Posted by Les Mauvaises Herbes
Extracts, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, medicinal vinegars… It’s not always easy to keep track when you’re just starting out with homemade natural cosmetics and remedies! All these terms refer to extraction methods that allow you to harness the medicinal properties of plants, whether for making cosmetics or small therapeutic remedies.
We’ve already talked about oil macerations (which consist of extracting plant properties into a vegetable oil). Today, we’re covering… everything else (or almost)! We hope this short article will help you clear things up regarding all these extraction methods and navigate the world of DIY with more ease.
The wonderful world of medicinal plants
The use of "medicinal" plants is nothing new. The oldest recorded herbal medicine treatise dates back about 3000 years BCE. Many plants have long been proven to help prevent certain ailments and relieve many symptoms. Let’s not forget that modern pharmacy is based on medicinal plants!
Some medicinal plants are consumed or used as is, such as aromatic plants (e.g., peppermint, sage, thyme) that we add directly to our dishes, or plants that are applied as a poultice directly to the skin (e.g., plantain, comfrey, yarrow). However, to obtain solutions highly concentrated in active ingredients, or to benefit from the properties of plants that aren't easily edible, we must transform them using extraction methods.
In this post, we explore the most common methods for transforming medicinal plants at home to extract their therapeutic active ingredients. The most commonly used (and easily obtainable) solvents are:
- water
- alcohol
- apple cider vinegar
- vegetable glycerin
We won't cover complex methods like distillation or supercritical extraction, which require equipment as expensive as a house. You should be able to manage with just a Mason jar and cheesecloth. Promised!
What are “active ingredients,” anyway?
No need to know about finance! It's not about your material possessions, haha. When we talk about "active ingredients," or "compounds," "substances," "ingredients," or sometimes "active molecules," we are referring to the chemical compounds that develop naturally in a plant and give it its "therapeutic" power.
"But if it's chemical, does that mean it's not good?"We (excluding the person speaking, haha!) very often misuse the word "chemical" to refer to substances that should rather be described as "toxic," meaning they are a poison to living organisms. As mentioned in our book, all atoms and ions that make up matter are chemical entities! The interactions, transformations, and modifications of these entities are chemical reactions! Spoiler alert: chemical reactions are happening in your body (and your cat's) right now. Let’s stop using the word "chemical" incorrectly; let’s use the right vocabulary!
Back to our active ingredients. Many plants have been scientifically studied, and their effect(s) have been attributed to one or more molecules. Think, for example, of hypericin in St. John's wort, silymarin in milk thistle, or salicylic acid in willow bark. In fact, the analgesic power of salicylic acid inspired the invention of a well-known drug: aspirin!
It is important to remember that a plant is a whole and that, even if we have cataloged active molecules, everything the plant contains acts in synergy when we consume it.
Each plant has its own precautions and contraindications; you must be well-informed about the plant itself before using it regularly in any form whatsoever. Certified naturopaths and herbalists are able to advise you on their use; it is essential to be well-informed if you want to use medicinal plants diligently, especially if you already have a health condition or take medication.
Making your own extracts
1. Infusion
The most well-known and widely used method is undoubtedly the infusion. Who hasn’t made themselves a cup of tea or herbal tea? Did you know that water is the best solvent? Oh yes!
Simply cover the plant with hot water and let it steep for at least 10 to 15 minutes while covered to give the active ingredients time to transfer into the water, then strain everything to keep only the liquid.
Note: We prefer to use hot water, not boiling, to prepare our infusions, so as not to destroy the plant’s more fragile compounds. According to some schools of thought, the use of heat completely destroys almost all of the plant’s active compounds, particularly those in petals and fragile or delicate leaves. It is certainly possible to make a cold infusion by letting plants macerate in water overnight, or a "sun infusion" that uses the gentle heat of the sun to extract the active ingredients.
Is herbal tea the same as a therapeutic infusion?
Nope! To make a therapeutic infusion, you need a good amount of plants that you let steep for a long time and consume over several consecutive days. Having a chamomile tea from time to time is very different from drinking a liter of concentrated infusion every day for a month! That doesn't mean the herbal tea doesn't work, but if you really want to benefit from the therapeutic properties of a plant to help relieve certain ailments, you must consume it as concentrated infusions on a regular basis.
One of the advantages of an infusion lies in its volume: when you drink large quantities of liquid, a large amount of active ingredients comes into contact with the digestive mucosa. This is interesting if the problem you want to address concerns the digestive tract, and you are using softening, mucilage-rich, or emollient plants.
Since the digestive tract is made of muscles, the heat helps to relax it and calm spasms. Drinking a hot liquid can also be comforting and help you fall asleep. However, the liquid might make you want to go to the bathroom at an inconvenient time (at night!).
2. Decoction
A decoction is similar to an infusion, except that in a decoction, you heat the plant in water for several minutes. Usually, you heat the water over low heat so that it simmers rather than boils hard!
While the infusion is used mostly for flowers and leaves, the decoction is more appropriate for tough parts like roots, rhizomes, and seeds. As with an infusion, you can drink the decoction hot or cooled.
3. Tincture
Of course, we aren't talking about hair or patio dye! This type of extract is simply a maceration of plants in strong alcohol. It can also be called a mother tincture, alcoholate, or hydroalcoholic extract – hydro for water and alcoholic for… alcohol! Since alcohol automatically contains some water, we don’t need to add any to the mixture.
Note: Officially, the term "mother tincture" is reserved for hydroalcoholic extracts of fresh plants intended to be diluted for the manufacture of homeopathic preparations, but in common parlance, the terms "tincture" and "mother tincture" are interchangeable.
To make your tincture, you need two things: one or more fresh or dried plants and a strong alcohol. Obviously, you choose an edible alcohol, because this type of extract is normally intended for internal use. As with all macerations, the plant must be chopped quite finely to maximize the surface area that comes into contact with the solvent. It is necessary to have a high alcohol content: we are talking about a concentration of at least 40%, or even 70% or 94%. You can play it fancy and use cognac or a good rum, but cheap vodka works just fine! There are more precise recommendations on the alcohol degree to prefer depending on the plant's constituents, but for homemade preparations, there is no need to get into that. Besides, very high-concentration alcohols are hard to find these days, thanks to COVID!
How to make a tincture
The preparation couldn't be simpler: in a disinfected glass jar, place the plant(s), cover with enough alcohol so that the plant remains submerged (a ratio of about 1:3), and let it macerate for 2 to 3 weeks away from light, stirring from time to time. Then simply strain by pressing well to recover as much liquid as possible.
Why consume a tincture?
There are several advantages to consuming plants in tincture form. First, alcohol is an excellent solvent for a large quantity of active ingredients present in medicinal plants. This type of extract is quick to consume. A significant advantage for plants that taste terrible and/or that you don't want to consume in liter-sized quantities, for example, garlic! To consume the tincture, just put a few drops in a small shot of water or juice. If the taste isn't too horrible, you can put the drops directly into your mouth. Alcohol allows the active compounds to enter the bloodstream quickly.
Finally, tinctures can be stored for several months or even years thanks to the antiseptic power of the alcohol. The risks of bacteria or mold developing are practically zero.
4. Glycerite and hydroglycerinated extract
This is a maceration just like our tincture, but based on vegetable glycerin, which has the advantage of containing no alcohol. However, the extract obtained is less potent than a tincture because glycerin is a poorer solvent than alcohol.
As a general rule, if you use a fresh plant, you can use only glycerin as a solvent because the plant contains a certain amount of water. You then obtain a glycerite. If you use a dried plant, you must add water to the preparation to thin the glycerin so that it adheres well to all surfaces of the plant. The result is called a hydroglycerinated extract. We recommend a proportion of 1/3 water and 2/3 glycerin. The more glycerin the solution contains, the better its extraction capacity and the longer its shelf life.
If you add water, always use spring water or distilled water to avoid introducing bacteria into your mixture. Be careful to disinfect your container beforehand before making your glycerite or hydroglycerinated extract!
Since glycerin has a sweet taste, children particularly enjoy this form. Try our Echinacea glycerite recipe!
5. Medicinal vinegar
Another non-alcoholic alternative to tinctures, medicinal vinegars are just as easy to prepare and consume! Cover a dry or fresh plant with enough vinegar so that it is completely submerged, and let it macerate for 10 to 15 days before straining. You can use good old white vinegar, but we recommend a high-quality organic apple cider vinegar to add virtues to the mixture! Apple cider vinegar already has an antibacterial effect, in addition to being a blood sugar regulator and a digestive tonic.
Two well-known medicinal vinegar recipes are Fire Cider and Four Thieves Vinegar. They can be consumed as is in a little water or incorporated into food and drinks.
Vinegar macerations are also useful in skin and hair care!
Some precautions to take with extracts
Remember to label and date all your containers when making plant extracts if you prepare them regularly; otherwise, you risk ending up with a bunch of vials with mysterious contents!
Plants that are macerating must always be covered by the solvent to avoid oxidation, rotting, or molding. Always check your containers after 24 hours and add solvent if needed if the plant has soaked up the liquid.
