DIY: Echinacea Tincture |

Written by Jacki May and

Echinacea is a popular herb, even in mainstream medicine, commonly used to support the immune system.

While it is true that echinacea is an immune-supporting herb, using it daily is not necessarily the best way. Echinacea is best used at the first signs of illness, and used often. You can use it in a tea (3-4 cups a day or drinking ½ cup every hour) or in a tincture.

Using it in an echinacea tincture is easy, allowing for frequent doses without having to drink a lot of tea. An example of taking the tincture would be 1/2 dose every hour for several hours.

It is also very easy to make, making it easy to keep on hand when needed.

First, a word about the different kinds of echinacea and what parts to use.

When purchasing echinacea, you may have stumbled across E. purpurea and E. angustifolia. These are slightly different plants, although they both are echinacea and can both be used for this tincture. According to Stephen Buhner, author of Herbal Antibiotics, E. angustifolia is the better of the two for therapeutic purposes.

On top of that, the echinacea root usually contains more helpful constituents than the above-ground parts, BUT all parts are beneficial. I have used Echinacea purpurea herb and root with success.

Echinacea Tincture

Ingredients:

20 grams (weight) Echinacea
100 mL vodka (I use 100 proof)

Directions:

Step 1: Measure out your echinacea and your vodka.

Step 2: Add both to your jar and shake.

Step 3: Label your jar with the herb and date made. You can also add the date to strain it…usually 4-6 weeks after the date you made it. I mark it on my calendar.

Step 4: Store in a dark, cool place. Shaking occasionally.

After 4-6 Weeks…..

Step 5: Using either muslin, cheesecloth, or an inexpensive flat diaper (from the baby section of the big box store), strain liquid from the herb, squeezing the fabric to get all the liquid you can.

Step 6: Bottle and label with the name, date made, and dose.

For this echinacea tincture, the adult dose is 60 drops. A child’s dose will be different, but on average, a 50-pound child will get about 20 drops (approx. 1/3 the adult dose, which is based on a 150-pound adult).