Understandably, I have seen an uptick in people interested in natural health lately. Adversity often brings us positive side effects! I am finding, however, when I suggest a tincture to someone, they often don’t know what they are. Many confuse tinctures with essential oils, which are two very different things. Tinctures are an alcohol extract of a plant. You can use vinegar, water or oils to extract properties from plants, but we tend to refer to those as “extracts”. Alcohol is most often the best menstruum (solvent) for extracting the constituents of a plant. The alcohol also acts as a preservative, giving tinctures a shelf life of many years. They are also an easy and convenient way to take dietary supplements, or to have on hand in case of illness. I keep a skullcap tincture on my night stand for those nights I feel restless and can’t sleep. Skullcap is great for quieting the mind, so it’s particular useful these days!

If you’d like to learn more about tinctures, check out this article to get you started. It’s part of an enjoyable series on incorporating herbs into your daily life. I hope it will spark your interest in adding tinctures, as well as other herbal products, to your health regime and medicine cabinet.

Here is a list of tinctures I currently have on hand. I intend to be adding more, so let me know if you don’t see one that you’d like to try. Or pick up the herbs and make your own! (I’ll be adding an updated list of the bulk herbs and products I carry soon.)

If you have any questions, or would like more information, don’t hesitate to contact me. Wishing you all good health and peace.