What is a tincture?

Hello Beautifuls!

Many of you have reached out to ask.....

What is a Tincture?

The popularity of tinctures is on the rise, but with so many ways to incorporate healing herbs in our lives, what is the benefit of this preparation? Like....why take a tincture? Well one thing is for sure, it has promising future for ingesting wellness herbs.

Tinctures are the only way to get fresh plant medicine (unless one is out harvesting their plants on a daily basis).

Certain herbs for example, such as milky oat seed, are most beneficial when taken fresh. Milky oat seed is one of the best restoratives for damaged nerve tissue, however, its effectiveness is best when captured in the milky stage of seed development, hence the need for a tincture. (in our Calm Tincture)

A tincture by any other name is simply an extract. It is made by steeping an herb in alcohol to extract the medicinal properties of the herb. The alcohol takes on the flavor and sometimes the scent, as well as the nutritional and medicinal properties of the herb, and it usually changes color. Chances are you have had a tincture recently, possibly in the form of a cake, cookies or whipped cream? Yes, vanilla extract is a tincture!

Although personally I prefer to get the lion’s share of my vitamins and nutrients through the food I eat and drink, I do use tinctures regularly as well. I am a fan of tinctures for a few reasons:

Tinctures are quick and convenient.

They are easy to store, easy to take along with you, and easy to ingest. A few drops of a tincture in a glass of water or tea, or just on the tongue, takes only a second.

Tinctures are potent.

Tinctures are easily assimilated by the body and offer a stronger concentration of medicinal properties than dried herbs.

Because tinctures are so concentrated, the amount of medicine that one needs to consume is much less. When administered as a tea, a person may need to prepare 4-5 cups of a certain herb every day, compared to the 2-3 “dropper squirts” of tincture that can carry the same therapeutic benefit.

Tinctures are long lasting.

Tinctures have a much longer shelf life than fresh or dried herbs. When properly prepared, tinctures can last for 5 years or longer. They are an excellent way of preserving the medicinal properties and health benefits of dried and fresh herbs.

Some herbs are very bitter or bad-tasting. Herbs such as horehound, fever-few, and blessed thistle just to name a few, are very bitter, and many find them unpleasant to drink as a tea.

Tinctures can be diluted in water, tea or juice to allay the bad taste, giving you the benefit of the medicinal value without the acridity.

There are definitely enough benefits to give tinctures the little bit of space on the shelf they require. As always, make sure you are familiar with the herbs you are taking, and that they are safe for you to consume. If you have any health concerns it is always advisable that you work with a qualified medical practitioner.

The proper dosage is listed on our bottles, but it’s equally important that you know your plants!

At AMI Wellness lists all of our ingredients are listed so you can get to know your products and wellness routine.

You can click here to browse all of our offerings.