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Hawthorn berry tincture
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Hawthorn berries tincturing
Note: I will add a slideshow of pictures to this article as soon as I take them while making my tincture this month. I am posting the directions for anyone brave enough to venture forth without pictures! See my article "Herb of the month: hawthorn" for the medicinal qualities of this marvelous herb.
At the time of a new moon (this month it's Nov. 16th), fill a large jar with as many berries as it can handle and then cover them with 100-proof vodka or Everclear (even better if you are using fresh berries,)
Label that jar and set it in a dark, cool place and shake the jar a couple of times a day (you don't have to overdo the shaking, but be sure to shake at least once a day.)
At the end of 2-3 weeks (or at the full moon, which is December 2nd), strain out the berries and discard, unless you want to cook with them (yum!) or start a fire with them.
At this point, you can bottle the tincture in brown glass bottles as it is, or you can AT A VERY LOW HEAT, as on a warming plate--put the tincture in a stainless steel or glass pot and evaporate half the volume (that means you'll have to have an accurate measurement of what you strained.) Add back the half you evaporated in vegetable glycerin. The glycerin will impart a sweet taste to it which makes it a little more palatable and the resulting tincture doesn't lose any of its potency. Be sure to date and label the finished bottles so that you'll always know what's in them. It's surprising how soon this information can be forgotten!
Now that it's made, how much should you take a day? The usual dosage of tinctures need not be large because the medicinal effects are very concentrated. One to two droppersful a day of tinctures is the usual amount taken. You may split your doses over the day, if you wish.
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