Willow Bark Tincture
This is the professional method for making a tincture with dried herbal materials. We will be using the standard 1:5 ratio of dried plant parts to alcohol. The process for fresh herbs is a bit different and uses a stronger alcohol. Please read the instructions carefully.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- glass jar with lid (not plastic)
- cheesecloth
- mesh strainer
- amber bottles with droppers *The number and size of bottles you need depend on how much you make. I will probably need only 1 of the 4 oz size and maybe a 2 oz bottle to catch any remainder.
Ingredients
- 100 proof vodka *50% alcohol
- dried willow bark (not fresh) *I'll put a link below for where I buy mine.
Instructions
- Gather your supplies.
- Set your scale to the ounce unit and weigh your willow bark. Note: the willow bark expands significantly after it absorbs the alcohol, so don't use too much willow bark. I had only 1.4 oz of willow bark left, so there is plenty of space for it to expand.
- Add the willow bark to the jar.
- Take the weight of your willow bark (in ounces) and multiply it by 5. This is how much alcohol you will use. I had 1.4 oz of willow bark, so I multiplied 1.4 x 5, which equals 7. I will add 7 oz of alcohol. We are using 1 part dried herbs to 5 parts alcohol (1:5).
- Now place the jar with willow bark on your scale, reset the scale to "0", and add your 100 proof vodka.
- Put on a lid and shake a few times. Label (see notes for how to label).
- Let the jar sit for 4-6 weeks, shaking daily.
- Now to harvest the tincture! Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl or container.
- Pour the contents of the jar into the lined strainer and allow the tincture to fully drain into the container.
- When the liquid is drained, gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and squeeze out any remaining liquid. Your tincture will be the color of rust.
- Use a container with a pour spout to pour tincture into an amber bottle. Label your tincture. *Free tincture label template here.
- It is ready for use!
Notes
*Label both your jar and the final tincture product with the following info:
- Name of plant
- Scientific Name of the plant (some plants have similar or same names; this avoids confusion)
- Date Made
- Parts Used (fresh or dried)
- Menstruum Used (what medium was used- we used 50% alcohol today (100 proof vodka)
- Ratio of ingredients (we used a 1:5 ratio of dried herbs to alcohol)
- Recommended usage (there are no official guidelines for this, but suggested dosage for willow bark tinctures ranges from 20-60 drops per use up to three or four times a day)