A better Glycerite?

[IdahoHerbalist]

Found this post while researching tincture presses. Since Patrick and I have recently delved into our first glycerite (for a teasel need) I thought I would post this. There is much more info at the link regarding dosing and formulations.

Link to article no longer works, sorry.

Post subject: making glycerine tinctures: how-to and recipes, ects

PostPosted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:47 am

After much research for the past few years…. I have finally found info online how to make a stronger glycerite than just “putting it in the crockpot” like the Bulkherbstore recomends,and simmering like the ABC herbal. This is only a few dollars per oz, compared to buying comparable products is 42.00 for an 8 oz bottle! Alcohol extracts dissolves the natural oils in the plant and destroys some of the qualities , where as Glycerine tinctures they are still in–tact/

This process is more potent because it is like eating the whole plant. You get the cold properities out of the plant (enzymes) you get the heat sensitive properties out of the plant…oils, and the more bitter properties and trace minerals out of the plant in step 3. Combining them all three results in a potent product.

It’s a basicly a 3 step process with pressing with a tincture press (or homemade tincture press) in between each step.

Extracting the herb’s enzymes, vitamins, “live” and sweet properties

1. The herbs are soaked in glycerine and water mixture at 105 degrees for 5 days. (Over 110 destroys enzymes). The liquid is strained out with a tincture press or homemade one and set aside,save herbs for next step. In a jar, in a crockpot with the temp lowered with a crock-o-stat…see below. A heating pad on low (check temp with water to make sure temp stays right) Shake daily. (Alternative method: let set 14 days in a warm place like in front of the place where the warm air comes out of the furnace) Set the resulting liquid aside and save.

Extracting the herb’s essential oils ,resins, and aromatic properites

2. The remaining herb leftover from the 1st step (may use new dried herbs if you wish), are put in a new glycerine/water mixture in a glass jar with a lid and ring, place in the bottom of a pressure cooker.. put water in the pressure cooker. Pressure for 10 lbs pressure for 30 minutes This extracts the Vital oils. Strain out the liquid, set aside, pressing with a tincture press or homemade one. Save the remaining herb for the next step. A home canner that you can vegtables with would work well. Set the resulting liquid aside and save.

Extracting the herb’s trace minerals, astrigent and bitter properties

3.The remaing herbs now almost spent from the previous 2 processes are put in a pan, adding water to almost cover herbs. It is boiled hard for 10 minutes, Tincture press. Then boiled hard for 20 minutes tincture press, then boiled hard for 30 minutes tincture press, adding new water each time and saving the liquid. The herbs are then discarded, The remaining 3 water liquids are combined and boiled down to about 20% of the original volume.

Combine the 3 liquids from step 1, 2, and 3 and the result is a potent glycerine extract, rivaling the store bought!

[sstolzenburgStudent]

I have been making glycerin tinctures for about a year. Doesn’t the heat spoil the medicine? I thought that you could do the same by just re-infusing fresh dry herb into the same liquid, after pressing off the old used herbs, and just use a cold process. Is there a saturation level, where you can’t concentrate any more? I assume there is a saturation level of the essential medicinal but that should take several infusions I would think. Is this just intended as a faster method? The link doesn’t work any more.

I would think that at some point it would be better to just take more tincture rather than concentrating the tincture. I don’t think of glycerin as a topical medium.

I have done a double infused oil for salve, and a double infused tincture, but I am not really sure what good I am getting out of the double tincture except that you need less. I still lack a comparison since I am new at this. :poke:

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