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An overhead shot of brown tincture in a saucepan against a light background. There is a small glass jar with more tincture sitting next to the saucepan.
Nico

How To Remove Alcohol From Herbal Tinctures (Three Methods)

Alcohol is the best way to make homemade tinctures but for a variety of reasons some people want to avoid using it. Here is how to remove alcohol from homemade herbal tinctures without losing access to the medicinal benefits that tinctures provide.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 20 minutes
Servings: 1 Bottle
Course: Tinctures
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Water - distilled if you can find it
  • The tincture

Equipment

  • A kettle or saucepan to bring water to a boil
  • A mug
  • A spoon

Method
 

Hot Water Method
  1. The fastest way to reduce the alcohol content in a tincture is to use hot water. It’s also a good method if you don’t want to remove the alcohol from the entire bottle of tincture.
  2. Boil your kettle or bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. If you can find distilled water, consider using it. It will have a consistent composition and be free from minerals, chemicals, and microorganisms that may be present in tap water.
  3. Add your tincture dose to a mug and pour the boiling water over it. Mix it with a spoon and allow it to cool slightly before consuming it.
Heat Evaporation Method
  1. Pour the tincture into a small saucepan.
  2. Place the pan on the stovetop over low heat. It's important to use low heat to prevent the tincture from boiling. If you’re concerned about the tincture boiling, use a homemade double boiler instead. Simply add the tincture to a heat-safe bowl and put the bowl on top of the small saucepan with water.
  3. Allow the tincture to heat gently. As the temperature rises, the alcohol will begin to evaporate. Keep an eye on the process to prevent the mixture from boiling and prevent the plant’s essential oils from being destroyed.
  4. For the 50 ml amber glass bottles, this process takes about 20-30 minutes.
  5. Allow the tincture to cool completely.
  6. Use a small funnel to pour it back into the tincture bottle.
  7. Remember that since the alcohol content has been reduced, the shelf life will be shortened.
Air Evaporation Method
  1. Pour the tincture into a shallow bowl or pan. Cover the bowl with a beeswax wrap or tea towel. You want oxygen to be able to reach the liquid so avoid using an airtight container.
  2. Place the container in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight and leave it at room temperature. The goal is to allow the alcohol to evaporate naturally over time.
  3. Stir the tincture occasionally to promote even evaporation.
  4. Depending on the volume of alcohol and the environmental conditions, this method may take several days to weeks to complete.
  5. You can also use an ice cube tray and add individual doses to each cube. This will make the evaporation process faster (about 24 hours per dropper full).
  6. Again this method will not remove the alcohol completely but it can significantly reduce the alcohol content.

Notes

It’s difficult to completely remove alcohol from herbal alcohol extracts but there are three simple ways that you can significantly reduce the amount of alcohol.
Store-bought apple cider vinegar is a good alternative to alcohol for tincture making. You want to use store-bought instead of homemade vinegar in your liquid extract to ensure it has the right level of acidity. 

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