Alcohol 80-Proof

The liquid

Alcohol 80 proof is a commonly used for maceration. Maceration is the process of extracting the chemical compounds from the plant.
The alcohol breaks down the cell walls and extracts the chemical. During this maceration process, some of the alcohol is used up, but very little. When the process is completed anywhere between 2% and 5% is "used up" which is why alcohol extraction is preferred because now the tincture will preserve for years to come!

For those individuals either sensitive to alcohol, or would prefer not to consume alcohol, there's a different maceration process with glycerates, oils, or water extractions. The amount of beneficial chemical extractions is a lot less and sometimes require, multiple maceration of the same oil, glycerate or water to obtain the potency that's beneficial to the human body.

The process

Most plants can be macerated with 80-proof alcohol, but some require 100-proof (grain alcohol) to break down the cell walls. During the maceration process it's imperative that the tincture be kept in a cool dark place and shaken daily. The shaking helps move the material around and to break down the plants cell walls even more. This is why most tinctures take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to make. It's a long slow process but the end result is a good and potent tincture with lots of beneficial chemicals from the plant. The folks over at "Live to Plant" have a good article on how to make tinctures if you're ever curious. The process is not difficult, but it is long and time consuming which is why people don't generally do it.

• Often the question is asked "Does it matter the brand?"
• Answer: not at all! You can use, whiskey, vodka, gin- really, it's a preference if you're making it for yourself. But often if you're going to be selling the remedy, then vodka is preferred because of its colorless and "almost" odorless smell and taste.

Here at Tincture Remedy, we use vodka as our preferred method of maceration.