2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Many people use medicinal tinctures, but do not know the rules for their preparation. Let's talk about the percentage of the original herbs and the concentration of alcohol, about the time and conditions of infusion, about storage and reception. Several recipes for the most popular tinctures are also described here
What is tincture
Isolation of active substances using an alcoholic solution and cold aging forms a healing drink called "tincture". For medicinal purposes, plant materials are used: medicinal herbs, berries, spices, inflorescences, spices.
In terms of effectiveness, tinctures are superior to aqueous extracts and decoctions, since the presence of alcohol enhances the healing properties of the ingredients. They differ from balms in a smaller number of components, concentration and density. Tinctures can be alcoholic, alcoholic, water-alcoholic. They are divided into three types according to taste.
• Semi-sweet are based on sugar syrup, berry and fruit components.
• Bitters are prepared exclusively with spices and herbs.
• Sweet ones are comparable to liqueurs, but they contain more alcohol, less sugar and have a healing effect due to the extractive ingredients. Fortress up to 40%.
The benefits of homemade tinctures
Experts confirm the presence of healing properties, their benefits are undeniable. Self-made "medicines" are saved from many ailments. They are used to increase potency, immunity. They are effective in cardiac ischemia, leukemia, atherosclerosis, and thyroid dysfunction. Proven activity for cleansing blood vessels and removing radionuclides. Medicinal plants improve metabolic processes, cleanse the body, and prevent diseases.
Tincture technology
The basis for the extraction of medicinal qualities is alcohol, which is used in different concentrations (40-70%). The higher the degree, the more benefit you can get. For these purposes, alcohol is usually not diluted, and after the end of the infusion process, water is added.
For the preparation of tinctures, you can take plant material in any form (dried, fresh). In addition to medicinal herbs, buds, leaves, fruits, roots, stems are used. To obtain high quality, the prepared raw materials are recommended to be crushed and then only poured with vodka / alcohol. Sugar is often replaced with fructose, honey, burnt sugar.
For the extraction of aromatic oils, useful substances, the infusion period is determined depending on the source material, and also depends on the ambient temperature. By the way, the duration of the stay of plants in solution improves the quality of medicinal properties. Most often, several stages are done with filtering and refilling with a new portion of vodka / alcohol. As a result, all the expressed fluid is combined and the infusion is ready for use. The average cooking time is 3-5 weeks.
If necessary, to speed up the process, the container is placed in a warm place, then the infusion will be prepared in 5-8 days. In any case, the room where the process takes place should be dark.
If you want to make a medicine from fresh raw materials, then different rules "work" here. The duration of infusion is reduced, otherwise the medicine will receive a distorted taste with a predominance of the smell of hay, and the color will be pale yellow. Therefore, for fresh stems, leaves, the time is reduced to 1-2 days. When using denser raw components (roots, seeds, berries, fruits), the infusion is increased and is 4 weeks.
Storage of tinctures
Almost all tinctures are designed to be stored indoors, without light. Only a tiny amount needs a refrigerator. Solutions made from leaves are generally not subject to long-term storage. They quickly lose their taste and aroma.
Tincture recipes
St. John's wort for 100 diseases
Several components are involved: 2 dry branches of St. John's wort, the same amount of sweet clover, 1 oregano and half a liter of vodka. For infusion, 7-10 days are enough. After filtering to taste, light honey (fireweed, sweet clover), leave it for a week and use it for immunity, for colds, heart problems. It is also a good remedy for restoring damaged tissues, relieving inflammatory processes.
Hawthorn
A bottle of vodka uses 100 g of berries (blood-red hawthorn). The infusion time is 20-30 days. Effectiveness with 3 x 30 ml doses. Appointment: fatigue, nervous disorders, dizziness.
Lovage root
Take 0.5 liters of alcohol (70 degrees), dried rhizome - 100 g. It is kept for 2 weeks, with occasional shaking. Tincture of lovage helps to eliminate bad breath, increases vitality, stimulates the activity of the heart, invigorates, and is a strong diuretic. Use 1 tbsp. l. before eating.
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