You’ve probably heard a lot of opinions about essential oils over the past year. We live in a time where we are looking for alternative, at-home solutions for a healthy life. Maybe you have a neighbor or family member who sells essential oils, a friend who can’t sleep without their herbal tincture, or a partner who you want to consider natural alternatives.
I understand.
But do you understand the difference between essential oils and liquid herbal extractions, also known as tinctures?
1. Tinctures are made from the whole plant
Aromatic plants such as peppermint are covered in small oil glands. When you crush them (or even brush against them), these glands are destroyed. This releases the oils and with them the scent. Essential oils are the concentrated extract of these pure plant oils and are extracted using a steam distillation process that separates these pure plant oils from the plant material and water found in the plant (these are known as hydrosols). Essential oils are known in herbal medicine as ‘volatile oils’. They represent one highly concentrated compound of the plant, making them super potent. Therefore, they must always be properly diluted.
Herbal tinctures, on the other hand, contain all parts of the plant. These liquid extracts are how herbs have been consumed for thousands of years. It is an ancient art of extracting herbs with alcohol and the most simple, effective and natural way to extract plant compounds in a form that is easily absorbed by the body. Tinctures are made from whole herbs (they can be fresh, dried, chopped, or powdered) combined with alcohol and water. This allows the extraction of compounds from the whole plant, which in turn means they are fast, effective and gentle on your body.
2. Tinctures are long lasting
Did you know it takes approx three pounds lavender flowers to make just 15 ml of lavender essential oil? While we love incorporating lavender and rose into our natural beauty routines, consuming three pounds of herbs per month just isn’t sustainable. Essential oils are precious and should be used sparingly and reserved for topical use. The oils diffuse very quickly and penetrate the skin tissue. Just don’t forget to dilute them, as pure, undiluted essential oils can cause serious skin reactions.
Very little plant material is needed when making herbal tinctures or liquid extractions by hand. If you were to follow the traditional folk method of making a tincture, you would fill a small glass jar and cover the plant material with the desired liquid solvent, eventually straining out the plant material. In addition, tinctures capture all the active plant compounds from the plant, allowing for more medicinal applications with a smaller volume of plant material.
Think of the process as making tea. One cup of lavender tea requires only one tablespoon of plant material. The hot water will remove all components from the plant in a safe dilution.
WishGarden Herbs strives to sustainably source all our plant materials when handcrafting tinctures. Being aware of where the plants come from has a positive effect on both the people and plant populations involved in the process.
3. Tinctures are safe to consume
The most important thing to know about essential oils is that they are not safe to consume without medical supervision. Only medical professionals can properly prepare a herbal remedy containing essential oils for your individual body, even something as seemingly innocuous as peppermint oil. Again, essential oils are only part of the plant and very strong! All essential oils are volatile oils and can cause damage to the liver system if improperly ingested, even if a company verifies the quality of the essential oils.
Tinctures ranging from organic CBD oils from popular brands such as Joy organic substances all the way down to WishGarden’s Kick-Ass Immune Activator, are made specifically for internal consumption. WishGarden herbalists create every product from start to finish in our Colorado facility, using only organic and sustainably wild-harvested herbs to create the safest and most effective herbal extracts.
Honor the herbs
Staying informed about herbal formulas and different herbal routines can be a game changer in your life. Most importantly, we must honor the plants that provide medicinal value to our lives and treat them with respect.
Lauren Ann Nichols-Sheffler attended the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism and received her certificate in Medical Herbalism. She owns it Blue yarrow herbs also known as Herbal Vice, an herbal product company that practices bioregional herbal medicine by growing plants and sourcing locally. Lauren loves educating and advocating for plant sustainability. She is the purchasing and sourcing manager for WishGarden Herbs.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to sell any product.
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