In the Vita Naturalis application you'll often see the term "ratios". This phrase tells you how much plant and solvent to use in your preparations. The ratio is shown in this form: A : B - C

• A = corresponds to the mass of the plants, expressed in grams.
• B = corresponds to the volume of the solvent, expressed in millilitres.
• C = corresponds to the degree of alcohol.

It's important not to confuse these ratios: we're talking about volume AND weight!

A ratio of 1:5 = 100 grams of plant to 500 millilitres of solvent.

General rule

If you can't find the information in the app, remember the following proportions for alcoholic tinctures:

• 1 : 5 for a dried plant tincture
• 1 : 2 for a fresh plant tincture

What are the right proportions?

• As with everything, there's bound to be a difference between theory and practice. And it depends on the amount of plants in the jar.
• For example, if we have a ratio of 1:2 - 40 = 100g of plants to 200ml of 40° alcohol.
  • 100g of whole plants won't take up the same space as 100g of leaves, 100g of powdered plants or 100g of roots.
  • Depending on the plant and its shape, some plants may not be immersed in the solvent, which would be pointless.
• With time and practice you'll get used to maceration.

In most cases, if you find the ratio unachievable, use a ratio of 1:4 to 1:5, depending on the plant.

Maceration time

The longer the maceration, the more concentrated the product.

Macerate for at least 3 to 4 weeks.