When given a choice between taking an herb in a capsule or a liquid extract, most choose the capsule. After all capsules are convenient – just swallow with a sip or two of water. Capsules hide the taste of the herb – this is probably the primary reason herbal capsules and tablets gained popularity. And no danger of spilling a liquid and staining fabric or losing product.
I definitely agree that some herbs carry with them a taste that the taste buds rebel against. However, there really is great value in an herbal liquid tincture beginning from how they are made to their long shelf life. When we make a tincture, which is also referred to as an alcohol extract or simply an extract, we begin with the highest quality herb available – typically dry, but sometimes fresh (as some herbs lose important qualities when dried). We next will blend the herb with pharmaceutical grade grain alcohol that we mix to the precise proof for the particular herb being extracted. Some herbs are best extracted in an 80-proof alcohol and a few in 190-proof alcohol. There is a fair amount of chemistry and science that goes into all of this.
Our extraction process uses pumps and fancy glass bells – think mad-scientist laboratory- that circulates and re-circulates the alcohol against the herb driving out and pulling into the liquid the unique chemistry that belongs to each herb. Once this process is complete, the herb and alcohol liquid is pressed in our 12-ton press. The liquid extract is captured and then filtered. Viola! An alcohol herbal extract is born!
Some have expressed concern with the use of alcohol. We have found that using any medium other than alcohol produces a weak and inferior product. So much so, that even our non-alcohol syrups all begin as an alcohol extract in order to retrieve the herbal constituents. It is only after we have harvested into the liquid what we are after, that the alcohol can be removed and the product re-preserved with something like glycerin or maple syrup. This is the same concept used in your mother’s kitchen when canning peaches. Bacteria or pathogens won’t grow in an environment that is too sweet – that is why sugar is used when canning fruit or making jam.
Alcohol is one of the great preservatives. A capsule is convenient, but it begins losing potency within 3 to 5 years. Mind you, old or expired herbs don’t necessarily go “bad”; they just begin to lose their strength and potency. Kind of like peppermint leaves lose their strong aroma the longer they sit out. Something that is preserved in alcohol, on the other hand, will have a shelf life of decades if kept in reasonable condition.
A liquid extract will also be absorbed and assimilated into your body once taken much more quickly than a capsule. For me and my house, we tend to use capsules only for those herbs or formulas that taste so bad that we wouldn’t take it otherwise (like our Colon Cleanse formula). We will typically put a few dropperfuls of extract in a shot glass of water or juice and drink it down, followed by water or juice if necessary. The kids definitely get into the process using single herb extracts and tweaking what goes into the glass. A little coltsfoot or elecampane for a cough added to our lungs plus can super charge the mix. We keep lots of herbs in liquid extracts in our first aid kits and in our home storage supplies.
So my recommendation is to consider the benefits of herbal extracts, whether they are single herbs or formula combinations.
One of the keys to herbal medicine is to begin experimenting with several singles and formulas. As you become more familiar with the herbs, you will begin to gain greater insight as to what to use is the very early stages of health issues thereby avoiding crisis treatment and long-term management. Remember, the great power and wisdom of herbal medicine is the prevention and recovery of minor issues, treating and resolving them so that they do not become a critical emergency. Treating conditions early before they get out of control may not be as heroic as blaring sirens and lifesaving procedures and medicines, but as we look to herbs as our simple ounce of prevention, we can usually elimination the angst and trauma that comes with the pound of cure.
Blessings,
Dr. Kyle D. Christensen
March 2011
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