Herb Tincture Press

An herb tincture press can be a valuable addition to your home herbal supplies. Having a tincture press allows you to turn your fresh herbs into tinctures, infusions and other powerful herbal medicines.

An herb tincture press is a device that you can use in your home to make herbal tinctures. It usually consists of some type of a straining mechanism, a container and a press. There are a variety of herb tincture presses available on the market for around $150, as well as a number of methods for making your own tincture press.

An herbal tincture is a concoction made with distilled water and/or alcohol and fresh herbs and/or dried herbs. Tinctures are typically taken in tea, water or juice, and are believed to be more readily accessible to and more quickly absorbed by the body than capsules, tablets and powders. Tinctures also have much more stability than dried or fresh herbs. While dried and fresh herbs can mold, a tincture can last indefinitely in a dark glass jar. It is important to note if you are making your own tinctures that the type of alcohol to use is pure grain alcohol – not rubbing alcohol or wood alcohol, which are poisonous.

Tinctures can be made by steeping herbs in pure grain alcohol, vinegar and/or distilled water, or by pressing them through a tincture press. Those that come through a tincture press are purer and more concentrated, and using a press allows you to get that last little bit of concentrated herbal goodness out of the herbs that you are pressing.

Herbal tinctures purchased in the health food store can be quiet expensive. Pressing your own tinctures can provide several ounces of herbal tincture for the price of a tiny bottle that is a fraction of an ounce. By making your own herbal tinctures at home, you also have control over the quality and ingredients that go into them.

Tincture presses are available through retail outlets and online, although they can be somewhat expensive – ranging anywhere from $90 upwards. Here are a few resources for ordering a tincture press for your herbs.

• Rich Gulch Products makes a number of presses including herbal presses. Their presses range in prince from $130 to about $160.
• Herb Tincture Press offers a stainless steel press for a very affordable $89.
• Horizon Herbs has a very large tincture press. It is fairly expensive at $660. This site, however, also offers great instructions for how to use a press to make a tincture.
• Longevity offers a number of tincture presses in a variety of sizes. Pricing starts at $389 for their “mini jack” version.
• Wilbur’s Tincture Press has a very sanitary, vacuum driven press for $475. The website also offers a number of how-tos on tincture making.
• Your local health food store may have tincture presses available, or they may be able to direct you to a local source to obtain them.

There are a number of resources on the Internet with instructions on how to make your own herbal press. Be sure to use food-grade components if making your own.

• Home Health Resources features illustrated instructions on making a press for yourself.
• If you don’t have the money for a press, The New Homemaker offers practical tips for making press-free tinctures.
• Herbal Tincture Making has more information on making your own herbal tinctures.

Tincture presses aren’t necessarily just for making herbal tinctures. They have a variety of other uses as well, including:

• Making infused oils for aromatherapy. This is yet another way to save money, as infused oils can be quiet expensive. After the initial cost outlay on an herbal press, however, you are only out the price of your ingredients.
• Pressing small batches of fruits and vegetables for a small pressings of juice. This allows you to have fresh juice on demand.
• Rich Gulch Products even suggests that a tincture press can be used to press small batches of cheese.

As you can see, an herbal press can be a handy item to have around the house. After the initial outlay for the press, making your own herbal tinctures using a tincture press can save you a lot of money.

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