When making tinctures, there are two basic processes you can use.
The folk method: Where you add your desired herb to the jar and cover it to the top of the jar with alcohol – lets say Vodka – because you want your alcohol to be at least 40 proof or 80% alcohol and since Vodka has very little taste, it is usually the chosen favorite. You can experiment with other flavors as you progress on your journey of tincture making. Once you have covered your herbs and filled the jar to the top, lid it, label it, and store it in a dark cupboard for 4 to 6 weeks, shaking daily or every other day.
The mathematical method, is the same ingredients, but you want to come out at the end with a tincture of 1:5 or 1:2 or whatever the recipe calls for. It is pretty basic once you understand that the 1 means the weight of the herb, and the second number represents the volume of the menstruum. For example if you have 1 gram of herb, in a 1:5 ratio, then I will use 5 ounces of menstruum. If I have 5 oz of herbs and I want my 1:2 ratio, then I would use 10 oz of menstruum. 2 x 5 = 10 If my ratio is 1:3 then I would multiply my 5 oz of herbs by 3 and 5 x 3 = 15 oz of menstruum.
Tincture making can be a little bit confusing at first, especially when you are trying to weigh and understand some of the math. But try not to overthink it. You can’t really mess up. And once you get the hang of it, you will go crazy creating tinctures, and soon your cupboard will be overflowing with delicious and healthy tinctures.
Do a little research on tincture making so you understand a bit about the alcohol, and what exactly it does, which herbs do better with which ratios, and which do better as fresh plant material or dried. Here is actually a great link by Old Ways Herbal which talks about this in good detail and explains it so well that I could not do a better job. Follow through with some research and get to where you feel confident at it.
It opens up a whole new world of herbal goodness for you.
There are a few different ways to figure out dosaging for your children using tinctures. I think Clark’s Rule is the easiest to remember if you can’t remember the others, or find your cheat sheet.
For an herbal infusion with an adult dose of 1 cup a day per tea, 3 x daily, a 50 lbs child’s dose would be 1/3 cup for 3 x daily. His rule of thumb is to take the weight of the child and divide it by 150, and that is the portion of the adult dose you would give to a child, in this case 1/3 the adult dose.
For an herbal tincture with a dose of 1 tsp 3 x daily for an adult, and a 50 lb child divided by 150, the child’s dose is 1/3 tsp 3 x daily.
Rosemary Gladstar’s suggested dosages:
Age of the Child to Dosage when adult dosage is 60 drops or 2 ml
Younger than 3 months is 2 drops
3 to 6 months is 3 drops
6 to 9 months is 4 drops
9 to 12 months is 5 drops
12 to 18 months is 7 drops
18 to 24 months is 8 drops
2 to 3 years is 10 drops
3 to 4 years is 12 drops
4 to 6 years is 15 drops
6 to 9 years is 24 drops
9 to 12 years is 30 drops
Please, please remember to always check to make sure a specific herb is safe for a child before just giving it to them.There are a number of herbs that are safe, but many, many that are not. Always check, and then always watch for any reactions at all, and seek medical help immediately if you see any reaction.