How to Make Herbal Tinctures
Skip the $20 bottles at the store and learn to make your own herbal tinctures using just a mason jar, vodka or glycerin, and herbs from your garden.
How to Make Herbal Tinctures
You know those little bottles of herbal tincture that cost $20 at the store? Let’s fix that. Making tinctures at home is easier than you might think, and you don’t need any special equipment — just common kitchen items, some herbs, and a bit of patience.
What You’ll Need
Basic supplies (already in your kitchen):
- Clean glass jar with tight lid ad (mason jars work perfectly)
- Measuring cup ad
- Clean spoon or chopstick ad for stirring
- Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth ad
- Funnel ad (for bottling)
- Labels and a marker ad
Ingredients:
- Your chosen herb (dried or fresh)
- Solvent: Either vodka/brandy OR vegetable glycerin + distilled water
Optional upgrades that make life easier:
- Small kitchen scale ad (for precise measurements if you want them)
- Amber dropper bottles ad for storage ($10–15 for a set)
- Small herb grinder or mortar and pestle ad
Choosing Your Solvent: Alcohol vs. Glycerin
Alcohol Tinctures
Best for: The strongest extract and longest shelf life (3–5 years)
- Use 80–100 proof vodka or brandy
- Extracts the widest range of plant compounds
- Alcohol can be a dangerous poison for children, so keep the bottle and your tinctures out of sight and reach (safety notes)
Glycerin Tinctures (Glycerites)
Best for: Alcohol-free households, sweet taste
- Mix 3 parts vegetable glycerin to 1 part distilled water for dried herbs
- Use straight glycerin for fresh herbs
- Shelf life: About 1 year
- Gentler extraction
For an extract made only for the skin, not for drinking, see our guide to liniments, which steep herbs in vodka or apple cider vinegar.
The Simple Folk Method
This is the traditional “simpler’s method” — no complicated math, just eyeballing proportions like our grandmothers did.
Step 1: Prepare Your Herb
For dried herbs:
- Fill your jar about halfway with the herb
- Don’t pack too tightly — herbs need room to expand
For fresh herbs:
- Chop finely to increase surface area
- Fill jar about 2/3 to 3/4 full
- Pat dry any excess moisture first
Step 2: Add Your Solvent
For alcohol tinctures:
- Pour vodka over herbs until covered by 1–2 inches
- Fresh herbs need higher proof (100+) since they contain water
- dried herbs work fine with 80 proof
- Cap the vodka or brandy bottle tightly and put it away, out of sight and reach of children (safety notes)
For glycerites:
- Dried herbs: Mix 3:1 glycerin to water, then pour over herbs
- Fresh herbs: Use straight glycerin
- Cover herbs by 1–2 inches of liquid
Poke through the mixture with a clean utensil to release air bubbles. Top off if needed — herbs must stay submerged.
Step 3: Steep and Shake
- Cap tightly and label with: herb name, solvent type, and date
- Store in a cool, dark cupboard, out of sight and reach of children if it’s an alcohol tincture (safety notes)
- Shake daily (or whenever you remember)
- Steep for 4–6 weeks
The daily shake keeps extraction even and is oddly satisfying — like tending a tiny garden in a jar.
Step 4: Strain and Bottle
After 4–6 weeks:
- Line a strainer with cheesecloth
- Pour tincture through into a clean bowl
- Gather cheesecloth and squeeze out every last drop
- Funnel into storage bottles
- Label with herb name and date, cap the bottles tightly, and put alcohol tinctures away out of sight and reach of children (safety notes)
Your finished tincture should have taken on the color and scent of your herb — earthy browns for roots, green for leaves, golden for flowers.
Storage and Shelf Life
| Type | Shelf Life | Storage Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol tincture | 3–5 years | Dark bottles, cool cupboard |
| Glycerite | ~1 year | Same as above, use within year |
| Vinegar tincture | 4–6 months for best quality (Oregon State Extension) | Noncorrosive lids (Oregon State Extension); see vinegar infusions |
Pro tip: Those amber dropper bottles aren’t just pretty — they protect your tincture from light degradation. Clear jars work too if kept in a dark cupboard. Whichever you use, store alcohol tinctures out of sight and reach of children (safety notes).
About Amounts
The right amount depends on the herb, the strength of your tincture and your health. Check each herb’s plant guide, and ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking tinctures, especially if you take medicine. Ask your pediatrician before giving any tincture or glycerite to a child.
Tinctures are concentrated, so always dilute them in water or juice. Put an alcohol tincture back out of sight and reach of children as soon as you’ve measured it (safety notes). If you’re pregnant or nursing, talk to your doctor or pharmacist first. If you avoid alcohol, skip alcohol tinctures and make a glycerite instead (safety notes).
Safety Notes
- Label everything clearly — no guessing games with tinctures
- Keep alcohol tinctures, and the vodka or brandy you make them with, out of sight and reach of children. Poison Control gives that advice for alcohol-containing products (see Alcohol below)
- Start small to check for reactions
- Pregnant or nursing? Talk to your doctor or pharmacist first
- Research each herb’s contraindications before use
Alcohol: Poison Control warns, “Alcohol can be a dangerous poison for children.” It says this applies to “beverage alcohol (such as beer, wine, and liquor)” and to alcohol in other products, and advises: “Store your hand sanitizer, mouthwash, and other alcohol-containing products out of sight and reach” (Poison Control). Poison Control doesn’t name tinctures. Our advice: treat alcohol tinctures, and the vodka or brandy you make them with, the same way.
Troubleshooting Tips
Herbs floating? Normal at first. Weight them down with a clean small plate or fermentation weight.
Liquid level dropping? Dried herbs are thirsty! Top off with more solvent as needed.
Cloudy glycerite? Normal — glycerin extracts can be cloudy. Strain well through coffee filter if bothered.
Mold appearing? This means herbs weren’t fully submerged. Unfortunately, you’ll need to start over.
Try These Beginner-Friendly Herbs
Perfect for your first tinctures:
- Lemon balm (listed in Europe as a traditional herbal medicine for mild stress and sleep; use fresh if possible)
- Echinacea (can cause allergic reactions; see how to grow it)
- Chamomile (gentle, apple-scented flowers)
- Peppermint (traditional after-dinner herb, grows like crazy)
- Calendula (traditional skin herb, use flowers)
Each herb has its own cautions. Echinacea, chamomile and calendula are daisy-family plants, so skip them if you’re allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigolds or other daisy-family plants. Don’t take calendula by mouth if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, and ask your doctor before taking tinctures of the others while pregnant or breastfeeding. Peppermint can make heartburn and acid reflux worse. Read each plant’s safety notes first: echinacea, chamomile, calendula, peppermint and lemon balm.
For detailed growing and harvesting information, see our herb growing guides.
The Bottom Line
Making tinctures is one of those old skills that seems intimidating until you try it. Then you realize it’s basically making herb tea, but with alcohol or glycerin instead of water, and a lot more patience. Start with one jar, one herb, and in six weeks you’ll have your own herb-shelf staple for pennies on the dollar.
Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about reaching for something you made yourself. It connects you to the plants, the seasons, and a long tradition of kitchen herbalism that’s both practical and profound.