🌿 The Tincture Method a Clinical Herbalist Uses (and why it matters) 🌿
For years I made tinctures the “folk” way (aka: toss herbs in a jar, cover with alcohol, wait, strain). Easy… but here’s the problem: every batch can be a different strength — which makes dosing a total guessing game.
In this video, Dr. Patrick Jones (Doc Jones) from @HomeGrownHerbalist shows a more reliable approach: the Ratio Method ✅
It’s still simple — but it gives you consistent, repeatable tinctures you can actually trust.
🧪 Folk vs Ratio Tinctures
🍯 Folk method: “Cover the herbs with alcohol”
➡️ Fast and easy, but results vary a lot batch-to-batch.
⚖️ Ratio method: “Weigh herb + measure alcohol in a set ratio”
➡️ More consistent strength → better dosing accuracy.
📌 The Ratio Method (simple version you can do at home)
✅ Use dried herbs (more consistent than fresh because fresh plants can dilute alcohol with their water content)
⚖️ Common ratio for dried herbs: 1:5
1 part herb (by weight)
5 parts alcohol (by weight/volume)
Example:
🌿 60g dried herb → 🥃 300g vodka
💡 Why grams works: Vodka is close enough to water in weight that using grams is accurate enough for home use.
🥃 Choosing the Right Alcohol
✅ Use drinkable alcohol only (vodka, brandy, rum, etc.)
🚫 Never use rubbing alcohol for anything internal.
🍸 Best all-purpose choice: 80–100 proof vodka (40–50% alcohol)
It extracts both:
💧 water-soluble compounds AND 🛢️ alcohol/oil-soluble compounds.
⚠️ If using very resinous plants (tree resins like myrrh/frankincense):
🔥 Everclear can be better.
🌬️ Why powdering herbs helps
🌀 Powdering increases surface area → better extraction.
It also reduces “fluffy air space” so the alcohol can fully soak everything.
⚠️ Tip: blending creates heat — if the blender gets warm, stop and let it cool (heat can degrade medicinal compounds).
⏱️ How long to steep?
📅 Traditional advice says 4–6 weeks…
✅ But if your herb is powdered, Doc Jones says it’s often effectively extracted in 1–2 weeks.
🫙 Storage & maintenance
🌑 Store out of light (cupboard is perfect)
🔄 Shake daily (or whenever you remember)
🏷️ LABEL EVERYTHING: herb + ratio + date
⚡ Why tinctures are “fast-acting”
⚡ Tinctures absorb quickly compared to teas.
Great when you want something ready now (not “wait while I brew a tea”).
💧 Bonus: Topical use + dilution tip
🧴 Tinctures can be used topically too (pain, muscles, skin, etc.)
If it’s an open wound, Doc Jones dilutes:
🥄 1 tsp tincture in a couple ounces of water to reduce sting.