From the garden ELLEN PEFFLEY
A medicinal use for late summer herbs is to preserve them as a tincture. Tinctures are not the same as the culinary vinegars; rather, they are solvents used in herbal medicines and are products not intended for consumption as a food. Tinctures are concentrated extracts made by soaking various plant parts, that may be foliage, roots, bark, or fruit. Active ingredients in the plant parts are diffused into alcohol or vinegar. The active ingredients and the medicinal properties of plants are preserved in the liquid with concentrations varying in strength from weak to 90% in strength.
Tinctures of plants are used in herbal medicine, some anecdotally, others studied empirically. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers most tinctures in the same class of products as supplements, as health effects are unclear.
Note: This column is not an endorsement of any mixture..
Caution: Before making a tincture make certain the plant material is safe to use and the plant part to be preserved is safe to use. Always consult a physician before initiating any herbal curative program. Be aware that there may be side effects.
Grain alcohol is more efficient in extracting properties than vinegar, which is an acid. More essential oils and aromatic compounds can be extracted with an alcohol based preparation, making stouter tinctures.
The higher the alcohol content, the greater the extraction efficiency. Even vodka can be used as the liquid. There are several reasons that alcohol tinctures are preferred over vinegar-based tinctures: the action of alcohol may have enhanced microbial inhibition; alcohol is more efficient in extracting resins; and alcohol has a long shelf-life.
Homemade tinctures may be a good use for surplus herbs or plant material, are easy to concoct and are not expensive to make. Healthline.com lists some common plants used for tinctures: chamomile flower; feverfew leaves; garlic cloves and roots; ginger roots; Gingko leaves; milk thistle fruit; St. John’s wort flowers and leaves; valerian roots.
To make a tincture: collect plant material known to be safe; finely chop; add plant material almost to the top of a glass container; completely submerge herbs or plant parts with alcohol of choice; place plastic or parchment paper over the top; cover tightly; let sit in a dark place. After eight weeks strain the concoction, decanting pure liquid into a clean glass container.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
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