best under different circumstances. For example, alcohol extracts are fine if you're wanting a fast immediate, short term relief of a symptom. But when you want to go deeper into a constitutional treatment (long lasting healing), it's better to avoid alcohol extracts since you'd need to take about 1-2 ounces of extracts per day to accomplish what would otherwise be done using a decoction. That's like taking 1-2 shots of vodka per day which is not bad in itself, but many wouldn't want that much alcohol everyday. Many of the Chinese recipes call for boiling or infusing the herbs in water. They've been using this method for over 2,000 years. There's lots to be said for this. You can take a greater quantity of herbs and maintain their food-grade qualities. Whereas alcohol tinctures kinda' puts herbs into a medicine-type form for relief of symptoms only, but not having the in-depth approach needed for a more lasting healing. Here's some specifics: When there's a chronic health problem for which people want an herbal remedy, an average of 15 herbs are custom blended. And there's an average of 9 grams per day per herb which equals about 1/4 pound of herbs per day. Now, convert that into an alcohol extract. 9 grams is about 1 teaspoon of alcohol extract (It's not calculated straight across as weight per menstrum as one might think). So, that's about 15 teaspoons per day of alchol extract to get the same quantity and quality of herbs decocted in water. That's about 5 tablespoons per day which is about 2 1/2 ounces of alcohol extract every day. See why the use of alcohol extracts becomes relevant and not absolute? I use both forms of the herbs depending on which approach I want to take. Hope this makes sense. If there are any questions, please raise your hand. HerbDoctor...See MoreDoes anyone make Tinctures/Teas
Comments (7)Public libraries are free. I would strongly suggest the books: The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook by James Green and Making Plant Medicine by Richo Cech. The first is an excellent book for people just starting out making herbal medicines and the second is better once you understand the basics. These are better than *any* website I know of for this information. I would, when you find the money, add these to your bookshelf. By the way, you can save yourself tons of cash by buying pre-loved (i.e. used) books. Even large on-line booksellers offer used copies. While I harvest and process lots of raw herbs for another to tincture, I don't make tinctures myself. I tend to put that in the same category with pills - it's nice for quick action but doesn't seem "natural" nor right. I prefer teas. I have mixed my own blends but I tend to like single herbs best that I can combine as I want or need. I also make salves using raw herbs, olive oil, and beeswax, can't get much simpler. Really, check out Jim Green's book. FataMorgana...See More100 foods to try before you die?? Lets make our own list!!
Comments (43)I've eaten horse, during the PBB scandal when all the cattle were poisoned and dropping over from PBBs in the cattle feed. LindaC, I bought Pocky at my local Meijer's and sent it to dishesdone, they had a chocolate and a strawberry version. Ashley says she's gotten it at WalMart right next to the college, it's a cookie shaped long and thin, not as big around as a pencil and dipped in chocolate or strawberry fudge. I have eaten crocodile AND alligator, and black pudding which Grandma used to call blood sausage. Nettle tea tastes icky and "green" but is supposed to be a diuretic and make your hair shiny, I can't figure out what the heck those two things have to do with each other, but I've tasted it because it's also supposed to be helpful for anemia. I didn't see that it helped. I had chicken tiki masala at a restaurant in Ann Arbor with Elery. It was basically a chicken dish with a curry kind of sauce over rice. Eh. I'm not a huge fan of curry. Paneer? Elery likes cheese. A lot. So we tried this, it kind of reminded me of the homemade yogurt cheese I make by putting yogurt in a strainer and letting it drain for several hours. Criollo chocolate is just a variety of cocoa bean. It's expensive and I found it to be very mild, I wasn't all that impressed with THAT either. I think I bought it at Fresh Market, and everything there is expensive so maybe that's just why it cost more. Tom Yum is just soup. I think it had coconut milk in it and it kind of reminded me of Chinese hot and sour. Annie...See Moresparrowhawk
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lynnfrazerOriginal Author