Choosing the Right Herbal Preparation (Tea, Tincture, Salve, Syrup and More)

Choosing the right herbal preparation can be tricky, especially when you’re just getting started with herbs.  Do you want a tea, or a tincture?  Maybe an infusion is better?  It really comes down to your goals, as well as the specific herbs you’re using, as each herb works better in some preparations than others.

Herbal preparations go way beyond simple herbal teas, and there are literally dozens of different types of herbal preparations to choose from.  From water based preparations like teas, infusions, broths and steams, to alcohol or vinegar based extractions like tinctures and oxymels, to sugar based extractions like syrups and honeys, to finally oil based extractions like salves and creams.

The right herbal preparation depends somewhat on your goals, and the specific issue, but it also depends on the solubility of the herbal constituents in the particular plant matter you’ve chosen.

Soothing herbs like marshmallow do best in water, while bitter herbs like dandelion and burdock are great as tinctures.  But how do you know what herbal preparation to choose?

I asked the Herbal Academy of New England if I could share an excerpt from their Herbal Preparations 101 Course and they graciously agreed to allow me to reprint this guide for you.  It’s just a small part in the introduction of the full herbal preparations course, and the course goes on to explain the exactly how to make each and every one of these preparations.

It also includes plenty of herbal monographs, and walks you through the best ways to prepare dozens of common herbs into effective herbal remedies.

I took the course a few years back, and I was especially happy that I ordered the laminated herbal preparation reference guides that accompany the course material.  They’re really handy as quick reference guides when you’re crafting herbal remedies, and have everything you need to make (and troubleshoot) more than a dozen common types of herbal preparations.

The following is an excerpt from the Herbal Preparations 101 Course from the Herbal Academy of New England.  It is reprinted with permission, and has been edited slightly to fit the web.

Types of Herbal Preparations

While some herbs can be taken in their whole form, herbs can be prepared in various ways using solvents such as water, alcohol, vinegar, glycerin, or oil. These solvents help to extract chemical constituents (phytochemicals) from fibrous plant material that might otherwise pass through the body unassimilated, or that might not be absorbed through the skin, in the case of topical herb use.

Not only does extracting plant constituents into an easily absorbed medium grant our bodies easier access to their herbal properties, it can also make herbs more palatable to the tongue, allow them to be used in a variety of different applications, and help preserve the plant’s constituents for future use. These extractions are called herbal preparations. 

Water Based Herbal Preparations

Water-based herbal preparations are those that are comprised mostly of water, the universal solvent. These types of herbal preparations provide a simple and enjoyable way to deliver the water-soluble properties of plants to the body. Water-based infusions and decoctions (both referred to as herbal teas) are made by using water to extract plant constituents. Water-based preparations also form the foundation of other preparations such as herbal syrups and double-extraction tinctures. Water-based preparations can also be used topically—these include herbal washes, compresses, and fomentations.

When making water-based preparations, fresh or dried herbs may be used. Because microbes multiply in water rather quickly, water-based preparations need to be used almost immediately. Refrigeration and freezing can help to extend the shelf life of these herbal preparations; we suggest using refrigerated infusions within 24 hours and refrigerated decoctions within 48 hours.

Sweet Based Herbal Preparations

Sweet-based preparations are those that utilize solvents with a sweet taste such as sugar, honey, or glycerin. These types of solvents not only work to make the herbal extraction more palatable, they also help to prolong shelf life. Sugar has been used for centuries as a food preservative—like alcohol, it inhibits bacterial growth. The higher the concentration of sugar, the better its preservative effects, as sugar molecules are able to bind to the water present in herbs/foods, leaving less water available for microbes to colonize (ACS Distance Education, n.d.). 

Sweet-based preparations can also incorporate a combination of solvents—honey and an herbal decoction in a syrup, or vinegar and honey in an oxymel, for example. These combinations are often employed to increase shelf life or to extract a broader range of beneficial constituents. For example, vinegar excels at extracting minerals, and will remain shelf stable for approximately six months (and can last longer if refrigerated). Since herbal honeys made with fresh herbs have a shelf life of 3-6 months, adding vinegar and making the preparation into an oxymel (a combination of vinegar and honey) can help extend the shelf life to a definite 6 months. 

Sweet-based preparations can be made using fresh or dried herbs, and the preparation’s shelf life will vary based on the use of fresh vs. dry herbs, the total sugar content, and whether other solvents are included. Sweet-based preparations should be stored in sterilized, dark-colored glass jars or bottles in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

Alcohol Based Herbal Preparations

Alcohol can be used as a solvent to make herbal preparations such as tinctures and liniments. Not only can alcohol help to extract a different set of constituents from plant material, alcohol preparations also tend to be concentrated, so smaller dosages are needed, and they are more easily absorbed into the bloodstream.

Because alcohol slows decomposition of organic matter and bacterial growth, alcohol preparations have a long shelf life. However, for alcohol to properly preserve a tincture, the final alcohol percentage should be at least 25%. We suggest using alcohol-based herbal tinctures within 2 years. However, some alcohol tinctures and liniments have a shelf life of 3-5 years (or more), particularly those made with a high percentage of alcohol. Shelf life can be extended by thoroughly filtering the tincture to remove as much plant sediment as possible and through proper storage and keeping the preparation from contamination during usage (Green, 2000).

Alcohol-based preparations should be stored in sterilized, dark-colored glass jars or bottles in a cool place out of direct sunlight. They do not need to be refrigerated. 

Oil Based Herbal Preparations

Oil is another common solvent that is used in herbalism. Herb-infused oils are prepared by infusing plant material in a carrier oil such as olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower seed oil in order to extract oil-soluble plant constituents. Herb-infused oils form the foundation of other preparations such as salves and creams.

While microbes can multiply in oil when it is contaminated, microbes are not the only threat to the shelf life of oil-based herbal preparations—another culprit is oxidation (rancidity). Oil rancidity occurs naturally with time and can also occur due to improper storage and usage, as oils are susceptible to deterioration via heat and sunlight. These preparations should be stored in sterilized, dark-colored glass jars or bottles in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

Dried herbs are most often used when making oil-based preparations, although for some particular plants, freshly wilted plant material is used in order to better extract active constituents. The shelf life of oil-based preparations made with dried herbs depends on the shelf life of the oil you choose; therefore, herb-infused oils and salves have a shelf life that ranges from 6 months to 3 years. For infused oils that oxidize easily, you can add antioxidant products like vitamin E or rosemary oil extract to help extend shelf life a bit longer, as these products have been shown to slow the process of oxidation (Riaz & Rokey, 2012).

Note that infused oils are not essential oils and are usually only mildly scented.

Solubility of Herbal Constituents

Water, alcohol, glycerin, or vinegar? From an herbal perspective, the choice of solvent will greatly depend on what plant constituent you seek to capture, which in turn might depend on the desired actions of the herbal preparation and what part of the body needs support. Let’s dive in!

A printable version of the graphic below is available here.

Water

Water extracts only water-soluble constituents such as acids, alkaloids, bitter compounds, flavonoids, glycosides, gums, minerals, mucilage, polysaccharides, tannins, and volatile oils (short term) (Cech, 2000; Easley & Horne, 2016; Green, 2000; Yarnell, 2004). When making water-based preparations, it’s important to use fresh, clean, pure water.

While hot water is typically used as heat helps to break down plant cell walls and release chemical constituents, some constituents (e.g., mucilage) are more suited to extraction in cool water. 

Glycerine

Herb-infused glycerins (also known as glycerites) utilize food-grade vegetable glycerin as a menstruum. Vegetable glycerin is a clear, odorless liquid produced from vegetable oils such as palm, soy, or coconut. While glycerin has a sweet taste, it is not metabolized by the body like sugar and will not spike blood sugar levels. 

Like vinegar extracts, glycerites are considered less potent than tinctures, but are effective nonetheless, and are particularly useful for extracting tannins from astringent herbs as well as bitter compounds, glycosides, polysaccharides, saponins, vitamins, and to a lesser extent, alkaloids and volatile oils (Cech, 2000; Easley & Horne, 2016; Green, 2000; Yarnell, 2004). The sweet taste of glycerites makes them a palatable option for children, and they are also ideal for those who prefer to avoid alcohol for health or religious reasons. Glycerites with at least 55% glycerin are shelf stable for approximately one year (Cech, 2000).

Alcohol

Alcohol extracts acids, alkaloids, bitter compounds, flavonoids, polysaccharides, resins, some vitamins and minerals, tannins, volatile oils, and many other plant chemicals, but precipitates out mucilage (Cech, 2000; Easley & Horne, 2016; Green, 2000; Yarnell, 2004). Thus, using a purely alcohol-based solvent to make a tincture of marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) root, which contains an abundance of mucilage, is not the best way to extract the beneficial and water-soluble mucilage (Cech, 2000). Any alcohol intended for consumption can be used in a tincture, but some of the most common kinds of alcohol used by herbalists are vodka, brandy, gin, and grain alcohol.

Glycerin and/or vinegar may be added to alcohol tinctures to enhance extraction of the specific constituents discussed in this lesson.

Oil

Oil, particularly warm oil, effectively extracts oleoresins, resins, and volatile oils, and to a lesser extent, gums, mucilage, and tannins (Cech, 2000; Easley & Horne, 2016; Green, 2000; Yarnell, 2004). Some of the most common oils used by herbalists include olive oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and sesame oil. 

While vegetable oils are a good solvent for extracting plant constituents from herbs, oil also has the ability to extract pesticides and herbicides (Cech, 2000). If a particular plant was grown with the use of agricultural chemicals, then the oils extracted from that plant material are likely to contain those chemicals as well. Thus, it is important to use certified organic oils (as well as certified organic herbs) when using oil as a solvent in your herbal preparations.

Vinegar

Vinegar is ideal for extracting minerals from mineral-rich plants such as dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) leaf, horsetail (Equisetum arvense) leaf and stem, and red clover (Trifolium pratense) aerial parts. It is also used to extract alkaloids from herbs (Easley & Horne, 2016) as well as bitter principles, carbohydrates, and tannins (Yarnell, 2004).

For effective preservation of vinegar extracts, use 100% vinegar and dried (rather than fresh) herbs in order to prevent the level of acetic acid in the final product from dipping below 5% (Green, 2000), thus inviting bacterial growth. Many herbalists prefer to use apple cider vinegar when preparing herbal vinegars as it is high in minerals and is a digestive tonic in and of itself, though any good-quality vinegar will work! Herbal vinegars with at least 5% acetic acid do not need to be refrigerated and have a shelf life of 6 months.

Herbal Constituent Extraction Tips

One more thing to keep in mind is that different solvents will extract different chemical constituents of the same herb, thus producing herbal preparations with different actions/properties. Plantain (Plantago spp.) leaf, for example, may be infused in vinegar to better extract its mineral constituents or infused in cool water to better extract its mucilaginous constituents.

If you want to optimize the extraction process when making herbal preparations, keep the following tips in mind.

• Increase surface area as much as possible. The more of your herb’s surface area that is exposed to the solvent, the more effective the extraction will be. This is because the solvent will come into contact with more of the herb as the herb and solvent molecules have more opportunity to bump into each other.
• Increase the solvent temperature. Increasing temperature increases the movement of solvent molecules, allowing them to more easily break apart the herb molecules and incorporate those into solution, resulting in a better extraction. Heat also helps to break down the cell walls of tough plant parts and mushrooms. Heat is often employed in water infusions and decoctions, infused oils (gentle heat only), and glycerites. Alcohol preparations are rarely heated as this can be dangerous at high temperatures. An exception to the increased temperature rule is when trying to extract herbal constituents that are better suited for cool water, which we’ll discuss further in Lesson 3. 
• Don’t forget to shake things up. Stirring or shaking your herb and solvent will also help move things around, exposing more of the plant’s surface area to the solvent.

If this seems overwhelming, take heart that a chemistry degree is not needed to be an effective herbalist! Paying attention to traditional methods of preparation while considering modern research can be the most helpful way to determine how to prepare and use an herb. And we will help you along the way, with recipes and monographs that detail each individual herb’s special qualities.

Conclusion

Herbs can provide the daily support your body needs in order to move into a balanced state of wellness, and there are a plethora of herbs and herbal preparations that can be used to effectively deliver plant constituents to your body.

In the coming lessons, we’ll look at each of the previously mentioned solvents in more depth, learn which herbal preparations utilize each of these solvents, and dive further into solubility and extraction. We’ll discuss how to make and store these preparations and provide guidelines on shelf life and dosage. But before we get too far, let’s talk about herbs and how to choose them safely. In the next lesson, we’ll explore a list of safe herbs that you can use to make the herbal preparations you learn about in this course.

Recommended Resources

The Herbal Academy’s Herbal Preparations 101 Course is one of the best resources I’ve seen anywhere for guiding you through choosing the right herbal preparation.  These books are also great resources:

Herbal Guides

Herbal Medicine-Making Tutorials

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