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 10OCT 2016

DEMYSTIFYING WEIGHT-TO-VOLUME
TINCTURES
Posted ByAyo Ngozi, M.S.
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Comments0
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Tagsfolk tincture, ratio tincture, tincture making, weight to volume tinctures
Many of us begin our exploration of herbalism by making tinctures using what is often called the
Folk Method. And there’s nothing wrong with this method—tinctures made this way can be
absolutely effective. They are made and used by the most experienced of practitioners as well as
those of us who make tinctures for home use. Today I’m going to explain a different method known
as weight-to-volume tinctures.
Whatever our level of experience, it’s commonly understood among herbalists that at its most basic,
a tincture is an extract of herbs into alcohol. You get dried or fresh herbs, put them in a canning jar,
cover with whiskey, vodka or brandy, let them sit for a while, shake here and there, and, tah-dah!—
it’s a tincture!

But what do we understand when we read a scientific study of the efficacy of a 1:5 tincture for a
particular ailment? Or how do we know what alcohol to choose for a 1:1 tincture with 95% ETOH
(ethyl alcohol)? If we are experimenting with making tinctures for the marketplace, how do we
record and track our methods to end up with the best and most effective product possible? Here is
where it becomes important to understand what weight-to-volume formulations are, and how to use
this understanding for our (and others’) benefit.
Demystifying Weight-to-Volume
Tinctures
What IS Weight-to-Volume, Anyway?
This simply refers to the weight of plant materials (or marc) relative to the volume of alcohol (or
menstruum) used in making a tincture. Another easy way of thinking about weight-to-volume is in
terms of concentration—how much of a plant’s beneficial properties are present in a certain amount
of tincture. In the world of herbalism, we generally rely on grams and milliliters (as opposed to dry
and liquid ounces) as measurements of volume and weight, but these numbers specifically refer
to proportion, regardless of how we’re measuring.
Many herbal books and teachers offer the following weight-to-volume ratios as a basic rule of
thumb:
 Fresh plant tinctures: 1:2 (95%)
 Dry plant tinctures: 1:5 (50-65%)
In practical terms, this means that when making fresh plant tinctures, each gram of fresh herb is
macerated (soaked) in two milliliters of almost pure alcohol (e.g., Everclear) for optimal extraction.
For tinctures made from dry plant materials, each gram of herb is macerated in a menstruum with
an alcohol content of between 50 and 65% (e.g., strong whiskey, double-proof vodka).
As you read historical texts, pharmacopeias, or the labels on your favorite commercially-available
tinctures, you may see other ratios. Very light, “fluffy” herbs such as Calendula may be prepared at a
1:4 or 1:5 ratio, where extremely dense plant material such as milk thistle seed might require a 1:1
ratio. You might see extremely potent herbs tinctured at ratios of 1:10 or even 1:20. Whatever the
ratio or alcohol percentage, the idea of weight-to-volume remains the same.
What about alcohol percentages?
In theory, any plant can be made into a tincture, but this preparation might not be the best
depending on what you want to extract. Some phytochemicals extract more readily into oil, others
into water or glycerine. Other constituents are better extracted in alcohol, and the alcohol
percentage of a menstruum may also determine which chemical aspects of the medicine are brought
out in tincturing.
Generally, you’ll want to use nearly-pure alcohol to extract resins, balsams, and camphors. Other
constituents (like essential oils, alkaloids, glycosides, acrid and bitter constituents, and pigments) do
best in an alcohol menstruum, and still other constituents (like sugars, proteins, and mucilage) do
just fine with a 50% dilution of alcohol.

Vodka and brandy are commonly used in making tinctures, especially by the folk method. However,
these all have a fairly low percentage of alcohol when we consider commercial production
standards. Whiskey, rum, scotch and tequila are usually about 40-46% alcohol (cask-strength
whisky is higher, up to 60%).
Vodka typically is 35-46% alcohol and gin is 35-40%. Brandy can be between 30 and 65% alcohol.
For this reason, you’ll want to pay special attention to an alcohol’s proof when you make tinctures.
This is another simple calculation—just divide the proof by 2 in order to calculate alcohol
percentage. For example, an 80-proof vodka contains 40% alcohol by volume; an overproof rum
might contain up to 50% alcohol.
But what do you do if you want to extract an herb into 70%, 80% or 95% alcohol? This is where
dilution comes in handy.
Depending on where you live, you can purchase 190-proof alcohol distilled from corn or other grain,
such as Everclear, or 160-proof vodka, such as Devil Springs. If you ask around, you might find
people in your own community who distill their own high-proof alcohol (think Prohibition in the
1920s). With such a high alcohol content, these can be diluted to lower percentages to suit your
tincturing needs. For example, diluting 190-proof alcohol by a fifth will result in a menstruum that is
just over 75% alcohol.

Got it? Let’s do some math!

Remember old-school arithmetic? Well, grab your rosemary or Ginkgo tea and take yourself back to
your elementary school days because it’s time to do some calculating!
You are taking 10 milliliters per day of a 1:5 tincture of (dried) yarrow. How many grams of yarrow
are you taking in your daily use?
(answer: 2 grams)

A recent study reports that a particular herb is hepatotoxic in amounts greater than 12 grams per
day, but you’d like to make a tincture of it to take in smaller amounts. Which of these would not be
safe to take given the study’s findings?
A. 5 mL of a 1:1 tincture, three times daily
B. 5 mL of a 1:2 tincture, twice daily
C. 10 mL of a 1:5, once in the morning
(answer: A)

You want to make a 1:5 (70%) tincture of dried crampbark, but only have Everclear to work with. If
you want to make a half-liter of tincture (and for this scenario we’ll just imagine that we have a
100% yield), how much Everclear will you need? How much water?
(answers: 350mL, 150mL)

See? It’s not that hard at all.

Hopefully, this helps to demystify those little numbers on the back of your tincture bottles (or in the
pages of your favorite herbal) and also gives you some guidance in creating your own tinctures that
are effective.
The next time you prepare tinctures, try taking the time to carefully weigh and measure your herbs
and menstruum—and keep a record of it! If you find that a tincture has the effect you were hoping
for, this is a formulation to keep. If it is ineffective (or too strong), having a record can be really
helpful in figuring out what to do next time.

More information on folk tinctures and weight-to-volume

tinctures can be found in Unit 1 of our Introductory
course and in the remedy making flip book in Unit 1 of
the Intermediate course as well as information on solubility
and choosing the right menstruum.
For a more thorough look into tincture making,
our Entrepreneur course has a lesson on plant chemistry as
well as a lesson on making preparations (including tinctures)
which includes solubility charts and in-depth, downloadable
step-by-step tutorials for making folk and weight-to-volume
tinctures as well as percolation tinctures.
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ABOUT POST AUTHOR

Ayo Ngozi, M.S.

Ayo Ngozi is a community herbalist and educator based in Savannah, Georgia. At the Herbal
Academy, she writes course lessons and supports budding herbalists as the Advanced Studies
Advisor. Find her at www.ayongozi.com and on Facebook and Instagram.