Tincture (an alcohol extract)

You need

• Dried herb, cut small
• Vodka of 80 to 100 proof (40 to 50% alcohol)
• A clean pint jar with a tight lid
• A label, cheesecloth and a dark dropper bottle

Makes about 1 cup.

Good for

Echinacea, Valerian, Lemon balm, Skullcap, Motherwort, Milk thistle, Ashwagandha, Elderberry, Passionflower, Gotu kola

Steps

1. Fill the jar about halfway with dried herb (or three-quarters with chopped fresh herb).
2. Pour in vodka until it covers the herb by about an inch.
3. Close the lid and label the jar with the herb and today's date.
4. Keep it somewhere dark and shake it every day or two for 4 to 6 weeks. Top it up with vodka if the herb pokes above the liquid.
5. Strain through cheesecloth, squeeze out the herb, and pour the liquid into the dropper bottle.

Keeping it: Years, in a cool dark cupboard with the lid tight.

Be careful: Tinctures contain alcohol. Not for children, pregnancy, anyone avoiding alcohol, or people on metronidazole or disulfiram. Vegetable glycerin works instead, but the result is weaker and keeps about a year. Follow the dose on each herb's sheet; homemade strength varies.