I love learning about the many uses for elderberries, and today it’s tinctures. My first stop was Wikipedia, which describes a tincture as “an alcoholic extract or solution of a non-volatile substance.” Hmm. Okay, so that wasn’t as explanatory as I’d hoped. Here we go - WiseGeek has a better explanation, describing it as an “an alcohol-based derivative of a fresh herb or other natural plant material, used primarily as an alternative medicine or dietary supplement.” It also goes on to explain that in the early days of medicine, powdered herbs tended to lose their potency rather quickly, so alcohol was used to add stability to the chemicals in the herbs, keeping their medicinal properties intact for far longer. So there you go!
So what made me so interested in tinctures? I found this post today and just loved it. It has a great closeup photo of just-cut berry clusters, and a tantalizing description of making elderberry tincture for medicinal use, using nothing but elderberries and vodka. Although the post suggests to keep the tincture, shaking once a day for three months as opposed to the two weeks in the WiseGeek article… I can only assume that the longer the steep, the more potent the tincture? It sounds like it would be fun to find out. 
5 responses so far ↓
1 FRAN W. // Apr 14, 2008 at 8:48 am
I IJUST GOT AN EMAIL FROM ULRICH YOUNG ABOUT GETTING THE ELDERBERRIES FROM HIM. WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN WITH THE BERRIES IN THE PAST? I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING SOME AND MAKING PIES . I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THEM FOR YEARS AND GLAD I HAVE FOUND THEM THROUGH THIS SITE.
2 Amy // Apr 14, 2008 at 8:51 am
When I ordered from him, he shipped quickly, and packed carefully. The berries still had some stems and needed to be washed, which was a dirty job, but their condition was good and the flavor was strong. De-stemming fresh berries would be a lot easier, but of course, they’re a whole lot harder to get out of season.
3 Lorie L. // Jul 30, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Hello, I’ve heard about the benefits of elder flower for the skin. Any suggestions for a recipe for a facial tonic made with the elder flower? Also, I am making elderberry tincture for the upcoming cold/flu season and would like to add echinacea (parts) to the tincture but am not sure when to add/how much or if I would disprupt the extraction process. Thoughts on these would be GREATLY appreciated! I love this site!
4 Justin // Aug 20, 2008 at 6:11 am
Wow a site devoted to Elderberries, I live in TN and they grow wild in cluster all over I could probly pick 20 gallons worth in 30mins around here. So just what is the benifit of the Tincture? What does it cure? Thanks alot Jgillum
5 Bill DettLeff // Aug 23, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Im womdering if there is a problem getting elderberries from the woods? Could there be some that are toxic? Just how do you tell?
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