Practice and principles in making Fresh Plant Tinctures.

Practice and Principles
in making
Fresh Plant Tinctures
Ken Atherton December 2009

This document outlines the principles and practices used in the small scale production of Fresh Plant Tinctures (FPTs) from medicinal herbs.

Large commercial medicinal herb manufacturers use broad acre grown dried plant material that is sourced from a global market. This along with increasing government regulation and control has led to the art and science of small scale and community produced herbal medicines prepared from locally grown herbs being little practiced. This has and is leading to an increasing loss of local know how in the production of medicinal herb extracts along with correctly identified medicinal herb species.

With climate change affecting agriculture globally and the increased demand for plant based medicines, the ability of large medicinal herb manufacturers to provide a continuing economic supply of medicinal herbs could be compromised. This would see the need for community based medicinal herb production with the accompanying knowledge base and genetic stock.

The author, a retired pharmacist, shares his knowledge and the experience gained in making FPTs over many years at Pindari Herb Farm.

Pindari Herb Farm was established in 1981 and over the last 16 years has expanded its range of medicinal herbs within and around the gardens to over 140 species. The gardens also provide the author and his family with much of their food. There is a substantial but simple composting facility processing over one tonne of organic matter weekly, providing the basis for the health of the organic gardens. Further information on Pindari Herb Farm is at www.pindariherbfarm.com

Details and information on the preparation of quality dried herbs is discussed elsewhere in such books as "Herbal Harvest" written by Greg Whitten and published by Blooming books (ISBN 1 876473 04 5). The preparation of tinctures and extracts from dried plant material likewise is not covered in this document, but it is of a similar principle in small scale production to that of FPTs.

At this time, the availability of ethanol (alcohol) is controlled in many countries. Ahead there may be the need to produce ethanol at a community level both as a fuel and as a means of preparing medicinal herb tinctures. Information on the equipment and procedures needed to do this safely may be obtained from the web page http://www.the-testament-of-truth.co.uk under the heading “Alternative Wind and Solar power.” (Distillation of spirits)

The opportunity that ethanol/aqueous extracts of fresh plant medicinal herb material provide as a means of healing is discussed briefly within this document and will be available ahead in detail on the Pindari web page at www.pindariherbfarm.com under “Quality Issues.”

Making FPTs is a simple and effective means of "capturing" and preserving/storing the medicinal properties of herbs. It needs to be noted that some herbs such as Pasque flower (Anemone pulsatilla) should not be made from the fresh herb. Always refer to Medical Herb text books for further information.

To produce an FPT of optimum quality*, the objective should be to both capture the vital energetic life force (vibrational energy) and the required pharmacologically active components (chemicals) in the plant at a designated or optimum concentration.

*Quality also implying here, an FPT that captures those vibrational and material elements within the plant or part of the plant that facilitates a healing response and or symptomatic relief of dis-ease within the physical and mental and emotional states of a person.

This is best achieved by using freshly harvested and gently comminuted plant material grown under ideal conditions. This is then macerated in a calculated volume of a chosen percentage mix of alcohol in water that will facilitate the optimum solubilization of the pharmacologically active chemical components. Also, the immersion of freshly harvested plant material that is still energetically strong (alive) in an aqueous based liquid enables the vibrational energies of that material to be also transferred to the liquid

To standardize an FPT in Australia , the material substance within the plant (the dry weight) is measured against the total volume of liquids used in the maceration process. This is expressed as a ratio with the generally accepted standard strength of an FPT being 1:5 which is 1 part dry weight of plant material to 5 parts of macerating liquid.

Preparing FPTs is a balancing exercise between obtaining the standard dry weight strength of 1:5 and the recommended alcohol concentration. This is not always possible, as many herbs when fresh consist of 80% or more liquid. This is discussed in detail further on.

Whilst FPT’s are liquid alcohol and water extracts made from freshly harvested plant material, they are not homoeopathic mother tinctures, but being prepared from the fresh plant material they have the potential of capturing a significant proportion of the "life force" or homoeopathic energies of the plant along with the alcohol and water soluble components.

The FPTs manufactured at Pindari are prepared via the process of maceration for between 2 to 4 weeks using 4 litre glass jars which are stored in a cool room away from direct light.

The expiry date applied is fours years from the date of maceration as it has been found after that period of time many FPTs start to lose their "zing." This is the word best used to describe the life force or vitality of the extract. This is discussed in further detail under “Quality Issues” in the document: “Energy Considerations in the Pharmacy of Herbal Medicines.”

When setting up to manufacture FPTs on a small scale, choosing a container of standard material, size and shape is recommended. Glass is the ideal container material with a size suggested between 2 and 4 litres and with a plastic lid of diameter between 70mm and 110mm. At Pindari a 4 litre glass container with rounded shoulders and with a 70mm diameter screw top cap is used.

After each use these are washed and scrubbed if necessary and then rinsed well. No detergents are used in the cleaning process as soap residues are difficult to remove. As the bottles are slow and difficult to dry and in order prevent bacterial and mould growth when stored, a small amount of alcohol is added to the clean wet jar which is then tightly capped. This sterilizes the jar and the alcohol residue is discarded just before the bottle is re-used.

The sharply rounded shoulders of the jar facilitates the "compacting" of the herb mass into the alcohol/water mix, holding the surface mass of the compressed herb at or below the surface of the menstruum within the jar.

An accurate set of scales that weigh up to 5 kilos and measures down to 1 gm are available for around AUD $300.

This facilitates inserting the herb into the narrow mouth of the jar and can be purchased from catering suppliers.

This facilitates the pressing and compaction of the herb into the bottle. It is 'self made.'

For good manufacturing practice it is necessary that a written record be kept of each tincture prepared. Choose a well bound book and for uniformity and good practice, use a standard set of headings such as those listed below.

It is useful to choose a batch numbering system that incorporates the date so that the date of manufacture of any tincture can be readily obtained. E.g. Batch no. 211205A, being the day (21st), the month (Dec), the year (2005), and the number for the day (A). It can also be a reminder for the timing for next season's harvest and enables stock rotation and expiry date management. By numbering and using one page for each batch a ready reference is available for past batches and for quickly finding any given batch.

Also, by recording the quantities harvested when the macerating herb is pressed, along with current stock holding, details of the usage of that FPT is obtained that can be used to plan the amount of herb required for next harvest.

The dry weight measurement is calculated by taking a sample of the herb a day or two prior to its harvest and processing. The sample should be cut into small portions or thin slices, then accurately weighed and dried with moderate heat (<45C) until "crackle" dry. When the "small twigs" in the sample break sharply is a good indication that the sample is dry. The weight of the dry sample should again be taken with the difference in weight being the weight of water that was present in the herb.
To calculate the dry weight percentage:

dry weight of herb	X	100
wet weight of herb		1

In practice the harvested herb starts to lose water immediately and increasingly so after comminution. In one instance on a warm day, in one hour a comminuted herb lost 6% by weight of moisture content. Thus it is important that the herb is processed and immersed in the menstruum as soon after harvesting as possible. This also reduces the amount of oxidation that occurs once the herb is cut, exposing it to air.

The dry weight of an herb can vary as much as 15% according to seasonal factors and weather, and the time of the day it was harvested.

Once harvested, all foreign matter should be removed. Generally aerial parts are not washed but roots should be thoroughly washed (pressured washed if possible) and their surface dried before they are comminuted. Any insect life should be removed either manually or by allowing them to "leave" over 1-2 hours of careful storage of the harvested material in a shaded, cool place. The herb is then comminuted to facilitate passive extraction of the soluble plant materials.

At Pindari a small chaff cutter with a 400mm diameter cutting wheel with three very sharp blades is used which is belt driven by a small electric motor. This gently and cleanly comminutes the herb material ready for maceration. The use of a chaff cutter requires great care and concentration in its use.

The milling of herb material is not used at Pindari in the belief that metal to metal pounding of herb material disturbs its subtle vibrational energies.

Many of the old pharmacopoeias discuss the identification of contaminants in commercial dried herb material, providing information on chemical and physical identification procedures. In small scale herb harvesting, contamination of the harvested material is easily avoided by close attention during the harvest and prior to comminution.

Place the macerating vessel in a secure position and add around 2/3rds of the calculated and pre-well mixed menstruum. Add the comminuted herb and press the herb well into this liquid. This ensures the herb is mixed with the menstruum and prevents compressed "dry" areas. The careful compaction of the comminuted herb enables the maximum amount of the herbal material to be mixed with the smallest quantity of menstruum. This provides the opportunity for obtaining a higher concentration of the herbal extract.

The rounded shoulder of the bottle further enables this compaction by holding the surface of the plant material under the liquid, also reducing the potential for oxidation.

There are established standard alcohol strengths for the menstruum for each herb. These may be obtained from the pharmacopoeias or by referring to current commercial products.

The degree of solubility of the medically active chemical constituents within the herb decides the percentage of alcohol used as the menstruum. For example, the more oil content in an herb that forms a part of the active principles, the higher the alcohol strength used as oils are far more soluble in alcohol than water.

When using fresh plant material it is sometimes not possible to obtain the required alcohol concentration in the resultant FPT because of the high water content in the herb. In these cases, a compromise needs to be decided upon between the dry weight strength and the alcohol percentage of the resultant tincture. It is possible and sometimes appropriate, to partially dry the freshly harvested herb so that a portion of the water content of the herb is removed. This enables a higher alcohol concentration and or higher dry weight strength to be obtained. However there comes a point when drying the plant material that so much water and life force has been lost, that the resultant tincture ceases to be from fresh plant material.

A further understanding in the area of partially drying the herb can be obtained by working through the next “Calculations” section in this document.

It is necessary to maintain an alcohol concentration at least above 20% and preferable 25% to preserve the tincture against bacterial and fungal growth.

In preparing an FPT, the weight of the herb to be used and the amount of alcohol and additional water required for the menstruum need to be calculated. In order to do this, four facts need to be known. They are:

When the above have been established it is then necessary to check if the quantities involved will produce an FPT of the chosen strength and alcohol concentration and that it will actually fit into the container. A demonstration of this is given below.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) harvested 27th of December 2001. Batch Number 271201A

825 of 100% alcohol X 100
96

859mLs alcohol (96%)
Which is 825mL of alcohol + 34mL of water

Total liquid required being	3300mL
minus liquid in herb	1340mL
minus volume of alcohol 96% being	859mL
equals	1101mL

Thus the volume of water required is 1101mL to be mixed with the 859mL of alcohol (96%).

Any herb with a dry weight of 20% is a 1:4 (dry wt) in its own liquid and it is not possible to add sufficient alcohol to the macerating herb to reach the required alcohol percentage and still obtain a 1:5 (dry wt) standard strength. Even with an herb with a 25% dry weight, it is difficult to obtain a 1:5 (dry wt) especially if a menstruum with an alcohol strength greater than 25% is required.

In these cases a decision can be made to either partially dry the comminuted herb or produce a weaker resultant tincture of say a 1:6 or 1:8 (dry wt strength)

In warm conditions and with an air flow, a comminuted herb loses water quickly and this can be judiciously used to reduce the water content of the herb. It needs to be managed by measurement so that both the required alcohol and dry weight strength can be obtained.

Each FPT of an herb is unique with no two herbs being the same and in order to successfully make FPTs from many different herbs it is best if the principles of the calculation methods are understood. For those who find this difficult in practice it has been found during Medicinal Herb Seminars that with hands on experience, the calculations are readily and easily understood.

But for those seeking an easier method for doing the calculations, Justin Crawford has prepared an excellent Microsoft Excel program.

Here it is necessary to do some trial calculations. By knowing the dry weight of the herb and the required alcohol concentration you can by calculation as given above, work out if it will fit in your chosen container. Remember, the alcohol concentration is important for the adequate solubilization of the herb material to be extracted.

As mentioned previously you can consider drying the herb for 1-2 hours to reduce the water content but this should be measured, and it should also be noted that some herbs oxidize rapidly and need to be tinctured as soon as practicable after being comminuted.

This is also where your batch record book is useful for referral to the previous time you prepared an FPT of a herb.

Example 2. The preparation of White Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) fresh plant tincture.
Batch Number 240301A

The dry weight was calculated to be 18%.
By trial 2900 gm of the herb was able to be fitted into the bottle giving a dry weight content of
2900 X .18 = 522 gm and a aqueous content of 2378mL.
The amount of alcohol added was 1000mL of alcohol (100%).
thus the total volume of liquids present was 2378mLs + 1000mL = 3378mL
thus the strength of the tincture was 3378 divided by 522 = 1:6.5

In this case the strength of the tincture was held high considering the dry weight of the herb and the optimum strength of the alcohol menstruum was increased from 25% to 29.6%.

When next preparing this herb, it could be air dried for an hour or so and the alcohol concentration reduced with the addition of a calculated amount of water.

Example 3. An FPT was prepared from the fronds (leaves) of Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis). The preparation was complicated by the harvest directly after a little rain where the fronds were wet. These were partially dried for a night and a day before tincturing.

(This example shows that when the dry weight and the quantities of alcohol and water are known, by systematically working through the calculations, an accurate strength of the resultant FPT and its alcohol concentration can be obtained.)

A sample of the herb was collected immediately following harvesting and found to have a dry weight of 40%, a further sample was taken just before maceration of the partially dried herb and found to have a dry weight of 60%. The drying of the herb resulted in a 20% reduction in moisture content.
As more herb had to be harvested to complete filling a second 4 litre bottle, a third sample for the dry weight of this sample was taken and found to be 40%.

Bottle 1 - 1320 gm of herb was placed in the bottle at a dry weight of 40%. As the dry weight was unknown at the time, it was assumed at 50% and the calculations were:

1320 gm wet herb at 50%	=	660gm of herb with 660mLs of liquid
660gms at 1:5 strength	=	3300mL total menstruum
3300mL menstruum at 60% alcohol	=	3300 x 0.6
	=	1980 mL of alcohol 100% to be added.
Volume of water to be added	=	3300 - 1980 - 660 = 660mLs of water

NB. It is best to always do a dry weight calculation first if possible.
Thus to 1320 gm of wet herb 1980mLs of alcohol 100% and 660mLs of water were added.
You will note that if the numeric quantities (1320 gm herb + 1980 mL alcohol + 660 mL water) are added it comes to 3960 which suggests they will fit into a 4 litre bottle.

With the second bottle 1145 gm of herb were added plus 170 gm of freshly harvested herb to fill the 4 litre bottle. This amount of herb allowed for the compression of the herb mass sufficiently for the 1980mLs of alcohol 100% and 660mL of water that was added to cover the herb material.

Knowing the dry weights, the accurate calculations for the strength and alcohol concentration of the combined pressings from bottle 1 and 2 can be completed.

The above calculations will hopefully explain the methodology used to attain the strength of the tincture and the percentage of alcohol.

For those unable to obtain 96% or 100% ethanol (alcohol) and who wish to make herbal tinctures, you can use alcoholic spirit beverages but there are limitations that are detailed below.

Spirits such as Vodka or Brandy have an alcoholic strength expressed as a percentage of proof spirit (in Australia 100% proof spirit is 57.1% alcohol in water) or as alcohol volume as a percentage of the total volume - e.g. Napoleon Brandy 37.1%. v/v

You can now purchase small distillation units that successfully distil fermented white sugar to around 95% ethanol for approximately AUD$800.

When preparing an FPT of an herb with a dry weight of 30%, in order to obtain an alcohol concentration of 25% for the resultant tincture, the dry weight strength of that tincture will be reduced.

Example 4.
2000gm of fresh herb at 30% dry weight contains 600gm of dry material and 1400 mL of liquid.
The total volume of liquid required to produce a 1:5 dry weight tincture is 5 X 600 = 3000mL
This allows for the addition of up to 3000 - 1400 = 1600mL of Napoleon Brandy which has (1600mL x .371 = 594mL) of alcohol.

The resultant alcohol strength of the tincture prepared using 1600mL of Napoleon Brandy is thus:

594	X	100	= 20% alcohol
3000		1

This amount of alcohol should be just sufficient to preserve this FPT. But to bring the alcohol concentration up to 25% there is a need for a further addition of Brandy and by a trial an error calculation it is found that a total of 3000mL of Brandy needs to be added taking the total volume of the tincture to 1400 + 3000 = 4400mL with the volume of alcohol within the Brandy being:
3000 X .371 = 1113mL - here the alcoholic strength is:

1113	X	100	= approx. 25% alcohol
4400		1

The dry weight strength of the resultant tincture is 600gm being the dry weight of the herb used divided into the total volume of liquid present being 4400mL which is: approx 1:7

Thus there has been a 40% reduction in the strength of the tincture produced in order to achieve a 25% alcohol concentration.

From this example it can be seen that when using alcoholic beverages to make herbal tinctures, the percentage dry weight of the herb must be high, the needed alcohol concentration for the tincture low. Otherwise the herb to be tinctured has to be partly or totally dried, otherwise it is often not possible to obtain FPTs of recommended alcohol strength and that is at or near a 1:5 dry weight.

Another option for those unable to buy expensive spirits and or obtain ethanol at 96% or 100% is to carefully dry and store their medicinal herbs and to take the dried herb orally in measured doses or as much of Chinese Herbal Medicine does, make an infusion (cup of tea) from the dried herb.

A minimum of 2-3 weeks should be allowed for aerial parts and up to 4 weeks for roots before the macerating herb is pressed. The time that a herb may be left macerating can be for many months provided it is stored in a cool place and away from direct light.

There are commercial presses available through herbalist professional bodies and the adaptation of wine presses is possible. For home production of FPTs a small wine press can be purchased for approximately AUD $200 from brewery stores. At Pindari an antique original herb pressed is used with a new stainless steel vessel made to the same design as the original black metal vessel.

Steps:
The first step is to drain the liquid from the marc by inverting the bottle over a large funnel containing filter paper. We use the large stainless funnels used in the catering industry for cooking potato chips in oil. There is a matching filter paper used in the same industry that is ideal for the purpose of filtering the liquids draining from the bottle.

The air flow over the collected liquid and the draining time should be kept to a minimum to avoid excessive alcohol loss from evaporation.

The wet herb material is then removed from the bottle and placed in the press vessel and pressed until much of the tincture has been removed. All pressed liquids are passed through the filter paper used with the draining process. The drained liquids are mixed well with the pressed liquids and the mixture then bottled and labeled.

For those without a press, placing the drained wet herb in a calico bag and twisting the bag vigorously will be moderately successful in expressing the herb.

For herbs with a high mucilage content such as Marshmallow and Comfrey root, drain well first then place the wet herb into a calico bag and then into the pressing vessel. This helps the thick mucilage to drain clear of the marc.

For soft and small portioned herbs such as Chamomile flowers, using a calico bag similarly will prevent the strainer plates at the bottom the press vessel from clogging up and preventing the liquids from draining into the collection vessel.

Experimentation and versatility is required in separating the liquid from the marc and recording the best methods in the batch record book can be very useful when coming to express next season’s harvest.

The ability to manufacture FPTs is easiest where the farm and the processing plant are in close proximity, as once harvested, plant material can rapidly lose moisture and vitality over a few hours.

Making your own FPTs is inexpensive and rewarding but it is time consuming with the main costs being the value you place on your time in the growing and processing of the herb. The outlay for equipment and the alcohol used is minimal. The savings in the cost of production of the herbal tinctures can be shared between yourself and the consumers of the medicines.

Commercial large scale production of plant extracts requires a substantial financial investment in plant and equipment and is accompanied by the costs of complying with quality control and regulatory processes. There are ongoing increases in these controls with associated costs that have seen increases in the cost of the medicinal herb extracts produced and a decrease in the range. The large scale of these plants necessitates the production of 1:1 and 1:2 fluid extracts produced from dried herbal material via a percolation process.

In recent years much of the herbal extracts available for professional use have come from these producers. Their size and financial strength has seen much of the research and education into herbal medicines directed towards medicinal fluid extracts produced from dried herbal material.

The effect has been a reduction in FPT production and usage and an increased focus on the medicinal properties of fluid extracts prepared from dried plant material. Research has been directed towards the isolation of the chemical constituents of the herb and the exploration of these chemicals. This is similar to allopathic medicine where the focus is on a drug and its pharmacological effects.

The whole plant including its vibrational energies and the unmeasured and as yet unfound medicinally active chemical constituents has become much less considered. Yet medicinal herb research continues to show that the pharmacological properties of the herb material are greater than the sum of its found constituents.

The homoeopathic, flower essence and aromatherapy healing effects of plant material provides ample evidence of the reality of "the whole is more than the sum of its parts" in respect to the healing properties of medicinal herbs. The higher vibrational energies of the herb that play a part in the mentioned modalities are minimized and at worst lost when the herb material is dried and stored over time

These vibrational energies are most likely captured in tinctures made from the freshly harvested herb.

The author has found in his practice that FPTs do have differing pharmacological properties to fluid extracts and that the dosage regime often needs to vary accordingly. Often, with FPTs the effective dosage can be in measured drops, compared to milliliters with fluid extracts.

Given the magnitude of the diversity in herbal extract manufacturing procedures, it is not possible to comment further on the perceived differences, but necessarily, those making fresh plant tinctures need to be aware of the potential for difference in the pharmacology and dosage regimes of their product.

When making fresh plant tinctures either for personal and or professional use, the responsibility lies with the manufacturer to accurately identify the species of herb, harvest at the correct time and use the correct parts of the plant. Responsibility is no less with fresh plant tincture manufacture and administration than it is with any other form of medication.

Medicinal herbs like any other flora are subject to variations in growing conditions and to genetic diversity between varieties within the species. Different seasons will see variations of the active medicinal principles within the herb.

Ample evidence of the seasonal variations can be seen in the wine industry where each season can see a "vintage" difference in the wine produced.

The experience at Pindari has been that tinctures prepared from season to season and herb to herb each have their own set of variables but if the general growing, harvesting and processing principles are followed, a near standard medicinal product can be prepared from year to year, providing an acceptable uniformity of product.

The variation between seasons and harvest areas and thus the differing and varying concentrations of active principles in the herbal extracts, is a reality that with the rekindled interest in phyto-therapy, science is now trying to accommodate. It can be said that at this point in time, herbal medicine is somewhat based both on science and historical usage.

The author's personal experience is that living within the medicinal herb gardens and daily observing the herbs has enabled a greater sensitivity in understanding the plant’s life cycles and their waxing and waning in vibrancy. The Doctrine of Signatures as alluded to by Paracelsus and others also become more self evident.

There is an increased ability to relate to the herbs, perhaps as the original herbalists did when they too lived in the country surrounded by the herbs on a day to day and season to season basis. This "living with" experience gives a greater depth of understanding that over the years leads to a deeper grasp of the differing expressions of the plants and their potential medicinal properties.

The way indigenous people live with and relate to the flora of their surroundings would be far more profound than that experienced at Pindari. However, the author's experience provides enough to be able to relate a little to this existential relationship. Any medical herbalist, if they wish to know, really know the herbs they are using, should perhaps grow the herbs, harvest and process them into tinctures or dried herbs and thus handle and experience them.

Sublingually tasting of one or two drops of a liquid herbal extract and watching and sensing within where the energy essence of the herb travels and its effects on their being, provides further experience of the herbs healing potential. This has been practiced in many workshop settings where participants have voiced their positive appreciation for the experience. This procedure is discussed in detail the “Taste Testing Document” to be found under “Quality Issues.”

Plants are a created, vital energetic and material life force that is an expression of its genome reproducing itself. The plant does this by using the energy of solar radiation and the material substrate of the earth, with the resultant physical and energetic expressions varying accordingly.

The capturing of this expression at any or all of its vibrational levels and the medicinal use there of, will by its very nature probably never be fully understood through the use of scientific methods. Thus phyto-therapy and its broad expression will remain a mixture of science and art, of understanding and intuition.

	Wet Herb	Dry wt %	Dry wt of herb	Liquid content of herb	Alcohol added	Water added.
Bottle 1	1320 gm	60%	792gm	528mL	1980mL	660mLs
Bottle 2	1145gm	60%	687gm	458mL	1980mL	660mL
	170gm	40%	68gm	102mL	_____	_____
Totals			1547gm	1088mL	3960mL	1320mL

Thus dry weight of herb used	=	1547gm
And total liquids used	=	(1088+3960+1320)	=	6368mLs
Thus strength of tincture	=	6368 1547	=	1:4 (dry weight strength)
And percentage of alcohol	=	3960 X 100	=	62%
		6368 1