What Is a Tincture? How It's Made, How to Take It, and the Types Compared
A tincture is a concentrated liquid extract made by soaking herbs in a liquid that pulls out their compounds, usually alcohol, sometimes vegetable glycerin or vinegar. After a few weeks the herbs are strained out and the liquid is bottled. You take it by the dropper, straight or stirred into water, tea or juice, following the amount on the label.
Tinctures are one of the oldest ways to keep herbs. They last far longer than dried leaves in a jar, they take up little space, and a single bottle can hold several herbs at once. Here is how they're made, the three kinds you'll see, how to take one, and how they compare with teas, capsules and essential oils.
What is a tincture?
The word comes from the Latin tinctura, "a dyeing", because the soaking liquid takes on the color of the plant. In herbalism a tincture is a liquid extract of a plant: the root, leaf, flower, berry or bark is covered with a liquid called the solvent (in herbal terms, the menstruum) and left to steep. The solvent draws the plant's compounds out into the liquid, and what's left after straining is the tincture.
Strictly speaking, a tincture is made with alcohol, often mixed with water. Extracts made with glycerin are called glycerites, and extracts made with vinegar are called acetums, but in everyday use, and on most labels, all three are called tinctures.
How a tincture is made
The method has barely changed in centuries:
- Prepare the herb. Dried or fresh plant material is chopped or ground so the liquid can reach more of it.
- Cover it with the solvent. The herb goes into a glass jar and is covered completely with alcohol, glycerin or vinegar.
- Let it steep. The jar is sealed and kept somewhere dark for several weeks, often four to six, and shaken regularly.
- Strain and bottle. The liquid is pressed and strained through cloth, then bottled, usually in amber glass that blocks light.
Makers describe strength as a ratio of herb to liquid. A 1:5 tincture means one part herb by weight to five parts liquid by volume, a common strength for dried herbs. A lower second number means more herb in every dropper. Two bottles of the same herb can differ a lot, which is why the label, not the name on the front, tells you how to take it.
Alcohol, glycerin or vinegar: the three kinds
| Alcohol tincture | Glycerin tincture (glycerite) | Vinegar tincture (acetum) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made with | Alcohol, usually mixed with water | Vegetable glycerin, usually mixed with water | Apple cider or other vinegar |
| Taste | Sharp and warming, with an alcohol bite | Naturally sweet and smooth | Sour |
| Strength as a solvent | The strongest; pulls out the widest range of plant compounds | Gentler; draws out less of some compounds than alcohol | The mildest |
| Keeps | The longest, often for years | A long time in a cool cupboard | The shortest of the three |
| Best for | Traditional herbal formulas, resins and tough barks and roots | Anyone avoiding alcohol, or who dislikes the burn | Culinary herbs and home kitchens |
Alcohol is the traditional choice because it dissolves both water-loving and oil-loving plant compounds and keeps the tincture stable for a long time. Glycerin, a thick, sweet liquid made from plant oils, extracts less of some compounds, but it is alcohol-free and pleasant enough to take straight from the dropper, which is why many people take a glycerite every day without a second thought.
How to take a tincture
- Shake the bottle. Plant material settles, so mix it first.
- Measure the label amount. Usually a full dropper or a set number of drops. A standard glass dropper holds about 1 ml.
- Take it straight or in a drink. Squeeze it into your mouth, hold it under your tongue for a moment if you like, or stir it into a little water, tea or juice.
- Take it with a meal if your label says so, or if herbs bother an empty stomach.
- Keep it regular. Most herbs are taken daily as part of a routine; a few, like laxative herbs, are meant for short-term use only.
One rule matters more than the rest: follow your own bottle. Tinctures differ in strength, so a dropper of one brand is not the same as a dropper of another.
Can you drink a tincture straight?
Yes. Glycerin tinctures are sweet enough to take straight from the dropper. Alcohol tinctures can be taken straight too, but most people find them easier in a splash of water or juice, which softens the bite. Either way, a tincture is taken in small, measured amounts, not drunk by the glass.
Do tinctures contain alcohol?
Alcohol tinctures do, and most are strong, closer to a spirit than to wine. Because a serving is about a dropper, the amount of alcohol you take is small, but it is not zero. If you avoid alcohol completely, because of pregnancy, recovery, medication or for a child, choose a glycerin tincture, which has none. The label will say which you're holding.
Tinctures vs teas, capsules, extracts and essential oils
- Tea is a water extract made in minutes and drunk fresh. It's gentle and pleasant, but it doesn't keep, and water draws out fewer compounds than alcohol.
- Capsules usually hold dried, powdered herb or a dried extract. No taste, but there's something to swallow, and they're harder to adjust.
- Liquid or fluid extracts are made the same way as tinctures but with more herb per milliliter, so they are more concentrated. A tincture is the lighter form of liquid extract.
- Essential oils are something else entirely: the steam-distilled aromatic oil of a plant, extremely concentrated and mostly meant for the skin or a diffuser. Never swap an essential oil for a tincture or take one by the dropper.
Are tinctures stronger than pills?
Not automatically. What decides strength is how much herb goes into each serving, and that varies from product to product in every form. What a tincture does offer is flexibility: there's nothing to swallow, you can adjust it drop by drop, several herbs can share one bottle, and it keeps well. Which form is best is mostly about which one you'll actually take every day.
Are tinctures safe?
A tincture is only a way of preparing an herb, so its safety is the safety of the herbs inside it. A few habits keep you on the right side of that:
- Read the full ingredient list, not just the name on the front, and know what each herb is.
- Follow the label amount and how long the label says to take it.
- Talk to your doctor first if you're pregnant or nursing, take prescription medication or have a health condition. The NIH's guide to using dietary supplements wisely is a good checklist.
- For children, use only products made for children, alcohol-free, and ask your pediatrician first.
- Buy from a maker who names every herb and the part used. Our guide to reading a certificate of analysis covers what else to check.
How to store a tincture
Keep it tightly capped, away from heat and sunlight, in a cupboard rather than on a sunny windowsill. Amber or cobalt glass protects it from light. Alcohol tinctures keep for years; glycerin tinctures keep for a long time too, but go by the date on the bottle, and if one ever smells off or looks cloudy in a way it didn't before, replace it. Sediment at the bottom is normal: it's plant material, and a shake mixes it back in.
Our herbal tinctures
We make our herbal tinctures slowly by hand, in small batches in Holmes County, Ohio, and every bottle names each herb and the part of the plant it comes from. Our Elderberry Soothe & Defend Herbal Tincture is a glycerin tincture, so it's alcohol-free: whole elderberries with mullein leaf, nettle leaf, ginger root, cinnamon bark, cloves and sweet orange peel. Shake it, take one dropper with a meal, straight or in warm tea, water or juice. If you'd like to know more about what goes into it, we've written about elderberry tincture, elderberry's side effects and mullein in detail.
Our Thunder Cleanse Herbal Tincture is the traditional kind, made in cane alcohol, with eighteen named botanicals including senna leaf and cascara sagrada bark. It's a short-term formula, not an everyday one, so read its directions before you start. To see how a tincture compares with gummies and capsules for a single herb, our ashwagandha tincture guide walks through it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the point of a tincture?
To keep an herb in a concentrated, shelf-stable liquid that's easy to measure and take. A tincture lasts far longer than dried herbs or tea, and one bottle can combine several herbs.
Are you supposed to drink a tincture?
You take it, rather than drink it: a dropper or a set number of drops, straight or in a little water, tea or juice, as the label directs.
How much is a dropper?
A standard glass dropper holds about 1 ml when full. Your label tells you whether a serving is a full dropper or a number of drops.
Do tinctures go bad?
Slowly. Alcohol tinctures keep for years, and glycerin tinctures keep for a long time when capped and stored somewhere cool and dark. Go by the date on the bottle and replace one that smells or looks different.
How long does a tincture take to work?
It depends on the herb, not the form. Some herbs are taken for a quick, short-term effect, while others are taken daily for weeks as part of a routine. The article on each herb is the better guide.
Is a glycerin tincture as good as an alcohol one?
Alcohol extracts a wider range of compounds, which is why herbalists use it for tough roots, barks and resins. Glycerin is gentler, alcohol-free and pleasant to take, which suits a daily herbal blend and anyone avoiding alcohol.
Are CBD tinctures the same thing?
Not always. Many products sold as CBD or hemp "tinctures" are oils rather than alcohol or glycerin extracts. The word is used loosely on labels, so read the ingredient list.
Can I make my own tincture?
Many people do, with dried kitchen herbs, a clean jar and a spirit such as vodka, following the steps above. Be certain what plant you're using, since some wild plants are toxic, and leave medicinal-strength herbs to an experienced maker.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is general information and not medical advice. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, particularly if you are pregnant or nursing, take prescription medication, or are considering it for a child.