Hi David, Thank you so much for the wonderful first class last night. All you said so much resonated with me and it is an honor to be part of this course. My question(s): If I need to avoid alcohol making a tincture for someone, would an extraction in vinegar make sense? If so, which type of vinegar (apple cider for its alkaline properties?, white/red wine, etc.) should be used and would there be any differences in the preparation process, e.g. standing time of the maceration? How much more (or less) of a vinegar “tincture” would one need to take to match the effectiveness of an alcohol-based tincture? If tincturing in vinegar does not work, could you please explain what it misses, respectively which compounds of the herbs it does (I suppose ess. oils form making flavored vinegars) and which it does not extract? Thank you so much! Annette

I had the same question re vinegar to replace alcohol Anne, thanks for posting. I would add that people avoiding alcohol for religious reasons and even some for recovery reasons who are strict avoid even red/white wine vinegars. I myself have only ever used apple cider vinegar for tincture. I know that my favorite flower essence company, Green Hope Farm, only prepares in vinegar, that's different of course. I don't know, though, whether or not the water solubility problem is solved with vinegar, and/or if other problems arise and am very excited to hear from David on this. I was even considering basing a project somehow around this.

For most herbs, no. Vinegar does not extract the constituents effectively for most herbs, some exceptions include Lobelia, Asafoetida, Garlic, Mugwort, Myrrh. I would use apple cider vinegar. Vinegar extracts are extracted the same amount of time as a tincture,. but they do not keep very well. The dose would be much higher for most herbs than a tincture (the herbs listed above are an exception) and for most, it simply will not work. it extracts some minerals, some alkaloids, some essential oils (but not others), resins. It does not extract mucilage, fats/oils, polysaccharides and carbohydrates.

Thank you!

I have been using a 9% acetic acid apple cider vinegar and was told it was better at extracting the constituents, rather than using apple cider vinegars you find in the stores which contain 5-6% acetic acid. Would that make sense?

Not necessarily, it is more acidic, so for some herbs that require acidification ti extract certain alkaloids (Lobelia, Bloodroot, Cat’s Claw), yes it probably would enhance extraction. For other herbs not at all.

Not necessarily, it is more acidic, so for some herbs that require acidification ti extract certain alkaloids (Lobelia, Bloodroot, Cat’s Claw), yes it probably would enhance extraction. For other herbs not at all.