Craig Blackburn
A Beginner’s Guide to Making Your Own Rhodiola rosea Herbal Tincture
So, you want to make a Rhodiola rosea herbal tincture? That's great! Rhodiola tincture has been around for centuries, and its health benefits are seemingly endless. If you are interested in learning more about Rhodiola, we have created the Ultimate Guide to Rhodiola rosea for you. Also, if you are new to tincturing and are curious to learn all there is to know, check out the the Ultimate Guide to Herbal Tincture.
In this Rhodiola rosea tincture recipe, we are going to outline the steps using the "folk-method.' This differs from the "standard method" Wilderland Botanicals uses in creating our tinctures. The standard method we employ uses precise measurements for consistent batches, as well as live herbs and high-percentage organic alcohol for maximum strength and potency. It is important to note the differences in these two processes of tincturing because all herbal tinctures are not created equal. Every recipe is unique, and every herb is unique. Herbs, like medicine, need to be treated with respect. Some herbs can be quite dangerous if measured improperly. For more on the folk method and standard method tincturing processes, click here.
Please read our Medical Disclaimer before starting this recipe. This recipe is offered as an option for DIY, home-herbalists. This recipe is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Wilderland Botanicals assumes no liability for any personal interpretation of this recipe. Customers who fail to follow the exact protocol, and/or fail to consult their physicians prior to using their tincture, assume the risk of any adverse effects.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Rest Time: 30 to 60 days (or one to two full moon cycles if you prefer)
Total Time: 30 to 60 d 20 mins
Equipment:
- A large, 1.9L (1/2 gallon) graduated glass mason jar with a matching air-tight snap lid
- Glass dropper bottles
- Cheesecloth or parchment paper
Materials:
- 1L (0.26 gal) of grain alcohol, vodka, or rum at 40% abv (80-proof) or higher if available (the greater the percentage the stronger the extraction)
- Dried Rhodiola rosea roots
Instructions:
- Weigh your roots, aiming for approximately 150 grams (1/3lb). If you are using Rhodiola rosea roots from Wilderland (thank you!), our bags come in pre-weighed 150-gram bags.
- Finely chop or grind your Rhodiola roots in a food processor and place them in your glass mason jar (Wilderland's roots are already chopped). It is very important to the quality of your tincture that you use a glass (or metal) jar and not plastic. In the same way menstruum extracts the medicinal components from the plants, it can draw the impurities from the plastic. This may give your tincture an artificial, plastic-type taste. Plus it adds unnatural, and potentially highly toxic chemical compounds to your mixture. Nobody wants that!
- Once you have filled your mason jar with the Rhodiola roots, fill the rest of the jar to the 1L (0.26 gal) mark with alcohol. If you are using a smaller mason jar, ensure you leave ~1cm of air-space. Yay! You now have your menstruum. To ensure maximum potency and to prevent your mixture from molding, you must leave air space above your menstruum and your alcohol must completely cover the herbs. Your herbs must stay completely submerged at all times.
- Next screw on the snap lid. If desired, cover the mouth of the mason jar with cheesecloth or parchment paper prior to screwing on the lid. The cheesecloth or parchment paper prevents the metal lid from rusting. We do not recommend using plastic wrap for the same reason we do not recommend using plastic containers; the menstruum can extract the impurities from the plastic wrap into the liquid.
- Label your jar with the herb name, date you started, and the volume of alcohol you used. This is an important step to remember, especially if you have various tinctures being processed on multiple dates. Place your jar in a cool, dry, dark cabinet.
- Let the menstruum steep for 4-8 weeks. The longer it steeps, the greater the extraction. Shake the bottle vigorously for at least 1 minute, every day or every other day. If the herbs are no longer entirely immersed, top it off with more alcohol.
- At the end of your chosen steeping period (4-8 weeks), strain out the herbs. Place the herbs in the cheesecloth and squeeze out every last drop you can. It may take a bit of muscle, but it's worth it to maximize your tincture yield. Place the strained herbs into compost and there you have it—tincture!
- If desired, fill the remainder of the mason jar with less than to equal amounts of distilled water or spring water (not tap water). Adding water dilutes the menstrumm, decreases the bitter taste of the alcohol, gives you more tincture, but does not decrease the potency. Ensure the alcohol to water ratio does not exceed 1:1 to maintain shelf-life. Your alcohol concentration should not be less than 25%.
- If you are super keen and have dropper bottles, pour the tincture into a dropper bottle for easy dosing.
- Enjoy!
How much to dose?
It's always best to talk to your healthcare practitioner before dosing. They can guide you on proper dosing, which is right for YOU. Dosing is unique to every person and can be influenced by any number of factors including existing health conditions, weight, body-type, sex, age, and more.
Dosing is also determined by the strength of your tincture. Tincture strength is subject to the strength and quantity of the alcohol, the quality and the quantity of the herbs, fresh vs. dried herbs, the length of time your menstruum sat for, how much water you diluted it with, how often you shook it...you get the point!
That said, dosing of Wilderland's Rhodiola rosea is typically between 1.0-5.0mL, once daily. We recommend dosing first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If you have a dosing bottle with a graduated dropper, we recommend starting at the base dosage level (1mL or 1/4 teaspoon). If after a few days you have not noticed any physical effects (i.e.: change in energy levels, mood, anxiety, etc.) you may want to increase your dose by another half-milliliter, weekly. Keep doing this until you are at a dose that "feels right." We do not recommend exceeding 5mL daily as you may have difficulty sleeping due to higher mental alertness and energy levels.
Shameless plug ALERT!
Want a highly rated, regenerative organic, Canadian-grown Rhodiola dried root blend delivered right to your door in just a few days? Wilderland has Rhodiola rosea dried roots in 150g (5oz) bags ready to go. We also offer premium Rhodiola rosea tinctures in various sizes. View the collection to buy yours today!
Do you know where your Rhodiola comes from?
We believe it's important to know where our Rhodiola roots are sourced. The largest wild populations of Rhodiola rosea are situated in the Altai region of Russia and China. Due to global demand, a lack of regulation, and intensive over-harvesting, Rhodiola rosea is now on the IUCN “Red List” of threatened species. This is why cultivation by trusted farmers is key to protecting the species. When buying herbs it’s always important to check the country of origin.
