Making Echinacea Rose Hip Tincture

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth. 

Genesis 1:29

Making Echinacea Rose Hip Tincture. Oct. 3, 2024.

Little by little, the medicinal herb garden is growing. The first spot chosen for the herb garden was a nice, secluded place in the side yard away from traffic and animals. However, it just didn’t have enough sun for some of the herbs. Hence, the herb garden is now in a new location by the new greenhouse, which gets full sun. Not quite the private, monastic-inspired little spot I imagined, but enough sun. Hopefully, by this next year, things will be fairly bursting with apothecary roses, ivory calendula, Roman chamomile, Munstead lavender, thymes, marshmallow, and so much more. I planted many seeds in hopes of seeing results in the Spring, and so I wait. Some of those seeds were echinacea seeds. I have never grown these from seeds, although I have grown the plant on occasion. Likely, nothing will happen until Spring as they need cold stratification.

While I wait for the seeds, I bought some echinacea plants in order to have flowers to harvest next year. Apparently, they do not bloom until the second year. Echinacea is one I want to grow more of for its immune-boosting benefits. And in the meantime, until I have a supply of fresh echinacea to tincture, I ordered dried echinacea root and flowers to use for this winter season to help boost our immune systems.

Echinacea is a very popular, all-purpose herb that has been used for many maladies over the years. It is a natural antibiotic that may help our bodies resist infections. Echinacea is also an adaptogen herb, which means it also supports general well-being. It has a long history as Native Americans used echinacea for centuries here in the U.S., where it originates. Europe found out about it and enthusiastically absorbed it into its culture. Now echinacea is popular worldwide. Unfortunately, that has led to over-harvesting and the subsequent decline of native echinacea populations out in the wild. I can’t imagine a better reason for growing echinacea at home in the garden.

Making both Echinacea & Rose Hip Tincture and Glycerite

My husband and I do a fair bit of traveling, and we find airplane rides to be the biggest source of sickness for us. It seems as if every time we get off a plane, we start to battle something. Consequently, we are always looking to boost our immune systems. This makes echinacea the perfect addition to our medicinal herb chest during the winter season. Although it is commonly used to treat colds, echinacea is better used to prevent sickness. This means it is more appropriate to use it if you will be around many people in a small area.

I decided to make both echinacea tincture and glycerite. And since rose hips are a tremendous source of vitamin C, those were also included. Tinctures and glycerites are both extractions of an herb’s important medicinal properties. The difference is the solvent, or menstruum, used. In a tincture, the herbs are soaked in alcohol for 4-6 weeks. The extracted alcohol is the tincture. In a glycerite, the herbs are soaked in vegetable glycerin, also for 4-6 weeks, and the extracted glycerin becomes the glycerite.

Whether to make a tincture or a glycerite depends on the herb and a few other factors. Some herbs respond better to one than the other. Some herbs, such as echinacea, perform well in either method. And if you prefer, alcohol-free glycerite is the better option. Glycerites taste sweet and are more kid-friendly. Tinctures, however, tend to be more potent as well as have a much longer shelf life than the 1-2 years of a glycerite.

Have a beautiful day!