WHY TINCTURES?
Potent natural medicine
It’s clear that most of us are enamored with herbs and their healing properties. There’s no doubt these herbs are a formidable natural medicine. But did you know that tinctures are an extremely effective way to harness and utilize the power of medicinal herbs?
When we need a natural remedy for a health concern, or to fortify our well-being, we often reach for a tincture, herbal pill, or soothing tea. All have benefits. However, if you are seeking the most potent natural medicine, high-quality herbal extracts are your best bet. Here’s why.
Tinctures are assimilated much more readily than other forms of medicinal herbs. Since tinctures are absorbed directly through the mouth and stomach wall, they bypass the digestive process and are quickly drawn into the bloodstream. In fact, it only takes about 5 minutes for the extract to assimilate.
Tinctures also offer flexible dosing with the ability to easily increase or decrease the amount taken to find the best therapeutic fit—unlike teas, tablets, or capsules. Nutrient uptake is maximized with tinctures as well. Depending on preference and taste, tinctures can be taken straight or diluted in tea, juice, or water.
Another advantage of herbal extracts is that they are virtually indestructible when stored in a well-sealed container. The alcohol preserves the active compounds by eliminating any microorganisms that may have been introduced into the extract. Incredibly, alcohol-based tinctures can last for up to seven years.
Dual Extraction
All tinctures are not the same
Tinctures are medicinal extracts of herbs in an alcohol, vinegar, or glycerin base. Alcohol is regarded as the universal menstruum (solvent) because it is able to successfully draw out more essential oils and other active compounds compared to using water or another medium. In short, alcohol-based tinctures provide the most effective concentration of beneficial elements found in the plant. A variety of materials can be used to prepare a tincture, such as leaves, berries, fresh or dried flowers, roots, or bark. It’s important to note that some herbs (like mushrooms and lichens) require a double-extraction in both water and alcohol to access the full spectrum of medicinal compounds. At Nicole's Apothecary, we not only perform this dual-extraction process, we go one step further.
The Gold Standard
Spagyric Extraction Method
At Nicole's Apothecary, we use a third, additional process called The Spagyric Extraction Method. With this unique method, the spent herb is processed with pressure and heat to produce a mineral-rich ash that’s derived from the entire plant, lichen, or mushroom. With this process, nothing goes to waste. The medicinal properties of the herb are fully accessed from the ash and herbal extraction, which creates a tincture that embodies a complete spectrum of intracellular minerals and plant cell salts. These elements were valued and well-known among alchemists.
Tinctures that employ the spagyric method are highly energized and concentrate the full medicinal properties, nutrients, and enzymes of the botanical. Instead of simply capturing one aspect of the plant, this method ensures the tincture integrates all the synergistic elements.
Spagyric tinctures are non-toxic, gentle, and pleasant tasting. All my tinctures utilize this innovative process along with alcohol extraction. My mushroom and lichen tinctures take it one step further and employ an additional water extraction method to create the highest potency available.
Fruiting Bodies
Superior Medicinal Mushroom Tinctures
As mushroom supplements gain popularity, a wide range of products are now available. Many manufacturers grow mycelium, which is an earlier stage of the mushroom that is grown on grains. When the mushroom is processed, much of the grain is included—and little of the actual mushroom. This results in a substandard product that is high in grain starch and low in beneficial mushroom compounds such as beta-glucans.
However, there is another option that uses only the fruiting bodies of the mushroom without fillers or mycelium. The mushrooms are cultivated in a manner that is time and labor-intensive, but that ultimately yields a superior medicinal product. Here at Nicole's Apothecary, we only use the mushroom fruiting body. This creates the most potent extract available. Fruiting body extracts contain 30 to 40 percent beta-glucans, compared to mycelium extracts, which typically have only 5 to 7 percent. These compounds are known to boost and regulate the immune system, improve glucose tolerance, support heart health, and more. In short, if you are seeking the most potent medicinal mushroom extract, tinctures that utilize the whole fruiting mushroom body are essential.
Warmest regards,
