tequila instead of vodka

[Tricia BlankStudent]

Is tequila the right amount of proof for tinctures? Can I use it instead of vodka?

Vodka makes my daughter feel ill but she seems ok with tequila.

[Lisa BatemanStudent]

Looked it up online and found out that tequila is usually 80 to 100 proof, just like vodka so you should be good!

Lisa Bateman

[Greg BoggsStudent]

I’m pretty sure anything works just as long as it’s 80-100 proof, vodka is just the cheapest so that’s why it’s most common

[Marian KnudsenStudent]

Yes, I think you’re right. I do like the vodka as it contributes less flavor.  Thank you for researching that.

[Marian KnudsenStudent]

Along this line, what is considered the optimum length of time before harvesting a tincture?

[Greg BoggsStudent]

Doc has said any t:ime that is 1-2 weeks after when you started it and you need the jar for something else. Almost all herb books will say 4+ weeks but here is a  quote from Doc here on the forum

There is a story of a family that used to always cut the ends off off their hams before cooking them. Once, at a family gathering, a daughter asked her mother why they always did that. The mother said, “I don’t know. That’s just how my mom taught me.” They went and found Grandma and asked her why she always cut the ends off the ham before putting it in the pot. “Well” she replied “My pot wasn’t very big and I always had to cut some off to make the ham fit.”

In the old days, people didn’t have high powered blender to pulverize dried herbs into dust. As a result, the material they were tincturing was much denser and it took longer for the alcohol to extract the chemicals. The same was true of teas. Anything that was a root or a bark was done as a “decoction” rather than a tea. In other words it was simmered on the stove for hours so that the water could get the chemicals out of the root or bark. If the old timers had had a decent blender, decoction would never have been invented and tinctures would only have macerated for a week or two. It takes alcohol very little time to extract everything from a particle of dust.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Lora Dietmeyer, Peggy Christy

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Yup. Anything 80-100 proof is fine. We use vodka because it’s cheap.

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

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