making herbal tintures with 90% alc.

[fairymeadow]

Hi there, I try to make a mother tinture for homeopathic remedies from BASIL... where can I buy pure alcohol legally, I was surprised to learn that the local pharmacist can not sell pure alcohol, although possible in other countries..

[ina]

Could you please tell us which country you live in (just add to your profile)? Otherwise it's difficult to tell you where you can buy the stuff... I used to buy it in Germany.

Anyway, welcome to Ish.

[fairymeadow]

Hi Ina, thanks for your reply, I live for a while there..;) from 0 to 25 years ..thanks I intended to do the same,, however, there are different kind of alcohol..

one pure, which is expensive and then some alcoholc alled ISOPROPYLALKOHOL 70%... do you knwo the difference? I assume the iso***** is syntheic? I wrote to the company that produces it, but not reply yet.. but they produce homeopathic remedies too, so it should be fine?

I want to make motehr tincture for homeopathic remedies from this, not sure if I mentioend this..

[frozenthunderbolt]

DO NOT use isopropyl alcohol - it is not a good idea to consume.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_ ... Toxicology

I would suggest going and buying a high proof vodka as your base spirit - it wont be 95% but it will extract the basil to make a perfectly acceptable tincture (speaking from a herbal point of view - i know nothing of homeopathics; it's not my thing)

[Millymollymandy]

Isn't that surgical spirit, the 70% or 90% stuff? Wouldn't fancy dabbing that stuff on me I'd stink to high heavens!

[ina]

Isn't that surgical spirit, the 70% or 90% stuff?

In Germany you can (or could, when I still lived there) buy 90% alc in pharmacies for making liqueurs. You had to specifically state it was for consumption, so you wouldn't get the other stuff. Liqueurs turn out so much more fruity when you can mix high percentage alc with 100% fruit juice... Wonderful cherry liqueur I used to make!

[fairymeadow]

thanks for all the messages, I did not liek the name anyway.. so instinct was right, that I should n ot buy it..

I would use Vodka, but I am worried that it is not 100% pure and it could affect the remedies. (especially if its very tiny amounts...)...

perhaps I ask my homeopath....
It is funny you can buy it in Germany, but not in the UK...

[ina]

It is funny you can buy it in Germany, but not in the UK...

In this case, British nanny state in action. (In other cases, I'm sure the Germans take the nannying further!) They simply don't trust their citizens not to drink the stuff pure...

[fairymeadow]

In this case, British nanny state in action. (In other cases, I'm sure the Germans take the nannying further!) They simply don't trust their citizens not to drink the stuff pure...

:) good one...:) I assume you lived some time ago in Germany, it is getting very nanny(haft).. bigbrother style with many things.. perhaps it wont be available much longer..

[eccentric_emma]

In this case, British nanny state in action. (In other cases, I'm sure the Germans take the nannying further!) They simply don't trust their citizens not to drink the stuff pure...

Having worked in the licensed trade for the past 6 years I'm not sure I would trust our citizens not to drink the stuff pure either!

As far as I know the highest percentage of alcohol that you can easily obtain over the counter is 45% for vodka - Smirnoff Blue - export strength. Or Pussers Rum - which is around 52/53% although obviously your tincture will be rum based. The great oracle of google advises me that you could do tinctures with white vinegar instead though, or with distilled water (although I'm not sure how long that would keep for).

[ina]

Lidl's once had the 54% rum on special (you need that for Rumtopf). When I bought three bottles at once, I got some funny looks at the checkout, and the question if I knew what I was buying! Yes, of course I did; I used to bring the stuff over from Germany just to make Rumtopf with...

You can only get the pure alc in pharmacies in Germany, too, so I don't think there's a danger of it being bought by alcoholics - it's also quite expensive. There's cheaper ways of getting drunk.

[AnnaD]

In the UK certainly, herbalists need a license to be able to use that strength of alcohol for tinctures. I'm not sure what the rules are elsewhere though. The best thing to use if you're not a herbalist is vodka.

[Ron and Jean]

Basil should not need a 90% alcohol tincture. 25 % alcohol is bacteriostatic and should be ok. If you use equal volume of good quality vodka to weight of basil, the end result should be about 25%.

500g basil
500ml good vodka (or brandy)

put in blender and wizz. Leave to macerate to 14 days in the dark, shaking each day. Try to ensure all the plant material is covered by the liquid. Sometimes this means adding a bit more vodka. Strain through muslin and bottle.

This recipe good for most green plants. It assumes the plant is 60% water and gives a 1:4 25% tincture. If you are interested a can detail the maths.

High alcohol tinctures are only used when trying to extract certain chemicals from the plants like the resins in marigold (Calendula off.) Medical herbalists can supply these tinctures is you need them.