Beginner Tincture Making - Safety Considerations

I am wondering if there are any experienced medicine makers here who would bestow wisdom in the area of tincturing. What safety considerations are important in alcohol tincture making?

For example I have heard they should be shaken. but when I have done this, plant matter ends up above the alcohol line and doesn’t that potentially leave room for bacterial growth?

What are signs a tincture is not safe to bottle and should be discarded?

Thanks so much for your time! Any advice is appreciated <3

If you shake your tincture and it does not settle back down under the menstruum (the alcohol and water level) then there is not enough menstruum in the product.

Regarding a tincture gone bad: I have made tinctures for over 40 years and never had one go bad, so can't tell you what they would look like. However, if I had one where the marc was above the menstruum such as you described, one might get the smell and visual indications of bacterial or fungal spoilage if the marc was sitting in the air for a long time. Same as with any food product. The fact that the marc was soaked in alcohol would protect it for some period of time. Depending on what it was, it might take place faster or slower.

I have completely free directions on my website for making both tinctures with the folk method as well as tinctures with the percolation method. You will find the links to both as well as how to make other herbal products (all for free) at https://youarethehealer.org/herbal-medicine/making-herbal-products/

Tinctures are one of the more forgiving types of herbal products. Glycerites are the most likely of the preserved herbal products to go bad on someone.

Good luck.

I haven't been doing it as long as Sharol - only about 15yrs, now - and I only the folk method. But, I've also never had one go bad.

I’m a newbie to tinctures. My best advice right now is to use the cheap grain alcohol and do not forget to dilute it when you are ingesting it. I tell you what, that shit is hot. Ask me how I know. Ha!
Also the higher % alcohol will kill all the things needed to ruin it so I won’t say it doesn’t EVER go bad….but it probably won’t.

Reminder: dilute. 🤪

The best alcohol strength for good, strong tinctures is about 40%abv (80proof), though 50%abv(100proof) will work. I've also done root/bark decoctions, then balanced them with alcohol, to create a tincture more quickly.

I'm a little less experienced with medicinal tinctures but have made a lot of infused liqueurs and that sort of thing, like nocino or blackberry cordial. I have never had an infusion go bad, even when using juicier ingredients vs herbals. If you want, you can cartouche the infusion until the plant material gets really saturated with the alcohol, holding it below the surface of the alcohol. I do that with a lot of infusions, ferments, etc, for a little more control and peace of mind. Once the material is really saturated with alcohol, it will likely easily stay below the surface anyway and won't provide a hospitable environment for pathogens regardless.

Like everything in this world, there are many ways to do things.

There is the folk method of tinctures with the percolation method of tinctures as mentioned above.

Then there is my way of just putting herbs in a jar and filling the jar with cheap 80 proof vodka.

It works for me.

Anne Miller wrote:Like everything in this world, there are many ways to do things.

There is the folk method of tinctures with the percolation method of tinctures as mentioned above.

Then there is my way of just putting herbs in a jar and filling the jar with cheap 80 proof vodka.

It works for me.

Same. I was overwhelmed with the books and all the ways. Then I just took a breath and threw some herbs in a jar with alcohol. Everything was okay. Haha.