Hi! I have some formulas, such as Chu Shi Wei Ling Tang, that call for Tong Cao or another pith. Can pith be extracted with alcohol into a tincture, or should it be ground and added to tinctures, or is there some other method of extraction that is appropriate for pith? I am formulating alcohol tinctures. Thank you!

It would depend on the chemical constituents in Tong Cao as to whether it would make an effective tincture. Not every herb can be made into a tincture and this is one I have never tried. I am familiar with the uses of Tong Cao and it is primarily used for clearing heat in the lower jiao and relieving urinary irritation. This suggests it contains polysaccharides similar to Imperata, Couch Grass or possibly Marshmallow. If that is correct and I cannot find any information on it’s constituents, then a low alcohol tincture (1:5, 27.5-30% ETOH) would be the best menstruum. If you are tincturing Chinese herbs you need to tincture each one separately and then when done, they can be combined to make formulas.

Thank you for your information! I made a 25% and 30% tincture and is smells and looks like only alcohol. I am concerned that there aren't any constituents in my tincture. Can an herbal decoction be combined with other herbs that are tinctured first?

Thank you for your information! I made a 25% and 30% tincture and is smells and looks like only alcohol. (unfortunately it probably mostly is) I am concerned that there aren’t any constituents in my tincture. Can an herbal decoction be combined with other herbs that are tinctured first? I am not sure what you are asking ?

Let me try to explain what I am asking....If I tincture individual herbs in alcohol that are appropriate for this extracting method and I decoct other individual herbs in water that don't do well as a tincture but do well as a water extraction, can I then combine herbs from each of these extracting methods into one formula and end up with an effective product or will the alcohol tinctured herbs destroy the constituents of the decocted herbs? Thank you for your expertise!

Probably not, combing teas with tinctures, will most likely drop the alcohol level to a degree that it will not be preserved and it will go bad. Keep them separate.

Thank you, David. ;)