Tincture Handbook: Part 1 - Tincture Definition and Tincturing Terminology

by Jason J. Duke - Owner/Artisan

Fresh Content: September 8, 2022 23:51

Tincture - Duke's Materia Tonica
A Tincture is a Concentrated Liquid Supplement †

A tincture is an easy-to-take concentrated fluid supplement of any combination of vitamins, minerals, spices, herbs, botanicals, and/or superfoods that is taken in small serving sizes and fractional doses.

Herbal WisdomHerbal wisdom is when someone is being attentive of an important consideration in achieving success with herbs in herbalism for health and healing.
"An effective tincture is made in a balanced way to be taken consistently; therefore it has to be potent enough to work, but good-enough so that the bottle may be finished.

Tincturing Terminology

Tincturing is the overall process of making a tincture by macerating herbs through extraction methods into the menstruum and then discarding the unwanted precipitate and used marc.

Tincturing Words and Definitions

  • Herb
  • Extraction
  • Macerate
  • Menstruum
  • Precipitate
  • Marc

An herb is any edible non-intoxicating plant or plant part, including animals, bugs, seaweeds, probiotics, and minerals.

Extraction is the process of taking out the constituents and nutrients of herbs into the menstruum during a period of maceration which becomes the finished liquid extract.

A menstruum is the fluid used to macerate soaking herbs over a period of time through extraction which will become a finished liquid extract; or a menstruum is the fluid solvent used to dissolve a powder extract of an herb.

To macerate herbs is to soak and soften herbs in a fluid menstruum over a period of time by extraction to make a finished liquid extract.

Precipitates are the combined herb particles that will settle to the bottom of the liquid extract over a few hours.

Unwanted precipitates are plant parts, sand, and dust particles that have no potency in a tincture and are filtered out of the liquid extract.

Semi-soluble precipitates are important constituents of some herbs that are not to be discarded, such as peptides, polysaccharides, etc.

The marc is the spent and used-up leftover herbs after extraction that are discarded after all extraction steps.

Two Main Methods of Making Tinctures

  • Extraction
  • Dissolved

Three Types of Extraction Tinctures

  • Single-step
  • Dual-step
  • Multi-step

Tincture Handbook
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