Easy Echinacea Tincture

Difficulty Level: *Easy

Might as well face it, despite this September heat wave the cool weather is coming. So let’s get ready for the those cold weather sniffles. In this week’s post I’ll show you how to make an immune-boosting tincture that will be ready for early December. If you ever bought Echinacea tincture from a health food store you’ve probably paid a pretty penny for it. But you can make your own tincture for a fraction of the cost and it is hardly any work. This is one of many herbal preparations that will be covered in our Herbal Medicine Making 101 class.

Materials

Dried Echinacea Root. Ottawans – you can find it at the Herb and Spice, and any other store that sells dried herbs. Alternatively you can order it from a great herbal supplier called Richters.
Plain vodka, or brandy, or apple cider vinegar.
A jar with a lid
Plastic wrap if using vinegar
If you want to make this tincture even more effective for colds, you can add a couple of tablespoons of Goldenseal. It’s usually powdered and a expensive, but you only need a little. It is also incredibly smelly! Please make sure that your goldenseal is from an ethically harvested source (like Richters) as it is a threatened species.

Directions:

Pour the echinacea root into a jar.
Pour alcohol or vinegar over the root so it covers it by 1 inch. The root might float around so estimate how much you would need to pour in to cover it by 1 inch. Eventually it will sink.
Cover the jar with a lid and give it a shake. If you are using vinegar, put a layer of plastic wrap at the bottom of the lid so the vinegar won’t eat away at the metal.
The next day the plant material will probably have sunk and some of the alcohol will have absorbed into it. Top up the alcohol so it is 1 in above the plant material.
Let the mixture sit in a cool, dark place for about 4-6 weeks. Give it a shake every couple of days to move the alcohol around the herb.
After 4-6 weeks, strain. You can use a fine mesh strainer, or a clean cotton cloth that you can squeeze (you get more from the herb if you do it this way). Please note: you don’t have to strain out the herbs now, you can leave it for years if you want, but if you want to get using it – strain. Discard the plant material. The strained liquid is your finished tincture!
If you have a tincture bottle with a dropper, you can pour it in there. If not, don’t fret. You don’t need it. Simply use a teaspoon to take out the amount you need.
Store your tincture in a cool, dark place. Don’t forget to label you jar! Tinctures last indefinitely, but its benefit are best felt if used within two years.

Some general information on tinctures:

Certain herbal alkaloids and resins are extractable only into alcohol, not in water. Water is better for extracting vitamins and minerals for herbs. Therefore tinctures are best for you need and immediate medicinal effect (e.g. to relieve a headache), or when dealing with horrible tasting or expensive plants (these tend to be roots).
Small quantities of tinctures are effective. This makes them more portable so they are great when traveling.
Tinctures act very quickly, especially when administered under the tongue.
Tinctures remain potent for many years.
For people who have problems with alcohol you can use apple cider vinegar instead. Although not quite as effective, the vinegar still extracts some of the medicinal qualities. The usual dose of a medicinal vinegar tincture is one teaspoon per hundred pounds of body weight. We will do a separate post on herbal vinegars shortly!
Keep your tincture in a place where you can watch the interesting changes in colour and remember to shake it.

Using Echinacea

Echinacea is one of the most studied herbs.It can be used for a variety of purposes including:

Acute infection (Bacterial, Viral, Fungal)
Chronic infection (Bacterial, Viral, Fungal)
Infection prevention
Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (including common cold, flu sinusitis, conjunctivitis, otitis media, pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis)
Gastro-Intestinal Conditions (candidiasis, peptic ulcer, dysentery, infectious hepatitis)
Urinary Tract Infections
Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia

But what it is most known for is its use for the common cold. Echinacea works best if taken at the fist signs of a cold or to prevent colds rather than to treat an existing cold. Most often I take Echinacea after a cold for about a week or too so I don’t get sick again. Echinacea is not the kind of herb that should be taken continuously.

It is best to take Echinacea tincture with a bit of vitamin C, so add it to some lemon water or take with a Vitamin C tablet. Orange juice isn’t actually that good to drink while sick – too much sugar.

Dosages for herbal tinctures vary based upon the power of the herb and the reason for its use. Commercial tinctures are labeled with the recommended dosage, usually 10-30 drops three times per day. For a common cold, I suggest taking ½ to 1 teaspoon (1 tsp is about 60 drops) 3 to 4 times a day, per day.

Dosages for children are determined by the size of the child, the ailment, the power of the herb you intend to use, and the adult dosage. Young’s Rule for determining dosage uses the child’s age divided by twelve plus the age. The dosage for a 4 year old: 4/12+4 = 4/16 = 1/4 of the adult dose.

If you have any medical issues, particularly an auto-immune disorder, please consult a practicing herbalist for recommendations.

Making other tinctures

You can make tinctures out of all kind of herbs – fresh or dried – following the same method. Here are are some easily found herbs that you can tincture and what they are known to help with:

Valerian Root in vodka – Use for insomnia if things like chamomile tea haven’t worked for you.
Hops in vodka – This is another great one for insomnia. Tincture it using fresh hops if they are available to you.
Catnip in apple cider vinegar – Helps with stress and anxiety, can also be used for insomnia. Try it on your salads (add a bit of honey or maple syrup)!
Elecampane root in vodka – This is a strong herb for a heavy duty wet cough. Those types of coughs that are really in the lungs. Use to help relieve mucous.
Dandelion root in vodka – great for digestion and helping your body absorb nutrients from your food. Take before or after you eat.

Some helpful links:

Susan Weed on Echinacea
Check out this video of Rosemary Gladstar making Echinacea Tincture
University of Maryland Medical Center