Tincture vs Extract (What's the Difference?)

Tincture vs extract is mostly a question of scope. An extract is any liquid or paste that has drawn compounds out of a plant with a solvent. A tincture is one kind of extract, made with alcohol (usually alcohol and water) as that solvent. So every tincture is an extract, while a glycerin, water, CO2 or oil extract is not a tincture. On a label, the real difference shows up in two numbers: the plant to liquid ratio and the alcohol percentage.

Osha root (Ligusticum porteri) is the example used on this page, because it is a root herbalists have long chosen to make as a tincture. For the plant itself, its history and where it grows, read our full guide to osha root.

Tincture vs extract, what's the difference?

The physician and herbalist Dr. Tieraona Low Dog set out the working definitions in a 2000 article on tinctures and liquid extracts. A tincture is a water and alcohol preparation in which the volume of liquid is greater than the weight of herb in it. A liquid extract (also called a fluid extract) is one where the herb to liquid ratio reaches 1:1 or goes past it. She notes that the major pharmacopoeias, including the United States Pharmacopeia and the European Pharmacopoeia, all draw the liquid extract line at 1:1.

The USP's own wording for a tincture, as quoted in the University of North Carolina's pharmacy lab notes, is an "alcoholic or hydroalcoholic" solution prepared from plant or chemical substances. Water alone does not make a tincture. Glycerin alone does not either.

Reading the ratio on the label

Ratios are written herb first, liquid second. "1:5 45%" means 1 kg of plant was extracted in 5 litres of liquid that is 45% alcohol. The smaller the second number, the stronger the product, so a 1:5 tincture is roughly twice as concentrated as a 1:10. The British Pharmacopoeia called 1:2 and 1:3 tinctures "tincture forte," a strong tincture. Push the ratio past about 3:1 and the liquid turns thick and sticky, and Low Dog says it is then classed as a soft extract.

For osha, the herbalist Michael Moore listed dry root at 1:5 in 70% alcohol and fresh root at 1:2 in his 1996 manual Herbal Tinctures in Clinical Practice. Both sit on the tincture side of the 1:1 line.

Extract vs tincture, by solvent

When a bottle just says "extract," it could be any of these:

• Alcohol tincture: alcohol and water, ratios commonly 1:2 to 1:10.
• Liquid or fluid extract: usually alcohol and water too, concentrated to 1:1 or stronger.
• Glycerite: vegetable glycerin, often with some water, and no alcohol. Sweet tasting.
• Water extract: a tea or decoction, sometimes concentrated or dried down.
• CO2 extract: carbon dioxide under pressure pulls out an oily extract, and the CO2 is then removed.
• Oil infusion: plant steeped in a carrier oil, mostly made for the skin.

The word on the front tells you less than the back. A dropper bottle sold as an "extract" is very often an alcohol tincture, and the ratio and alcohol percentage are what show you which one you are holding.

Tincture vs elixir

An elixir is a different thing again. The USP defines elixirs as "clear, sweetened, hydroalcoholic liquids intended for oral use," with alcohol anywhere from 5% to 40%. The sugar or syrup is the giveaway. A tincture is the plant and the liquid, unsweetened. Plenty of herbal shops now call any blend an elixir, so if the label lists honey or glycerin, it has been sweetened.

Shelf life, taste and how you take each one

Alcohol is the reason tinctures keep. A herbal storage guide from Seeds and Plants puts it plainly: properly prepared alcohol tinctures have a considerably longer storage life than water preparations, and glycerine preparations can have a shorter one. The Herbal Academy gives glycerites up to two years. A brewed tea is meant to be drunk the same day.

Taste follows the solvent. A glycerite is sweet and thick. An alcohol tincture tastes of the plant itself, carried by a short warmth from the alcohol, and a few drops go a long way. Tinctures are measured by the dropper and taken under the tongue, or stirred into water or tea. A CO2 extract or oil is usually sold in capsules or used on the skin.

Why osha is made as a dropper-bottle tincture

Osha root is dense and aromatic. It holds Z-ligustilide, at 0.15 to 2.5% of the root, the compound behind its celery-like smell, and that smell belongs to the plant's essential oils. Moore's 70% alcohol is a strong solvent for an oily, aromatic root like this, and once the root is strained off, a capped bottle keeps those compounds sealed in the liquid at room temperature.

The practical side decides it for daily use. A tincture keeps well on a shelf, a desk or in a gym bag, and the dropper gives the same measure every time with no scales or teaspoons. It goes under the tongue in the morning, into a water bottle before a hike, or into an evening tea, any time of year. Light is what you protect it from. Dark amber glass is a step in the right direction, and dark Miron glass is the gold standard and the glass Mara uses. If you are comparing osha tinctures side by side, our guide to the best osha root tincture covers the label checks in order.

What Bear Root is like to use

Bear Root is an osha root tincture from Ligusticum porteri, a mountain plant of Northern Mexico. The story behind the name is that bears dig the root up when they wake from hibernation and chew it. The label reads "Simple ingredients: premium quality extract."

It comes in a 50 ml dark Miron glass dropper bottle. Take 1 to 2 droppers a day. Hold it under the tongue for 20 to 30 seconds and swallow, or stir it into water, tea, juice or a smoothie. The taste is earthy and warming, with a sharp, celery-like bite from the root. Some keep the bottle by the kettle for a morning tea, others drop it into a water bottle after a run. At 1 to 2 droppers a day, one bottle lasts 30 to 50 days.

Bear Root considerations

The product page recommendation: "Contains alcohol. Not recommended during pregnancy. If you're nursing or taking medication, ask your doctor before using it."

Questions people ask

Is an extract the same as a tincture?

A tincture is always an extract, made with alcohol. An extract can also be made with glycerin, water, CO2 or oil, and those are not tinctures.

What is the difference between a tincture and a fluid extract?

Concentration. A tincture has more liquid than herb, such as 1:5, while a fluid extract is 1:1 or stronger, the line drawn by the major pharmacopoeias.

Which is better, tincture or extract?

For a dense, aromatic root like osha, herbalists have long used an alcohol tincture. It keeps for a long time, measures by the dropper and goes into water or tea in seconds.

How long does a bottle of Bear Root last?

At 1 to 2 droppers a day, a 50 ml bottle lasts 30 to 50 days.