Extracts vs Tinctures. Take A Dive Into How Our Herbal Extracts Are Made

  There are many ways to experience the benefits of herbs. The oldest methods include direct ingestion of raw plant material, the use of herbal tisanes (teas) made from fresh or dried plant parts, and the use of tinctures and extracts. Tinctures are prepared by soaking herbs in a solvent to draw out active ingredients. Specific instructions on how to properly prepare a tincture are described in the well-respected pharmaceutical texts The United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary. These texts describe a tincture preparation method with a specific ratio for each plant; while this ratio varies, it usually calls for 100-200 grams of dried herb equivalent per liter (approx. quart) of solvent. A fluid extract is initially prepared in a similar manner to a tincture but uses a much higher ratio of herb to solvent (1 kg of dry herb equivalent plant parts to 1 liter solvent). This means a typical fluid extract is much more concentrated and offers a higher concentration of herb eq...