Everything You Need to Know About Making Your Own Tinctures
Posted on May 24 2022
Now that dry herbs have been legalized at the federal level, there has been much debate on the best way to consume them. In addition to skin rubs and edibles, making your own tincture is also a possibility. But what are tinctures and why are they so advantageous?
Defining Tinctures
Tinctures consist of a liquid that is held beneath the tongue, usually for a few seconds but sometimes as long as a minute. The substances which are inside it will be rapidly absorbed inside the bloodstream. The rapid absorption comes from the fact that the area beneath the tongue has a large number of blood vessels near its surface, which means that both dry herbs and other medications will easily enter the membrane and cellular walls.
Prior to certain herbs being outlawed early in the 20th century, users would utilize tinctures to apply it. In fact, major pharmaceutical companies such as Bayer sold it for conditions such as epilepsy, migraine, nausea and delirium. Despite this, tinctures declined in popularity starting around 1910, but have recently seen a resurgence. The main advantage of using tinctures is that they’re cost-effective, non-synthetic and safe. Best of all, they can be made in the comfort of your home.
How to Produce Your Own Tinctures
The first things you’ll need are herbal flowers. Legal strains will generate plant matter that is comprised of the right ingredients. This means that the herbal tinctures will not produce an effect strong enough to impair your ability to focus or operate machinery. Next, you’ll need to perform decarboxylation before making your tinctures.
Decarboxylation
This is a chemical procedure which is necessary since the dry herb component which naturally exists in plants is inactive. Since its bioavailability is extremely low, it alone will not produce the desired effects you want. To perform decarboxylation you’ll need these ingredients:
- Mesh strainer
- Mason jar that is lidded
- Baking sheet and parchment paper
- Bowl
- One ounce glass bottle that includes a dropper lid
- Everclear alcohol or similar spirit that is high proof
- Cheesecloth
Preheat an oven to approximately two hundred and forty degrees Fahrenheit. While preheating, use a grinder to split and shred your flowers. Next, put your shredded flowers on top of parchment paper on a baking sheet that is covered and place inside your oven for forty to sixty minutes. Afterwards, remove your baking sheet and allow it to cool at room temperature.
Creating the Tincture
Using the botanical infuser, you can make herbal tinctures using any herb that you like! Place your herbs in a small or large botanical infuser, then fill it up using Everclear or the spirit you chose. Next select "130°F" under temperature and "4 Hours" under time. If you select the "8 Hours" option, you will get a stronger tincture that has greater intensity. After the ingredients are infused, get your dishwasher-safe mesh bag and strain the contents before storing it inside your dropper jars.
We provide a 1-year limited warranty for our botanical infusers, so you can buy them with confidence. Contact us today at info@ongrok.com to learn more!