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Herbal Tincture For Vaginal Infection

A tincture is an extraction of active compounds from plant material using alcohol as solvent.  Active ingredients in herbs are more easily extracted by alcohol than other liquids such as glycerin, vinegar, or heat used in other methods, such as tea infusion, which can destroy some heat-sensitive components of the herbs. Most herbal tincture is prepared using alcohol solvent. But if you can’t consume alcohol use Apple Cider Vinegar or Wine Vinegar instead.
 

You Will Need

Herbal Blend

10 grams of Lindera Radix (Wu Yao)
10 grams of Dioscoreae Hypoglaucae (Bi Xie)
10 grams of Phellodendron Cortex (Huang Bai)
10 grams of Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi)
5 grams of Imperata (Bai mao Gen)
5 grams of Coix Semen (Yi Yi Ren)
5 grams of Citrus Reticulata (Qing Pi)
 

Preparation

1. Fill your herbal blend from 1/4 to half of the jar (20 oz)
2. Add Vodka, Rum or Brandy into the tincture jar, just above the level of herbs.
3. Seal the jar tightly to prevent leak or evaporation.
4. Store the jar away in a dry and dark area.
5. Add more alcohol at the next few days, as the dried herbs soaked and expanded.
6. Store the jar up to 2 weeks to 3 months.

Ready to Drink

1. Strain the tincture through a sieve with cheesecloth into another clean jar or storage container.
2. Extracting the remaining tincture by squeezing the saturated herbs and transfer it into a dropper bottle. Refrigerate it.
3. Drink it with 2 teaspoons right after lunch and dinner. If you can’t stand the taste, dilute it with water, juice, or tea.

Discussion&Tips

One of the goals of extraction is to secure various flavonoids from the herbs while leaving out as many of the terpenes and chlorophylls as possible. So it is desirable to have tincture stored in an air-tight dark glass containers kept at room temperature or below.
 
It is recommended to store them in refrigerator, but be sure to label it clearly, so other family member would not drink your tincture. Avoid plastic containers at all cost. The ethanol in the tincture may solubilize some of the free vinyls in the plastic or some PBA might leak out too. No stainless steel container for long term storage.
 
If you are worried about the tiny fragments or residues passing through the cheesecloth, filtered them twice through a paper coffee filter.