Fully sanitise your glass jar and lid.

If you’re using fresh flowers, rinse them to remove any visible dirt and debris. It’s a good idea to pat them dry or allow them to air dry to avoid having excess water content in your tincture.

Use a knife to chop up the flowers or a pestle and mortar to crush the plant material. This is done to maximise the surface area that is exposed to alcohol when the tincture is steeping.

Add the flowers to a glass jar. If you’re using fresh flowers, tightly pack the jar ¾ of the way full. If you’re using dried plant material, fill the jar about ⅓ of the way full, to leave room for the alcohol to be absorbed.

Submerge the St. John’s Wort in alcohol. You want everything to be coming covered.

Add a lid to the jar and shake it for 30 seconds to mix everything together.

Set the jar in a dark, cool place away from direct sunlight for 6-8 weeks. Aim to shake the jar 3-4 times a week to make sure everything remains covered in alcohol.

After 6-8 weeks, use cheesecloth, a fine mesh strainer, or a coffee filter to strain off the tincture.

Make sure to remove the plant material from the liquid completely. If you don’t the tincture could go bad more quickly. I strain off my tinctures a few times to remove everything fully. If you used fresh flowers, you could use a coffee filter to catch any residual dirt.

Use a small funnel to pour the tincture into an amber glass bottle. I like to use the bottles that come with a dropper because it makes using the tincture simpler but just use what you have.

Date and label the finished tincture so you remember what it is and when you made it. 

The best way to help the tincture last a long time is to store it in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.

That’s it – enjoy!