Alcohol tincture (AT) is an extraction method that consists of macerating plants in alcohol for medicinal purposes. Tinctures can be made from fresh or dried plants. It is important and preferable to use pure alcohol, as the active ingredients are extracted by dehydration. The alcohol exerts pressure on the plant cell, forcing it to explode and extract its constituents. In the case of dried plants, the degree of alcohol to be used depends on the plant: 45° alcohol is sufficient in most cases.

Calculation of the alcohol content for the ratios

The degree of alcohol used in each maceration depends on the quality of the plants (fresh/dried) and the plant itself. That's why it's important to define the technical terms:

• Dc = daughter concentration = alcohol concentration of your final product
• Dv = daughter volume = volume of the final product
• Mc = mother concentration = alcohol concentration of the starting product
• Mv = mother volume = volume of the product to be diluted to obtain the final product

(Dc x Dv) /Mc = Mv

How much 90° alcohol do you need to make the mixture?

For example, if you have 1 liter (or 1000 ml) of alcohol at 90° (Mc). For your alcoholic maceration you need 50 ml of alcohol (Dv) at 50° (Dc).

• Dc = daughter concentration = 50
• Dv = daughter volume = 50 ml
• Mc = mother concentration = 90
• Mv = mother volume = what you're looking for

Therefore, the equation is: (Dc x Dv) / Mc = Mv 

Mv = (50 x 50) / 90 = 28 ml

To obtain 50 ml of 50º alcohol, you need:

• 28 ml of 90º alcohol
• 22 ml of water