Herb Tinctures

[Zipfelmuetze]

I am interested in making Herb tinctures, but I am growing wary of attempting this since I am not understanding alkaloids. Most of the information on alkaloids is very scientific and the most I can extract from the articles is that alkaloids are the poisonous part of a plant. Alkaloids are also a part of what is being extracted from an herb when you put it in alcohol. Why would anyone think it is a good idea to consume herb poison? I am very confused and concerned by this. I was looking forward to making tinctures, but now I have no idea what is going on. If I am understanding this all wrong please help explain how alkaloids work. I am no scientist.

[lorax]

Alkaloids are a large group of chemicals that include some toxic plant components, but that's not what they're limited to; in fact, the greater number of plant alkaloids are therapeutic in some way. Caffeine, for example, is an alkaloid (and yes, it's toxic, but only in very large doses - otherwise we wouldn't love coffee and tea so much....) Another useful alkaloid is Theobromine, which is responsable for the medicinal effects of Cacao. Morphine, which comes from poppy, is one of the most useful alkaloids known to man. Another is Quinine, which is antimalarial. Cocaine is another, as are Strychnine (definitely a toxin) and Nicotine.

Alkaloids are also responsable for a range of the scents and flavours we perceive from plants - particularly common are Limonine, which is present in Citrus, and Piperidine, which is in Pepper.

So what you're after in a tincture isn't poison, unless you're specifically extracting from poisonous plants (like Belladonna, which produces an Atropine tincture useful for gastric complaints, but which is also definitely a toxin and not to be even extracted let alone dosed by anybody less than a master herbalist).

You're after the active principles of the herb.

Clear as mud?

[Zipfelmuetze]

Ah thanks! That helps a lot! I actually have Valerian mint tea, and I've been reading up on the alkaloid effects of that. Apparently it has the alkaloid type that is actually damaging to the liver. If anyone knows more about that, that'd be great. I'm going to hold off on drinking that tea now.

[thurkun]

Go to a good used book store and look at their herb books or your local librarian would help you with books or searching the Internet. I've got a few books here to recommend " The Way of Herbs" by Michael Tierra has a coupla very good and simple pages on tinctures, "Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs has a short concise description on their preparation and is readily available. "The Herb Book" by John Lust goes a little overboard on the herbal cures and offers help with any ailment including cancer using only herbs but also states some of the herbal cures may be harmful or fatal if dosages are wrong. Most agree that 4 oz. of cut or powdered herb are mixed with a pint of alcohol, shake daily for two weeks and filter. Tierra also says that to extract alkaloids you also need to add an acidic element like vinegar to the alcohol. I just decanted an extract of Bay by using vodka and about 100 bay leaves and use it for cooking.
Pat