I want to make my own herbal tinctures at home, such as echinacea and cayenne tinctures. I see presses vary in price, from around $40 to almost a thousand $. Does a $40 herb press do the job, this job being to be able to make a few quarts of tincture from one batch of herbs?
I have never heard of using a press for tinctures. I think of a press for expelling oils. Tinctures are liquid extracts using the herb and a medium like alcohol (grain alcohol or vodka), vinegar or glycerin. When I make tincture, I am usually using fresh leaves. I get enough leaves to fill the bottle. I run the leaves through the food processor and pack the bottle. Then I fill the bottle with the liquid. I use 90 proof vodka or grain alcohol with water 50/50. Vinegar I use straight. I have never tried glycerin for my homemade tinctures. I did make valerian tincture a long time ago. I used the powdered root and I forget the amount I used. You can use leaves, flowers, roots or the peppers, crush or chop and for dry ingredients fill your container halfway and then add the alcohol. I would spend my money on bottles, herbs or alcohol rather than a press. Good luck! Making a gallon would require a lot of herbs. Dry herbs would be equal to half a gallon of chopped herbs to a gallon of alcohol. Most tinctures need to age for around 6-8 weeks.Then you strain them out through a sieve and then a cheesecloth or tightly woven white towel. Then bottle. Remember, tinctures are strong medicines. Use them by drops or dilute before ingesting.
