Echinacea Tincture

Echinacea purpurea or Echinacea angustifolia

*This blog post is featured on my Echinacea note card in a shortened form: here is a more in depth look at tincturing and making medicine with the seeds, flowers, and roots of Echinacea

​Echinacea is a gorgeous plant with various shades of pink radiating out from the center of its lovely flower. In the summertime, the flower and seed heads are gathered when they are in full bloom. Roots are harvested in autumn anytime before the ground freezes. 

Medicinally, echinacea is most well known for its immune-boosting properties, and for good reason. Its tincture is my go-to remedy all throughout the cold and flu season. I take two or three droppers full (you can put it into warm water if you want to) at the first sign of sickness as a  great way to ward off a cold before it sets in, though taken during the course of illness will also lessen its severity. Notice the tingling sensation that arises when nibbling on its root-- this is how you know it’s working! The following recipe is especially great because it’s safe for kids, nursing moms, and pregnant women.

Echinacea Tincture

What you’ll need:

​Echinacea root (fresh or dry)
Menstruum (alcohol, vinegar, or vegetable glycerin)
Jar & Lid
Optional: Brown Dropper Bottle

Notes:
If fresh Echinacea root is available, it’s preferred, but dried will work just as well. Some people use the flowers and seeds in their tincture too. I tried making a tincture with all of these parts and I thought the tincture wasn't as potent as the ones I have made only utilizing the roots. I encourage you to try for yourself and find what you like! Every herbalist has their own relationship to the plants and their medicines and needs to find their own way.

My experience is that alcohol makes the most potent medicine, but sometimes I prefer to use vinegar or vegetable glycerin. Some people are sensitive to alcohol. You can remove some alcohol from an alcohol tincture by placing the tincture in boiling water for 2 minutes, but this does not remove all of the alcohol, only about 50%. Vegetable glycerin tastes yummy which makes it more palatable for kiddos. It is also a great option for those in recovery.

Step by Step:

1. If using fresh Echinacea, rinse and chop the root well. 
2. Fill your jar with your lovingly prepared plant material. When you press down it should feel light and fluffy. The herbalist Susun Weed refers to this as “a fairy’s featherbed!” 
3. If using dried root add 1 pt herbs (for example 2 ounce herbs to weight) to 5 pts menstruum (10 fluid ounces). If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh the herbs, just put some of the dried plant material in a jar and fill with your preferred menstruum 2 to 3 inches above the herbs. 
4. If you are making your tincture with glycerin, add approximately 40% water and 60% glycerin. This is done to rehydrate the herbs and loosen up the botanical matter. Make sure to check your tincture the next day and top it off with more menstruum (Susun Weed often says “the fairies like to take a taste”).
5. ​Place your jar of herbs and solvent in a warm place for 4 to 6 weeks, shaking it when you think of it and infusing good energy into your medicine. ​
6. Strain, label and store your finished tincture away from the light. Brown dropper bottles are useful for filtering out light, which will prolong its shelf life.