Discover the Many Benefits of Liquid Tinctures

Herbalists and medical professionals trained in the use of herbs and knowledgeable herb consumers primarily use herbs in a liquid extract form, or a tincture. Now, why do you think that is?

We have put together some information to help you understand why tinctures are superior to other herb forms and to give you a better understanding of their properties and uses.  Dietary supplements come in all shapes and sizes, powders, liquids, tablets, capsules, gummies and pills.  But not all forms of supplements are created equal. The most important factor to consider is how your body absorbs the nutrients provided, which has a direct impact on how effective the supplement will be.

Simply Perfect Solution

One benefit of tinctures is that you can tailor your dosage by measuring out a specific amount needed, based on weight, age, etc.  Tinctures give you complete control over the dosage amount.  You can use one drop or the maximum dosage of an herb, based on age, body mass size and severity.  This is extremely effective for children.  For instance, a pediatrician or parent can give a small child a fraction of a single dose simply by placing drops of the extract in one ounce of water or juice to administer the appropriate amount. This is much easier than trying to split a tablet or capsule to attain the correct dosage.

The Sponge Affect

With liquid extracts and tinctures, your body does not need to break down the nutritional source.  This allows more ingredients, up to 98% of a liquid tincture, to be absorbed into your body.  And they need only 1-4 minutes to assimilate in your body.  They are easier to swallow, and they are more digestible.  Liquid tincture extracts do not require digestion. They are in their purest form, so your body does not have to go through the process of extracting the healing herb properties – this has already been done for you when the tincture is processed.  Tinctures are particularly beneficial to those individuals with impaired digestive function. In fact, for those with severe digestive issues, the liquid form may be the only way to effectively benefit from the healing properties of an herbal solution. 

Bittersweet Realization

When a taste makes contact with a taste receptor on your tongue, neurotransmitters are released into nervous tissue fibers.  This sends a signal to the medulla of the brain. Once this initial signal from the tongue reaches the medulla, a nerve impulse is initiated which results in an increase in gastric, pancreatic, gallbladder, and liver secretion. With just a few drops under your tongue, you fortify a myriad of digestive functions. 

Herb Preservation

When stored properly, in a cool dark environment, tinctures can have a shelf life of 5 to 10 years in an alcohol base, and 2-3 years in a glycerin, non-alcohol base.  While some plants are extracted in their fresh state, others are more potent when extracted from a dried state.  Regardless of the state, liquid herbs are far superior to their counterparts in capsules and tablets.  As a rule, liquid extracts containing alcohol have an expected shelf life of 5 years, while those containing glycerin instead of alcohol are best used within 3 years. While the shelf life of many extracts will certainly surpass these estimates, for the safe and effective use of liquid herbal extracts you should follow these guidelines. To show an example of a sharp contrast between liquid form and capsules or tablets, crude, dried Echinacea capsules lose approximately 90% of their activity in a little more than a year from their manufacture date.

Rub It In

Tinctures can also be used topically by simply rubbing it on or applying it as a gauze poultice.  With other forms of herbs, like teas or powders, poultice preparation is more labor intensive and less effective than the potency of a liquid tincture poultice.

Why Alcohol?

The use of alcohol as a menstruum for plant remedies is ancient. The presence of Alcohol in whole plant formulas is vital for the consistent extraction of constituents, as a preservative, and as a method to improve bioavailability, palatability, storage, dosage, administration, and compliance. It makes it convenient for travel and in our grab and go society, to provide what we need from healing plants, exactly when we need it.  In typical doses of 1 to 3 milliliters, you’ll get very little alcohol effect from your herbal tincture. However, some people with alcohol issues (including addiction, allergy/sensitivity, special diets, and religious concerns) may want to avoid alcohol entirely. Instead of alcohol-based tinctures, herbal remedies including glycerites, vinegar are effective ways to make use of plant medicine if alcohol needs to be avoided completely.

Cost Comparison

Finally, the small amount of tincture needed to make a one 2-ounce bottle is equal to about 6-8 100 capsule bottles and has higher potency with much faster results. And as a cost comparison, a full dosage of tinctures will cost 3 to 5 cents each, whereas capsules will cost 20 to 30 cents per dose. The savings, potency, ease of use and rapid results of tinctures clearly show why they are becoming so popular.