What Is a Tincture (and How to Spot a Good One)

A tincture is a liquid made by soaking a plant in alcohol, or in alcohol mixed with water, until the liquid has drawn the plant's compounds out of it. The plant material is strained off, and what's left goes into a small bottle with a dropper. Merriam-Webster puts it in one line: "a solution of a medicinal substance in an alcoholic solvent." That's the short answer to what is a tincture. The word comes from the Latin tinctura, "act of dyeing," because the liquid takes on the color of whatever is steeped in it.

How a tincture is made

The old method, still the most common, is maceration. Chopped plant goes into a glass jar under the alcohol and water, and after a couple of weeks the liquid is pressed and strained. King's American Dispensatory (1898) describes the same process: macerate in a closed glass bottle "usually for 14 days, with occasional agitation."

Alcohol does two jobs. It pulls out compounds that plain water leaves behind, and it keeps the finished liquid from spoiling. Common alcohol strengths run from about 25% to 60%, and herbal tinctures are usually kept at 20% or higher so they stay preserved on a shelf.

What the ratio on the label means

Tinctures are described by a ratio of plant to liquid. A 1:5 tincture means 1 part plant (by weight) went into 5 parts liquid (by volume). The most common ratios are 1:5 and 1:10, and all else being equal a 1:5 is about twice as strong as a 1:10. Under British standards, 1:3 and 1:2 tinctures are called "strong" tinctures. A percentage often follows the ratio, such as "1:5, 45%," which is the alcohol content of the finished liquid.

Tincture vs extract

Every tincture is an extract, but the reverse isn't always true. The line most herbal references draw is the 1:1 ratio. Once there's as much plant as liquid, the British and European Pharmacopoeias call it a liquid extract. Push past about 3:1 and the result is so thick it gets classed as a soft extract. In everyday shopping, "tincture" and "extract" are often used for the same dropper bottle, so the ratio and the alcohol percentage tell you more than the word on the front.

Tinctures were standard pharmacy stock

For most of the 1800s, the tincture was how a pharmacy kept plants on the shelf. Many of the tinctures once common in medicine appear in the United States Pharmacopoeia of 1850. Tincture of iodine was one of them. The National Formulary set a general recipe for any tincture without its own formula: 125 grams of plant made up to 1,000 cc of liquid, which works out to a 1:8. The alcohol kept them from spoiling on the shelf.

What is a tincture used for?

Today, most people buying one want a plant they already know about in a form they'll keep using. Herbal tinctures cover single plants like osha, echinacea, valerian and ashwagandha, plus blends. The plant decides the use, and that use usually comes from long tradition. Osha is a good example. The Rarámuri of Northern Mexico brewed the root as a tea, and the Lakota name for it is mato tapejuta, "bear medicine." The tincture keeps that same root ready in a form that sits on a desk or in a bag.

Why people pick a tincture over loose herb or powder

Dried root goes stale in a jar, and powder starts losing its smell and color soon after grinding, because so much surface is open to air. A tincture's compounds are already drawn out and sealed in alcohol, so a capped bottle keeps far longer than a jar of powder. A few more practical reasons people switch:

• The dropper measures the same amount every time, with no scales or teaspoons.
• It takes seconds. No simmering a root for 20 minutes.
• A 50 ml bottle fits in a jacket pocket, a gym bag or a glovebox.
• It mixes into water, tea or juice without leaving grit at the bottom of the cup.

Bear Root is what a good tincture looks like

Bear Root is Mara's osha root tincture. Osha (Ligusticum porteri) is a mountain plant of Northern Mexico, a relative of lovage in the carrot and parsley family, growing at 1,500 to 3,500 metres. It gets the name bear root from the old story of bears digging up the root and chewing it when they wake from hibernation. You can read the full story of the plant, its names and its history in our complete guide to osha root.

The ingredient list is short: premium quality extract. It comes in a 50 ml dark Miron glass dropper bottle, so it passes every label check below. The taste is earthy and warming, with a sharp, celery-like bite from the root. Most people take 1 to 2 droppers a day under the tongue, or stir them into water or tea. At that rate one bottle lasts 30 to 50 days, and it's the kind of daily ritual that fits anywhere: in your morning tea, in a water bottle after a hike, or at your desk mid-afternoon, any time of year. If you're comparing brands, here's what to look for in an osha root tincture.

Bear Root – Osha Root Tincture

50 ml dropper bottle. Ligusticum porteri from the mountains of Northern Mexico.

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What is a tincture bottle, and why is it glass?

A tincture bottle is a small glass bottle, usually 30 or 50 ml, with a screw cap that holds a rubber bulb and glass pipette. Squeeze the bulb, release, and the pipette fills to roughly one dropperful.

Color counts too. Light breaks down plant compounds over time, which is why clear tincture bottles are a bad sign. Dark amber glass is a step in the right direction: the glassmaker Beatson Clark says amber glass protects contents from ultraviolet light below roughly 450 nanometres. The gold standard is dark Miron glass, a deep violet glass that keeps light off the extract. It's what Mara uses for Bear Root.

How to read a tincture label

• The plant's Latin name, so you know exactly which species is inside (osha is Ligusticum porteri).
• The part of the plant used, such as root, leaf or pollen.
• Where the plant comes from.
• The plant to liquid ratio, if given (1:5 is a common, sensible strength).
• The alcohol content.
• Bottle size and how many days it lasts at the listed amount.
• The glass. Skip clear bottles. Amber is better, and dark Miron glass is best.

Bear Root considerations

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

Questions people ask

Does a tincture go bad?

Alcohol at 20% or more is what preserves a tincture, which is why herbal tinctures are made at that strength or higher. Keep the cap on and store it out of direct light, and dark glass does the rest.

Why is it called a tincture?

The word comes from the Latin tinctura, "act of dyeing," from tingere, "to tinge." Steeping a plant in alcohol stains the liquid with the plant's color.

How many drops are in a dropper?

A dropperful is one squeeze of the bulb, which fills the pipette partway. Labels give amounts in droppers, so you don't need to count drops.