How to Make Herbal Tinctures: The Percolation Extraction Method 

Oh, you're one of the guys who wrote The Modern Herbal Dispensatory. Nice one. Thanks for taking the time to make this.

The beard makes this video so much more interesting for some reason. Very interesting method, I never thought I'd find machining-like precision in the making of tinctures, this method really brings things to a whole new level. Fantastic video

❤ I seriously just found this Channel, I’ve been with MRH for years, Thank you, the steaming is amazing,

Excellent instructor!! Clear & methodical, thank you!!

I lay mine down at the new moon, and hive it off at the full moon. Makes excellent tincture.

thanks, your explanation is so cool and very easy to understand

I really love the real time of the explanation and video flow. Underestimated video teaching quality skills there!

Thank you for making such a wonderful, informative video. I have based my tincture making on this video (and a few books) and I have had great success, at this point having made over 30 tinctures. One thing that happened though, is the first time that I used a silicone stopper, I started the drip at 3:00 PM, and at 3:13 PM the silicone stopper fell out of the cone. I was in the kitchen and heard it, immediately knowing what happened, and ran out to my shop to get one of the white rubber stoppers that I used previously. I got it put in the cone and very little time elapsed, during which the dripping was uncontrolled and dripping rather fast. If I didn't hear it come out, my tincture would not be nearly as good as when the dripping is controlled. I could not figure out why it came out since I put it in the cone very forcefully. I eventually solved this problem by sanding the inside of the cone opening with 100 grit sandpaper. Now the silicone stopper stays in place with no problems. If you use a silicone stopper, I suggest that you make this modification to the cone.

Thanks for the video! A decent mic would help, but your voice is easy to understand. Question: you mention that there are some herbs that you still prefer to extract with standard maceration... Would you mind sharing which you still prefer to do that with?

can't wait to try it thanks

Thank for this! Would love to know which plants you prefer to macerate versus percolate.

Sweet! Thanks for sharing!

Thank u soo much I really understand the concept of this method of extraction precisely ♥️

Straightforward and easy going instructions. One of my favorite parts: "and then someone said, "Why don't you use cotton balls?" Lol. Life is like that. Thank you for the Tutorial.

Thank you for making this video. I am currently extracting my "23 Lung Herb" tea blend using the percolation method. So far (and because of your video) it is a success. However, I am having a difficult time finding the food safe, silicone stopper to hold the needle valve inside the bottle. Would you please share where you found the exact setup you used in this video. Using the bottle top works, but I can fully see the usefulness of the needle valve. Thank you for helping me expand my herbal medicine skills. Peggy

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much🤍, This is so helpful ✨👏🏻

FORGOT TO LET AIR OUT. Fantastic video! Thanks so much for sharing. I did my 2nd percolation yesterday, and just realised I forgot to let all the air out before I closed the valve.. Just wondering if my tincture is ruined??? It does taste a little different.

Hello there, great video! I was wondering if it's possible to make a multi-herb tincture using the Percolation method? As in combining various dried herbs in powder form at one time to extract all together. Thank you!

Thank you for your works. Very straightforward and informative….When pre-moistening the plant material do you use solvent from the 500ml set aside for the maceration. Or do you use additional solvent?

Great video!! Two questions: where do you get your silicone valve!? And what was the stand/where do you get one?

Thanx for a great DIY vid! Please help me! 🙏🏼I can't find any flow valve like that one you have. Is there any specific name for these?

thank you for kind in depth great instructional video. do you think there would be any difference in tincture quality If I used pear shaped glass dripping funnel?

Thank you, great tutorial. I noticed you had a link to the origins of tinctures, this is now possibly not the site you had intended to send people? Could you please let me know where to find it. Thank you

Thanks. Looks like I need to acquire some more equipment. Love the beard.

Great video! I have done 2 percolations with success. Would love to have that stand!

Hi, thank you for the video! What kind of valve are you using, inserted into the stopper? I’m going to be making a tincture from the American Beauty Berry leaves, mosquito repellent. Apparently it’s stronger than Deet.

Thank you for teaching. Would you do this with wormwood powder?

As a percolator I use the same 1.75L plastic bottle the 100 Proof Vodka came in! Since it's plastic it is easy to cut out the bottom end, I use the aerator that comes with the vodka bottle, put the cotton and the video shows, no need for any valve! the aerator does the job! and I sit the upside down vodka bottle in a mason jar's funnel, inside a mason jar. easy and free!

Can I oil as the menstruum using this method? Also would I want to hydrate the herb before hand with a 50/50 water alcohol and then peculate with the oil? Thanks!

Hi there Thomas, Salutations and Regards from Spain! I bought one of your books ( in english) Modern herbal dispensatory... which I love and found out I work in a very simillar way but gave me many ideas. I miss a bigger list of you favourite plants for -Soxhlet-, I'd really like to know your opinion Very greatful. David

Very informative

Awesome video shall I know the best method for extracting Ginseng herb? can we use the same method? please advise and thanking in advance

Excellent presentation. Thank you so much for the detailed explanation on this method of extraction. I am having trouble finding the device to hold the inverted wine bottle. I have located a source for the stand but the clamps provided (double burette) are not large enough to hold a 1 1/2 liter wine bottle. It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide a link, or at least a specific search term, in order to be able to purchase one.

Great video, thank you ! What I dont understand is you say the alccol stays unsaturated . Whith the valve closed for the 12 hours digestion process, I see a short maceration, and a saturated alcool. I tought you were going to poor , slow but sure, the alccol without never blocking it, so saturation of alcool is impossible. Sorry for my english... I dont know if what I say is understandable to you.

تجربة رائعه استفدت كثيرا منها شكرا جزيلا

fantastic thank you.

A mojito muddler works perfect for tamping the plant material :)

Hello Thomas, I have bought your book which is excellent. I have a question though...Why in your materia medica you suggest for every herb to use a 1:5 ratio, since you can percolate at 1:3 or even at 1:2 ratio? Using a more potent ratio could lead to more appropriate pharmaceutical doses, especially on formulas. Is there a specific reason for that? Thank you.

Are you from old Angland? Your accent is so cool! it sounds like you're speaking Middle English Awesome video mate EDIT: Nice, you have the same type of red bowl as I do.

THANK YOU

Hello, we need some help finding the needle valve. Thanks for the informative video

hi there! this is the most comprehensive video I've found so far! thank you! I'm curious about the needle valve? I guess I'm a bit confused as if its constructed together or 1 thing? Are the needle valve and the stopper separate? If so, is the silicone stopper like one that you get for your olive oil top?

Thanks for sharing 5-8-19

It seems like there is a market for bottles and silicone valves that comes as a functional set.......

I was reading a Clinical Guide to Liquid Herbs by Kerry Bone and in there when mentioning dosages, the bases of dosage amount is for a 1:2 percolation. However in quite a few sources I have come across they say 1:2 is better for Fresh plant extraction whereas 1:5 is better for dried plant extraction? Would love to hear your thoughts on this and if the dosage amount would therefore differ or would it be the same as their just equivalent ratios factoring in water content for the fresh plant matter?

Hello Thomas, thanks for making this fine video. If you couldn't get the needle valve what other options would you consider?

Great video. Would you have a link to get a "number 60 screen"? They have sieves on Amazon, but I don't know which one to get.

Great video. Do you sometimes macerate then percolate? Does percolating produce a more potent medicine than double process tincturing? Would it be appropriate to use an alcohol shot dispenser set up from a bar for this process?

How about running the solvent through a few times? Any advantage? Thanks for the video!

Question: Do i have to worry about evaporation from the drips and the perc?

Very good presentation. I found these items online. My question is...Can I use this process for Cinnamon (Ceylon)?

I have a question: so you do 1/3 of your herb at a time, do you need to moisten the herb again and do you completely clean all the equipment and stay over every time you do 1/3 of the herb?

Hello Thomas, Many greetings from Singapore! One question please because I want to understand...Why someone has to go into all this trouble by pre-moistening his plant material, since he can make a slurry (with only an inch to cover the herb), and begin immediately the digestion/maceration procedure in a container? After 24 - 48 hours he can dump his soupy herb in the percolation cone and begin immediately percolating his tincture! I thing that is more convenient and practical for the average herbalist. Any insights please?

Can I also do it with fruits, ground coffee and ground cocoa?

What about evaporation while it sits overnight then drips? Should the top and bottom parts be covered?

I have a question, could you use a French press coffee brewer to do this ?

Great video. Isn't the alcohol going to evaporate? do you let it sit 12 hr uncovered?

Does using an off the shelf metal valve with a corrosive substance like alcohol open the door for potential metal contamination in the final tincture?

Could you use a French Press Coffee "maker/pitcher"? Or Maybe better yet, I wonder if a cone shaped paper coffee filter with the wet herbs put in first and then pour the alcohol on top and letting it drip through would work.

Can you run a percolation extraction with Lions Mane?

Hello I like your video. I would like to rebuild it, unfortunately I can't find such a silicone valve. In the hardware store in Germany I only find stainless steel valves for water taps. Could you send a link where to buy it online?

You obviously didn't use a press here but do you recommend pressing the material in order to obtain more extract , tincture?

What do you mean by pack it in thirds?

Interesting method. So is it because you are using powdered dried herbs that this is able to be done so much faster than the traditional method? If so,, can you use powdered with the traditional method and accelerate the process? Seems like the traditional method should extract more herb constituents and be more potent because of the longer saturation times.

😮❤ wow thanks. My text book was all like big words to look up latter to easy short video ❤❤❤😅

what is the name of the little tap? an enlarged image of the room? the bottle is a cut bottle?

Your valve needs to be Stainless Steel. Most brass contains some lead, so don't use brass.

🎶It's time for the percolator🎼 It's time for the percolator🎵🎹🎶😂😂👍👍

I found a needle valve but it appears that your set up has an extra nut on it as it enters the stopper. My valve has flare fittings at both ends but I had to order it and haven't seen it up close yet.

What happens to the ethanol?

What do you mean by swell?

Can you use hot water instead?

Can anyone post links to the individual components needed to set up this system? Thanks in advance!✌🏼

Can you use this method with dried roots too or does it need to be powered?

How do you keep the stopper from slipping out? It doesn't matter how far I push it in or how dry I make it and the bottleneck, the stopper eventually slips out. This happens with silicone and regular rubber stoppers.

Great video - I was left with a question: Does the alcohol not evaporate in the process ? - after all, it is in open vessels for 48 hours

Where can I find a silicone valve?

Did i miss It? What is he using for the Menstruum/Solvent ??

Use a dremel tool with a diamond cutoff wheel to cut the bottle.😀

How do you get a percolation unit like this?

Why did you water the alcohol down to a 1:2 ratio?

I like to sing-a...about the moon-a in-a June-a and-a Spring-a...

Can I use aloe powder and make aloe extract?

At around 5:05 you say to add our menstruum to the powder to the consistency of wet sand. Is this menstruum pure water, or the 50% alcohol? If it is the 50% alcohol, does this pre-moisten amount count towards the total 500 mL of alcohol solvent? Also, how many mL of tincture should we expect to produce using 100 g powder and 500 mL 50% alcohol? Last question, once first run is finished, instead of tossing out the spent powder, would it be beneficial to run another 500 mL of 50% alcohol through it again and just use the second produced tincture at twice the dose? Wonderful video by the way. Thank you so much for taking the time to demonstrate how to do this. My wife was wanting me to make a batch of Echinacea Purpurea for her as quick as possible. I already had some 50% distillation left over from a strawberry wine to vanilla extract project. I think I have found a new hobby (herbalist / apothecary). I made my own Percolation Cone using a glass cutter with a hole drilled in the handle mounted 3/4 ways down a short piece of 2x6 with another shorter piece of 2x6 screwed down about a 1/2 inch from the cutter as a guide. Only rotated the bottle one time around using moderate pressure. The trick is to get the best most even score line possible. Less sanding that way. I used boiling hot then cold water only around the score mark rotating the bottle as I pored. About 3 cycles and pop goes the bottom. I then sanded it with 80 > 120 > 220 grit wet sandpaper to avoid airborne glass dust. The flow valve I found in the ice-maker supply line section of the closest big box store. I already had a holey cork, so I made this same setup within 2 hours. Beautiful piece of equipment. I have mine sitting on a 1/2 gallon mason jar. I put a lid over my cone to keep evaporation down.

Question: Where can we find the needle valve? I've looked and can't seem to find it

Forget the tincture how long an what do you use for your beard

Can you use fresh plants?

Can we do that with poppies ?

May be an obvious question but is there any use for waste herb matter after the extraction is complete?

Also -- unless you're in a " clean room " - cover your percolation bottle and drip jar, Finding bugs in your mix is very disappointing. You don't want mold spores or dust in there either ( or long read whiskers ).

What is the history of percolation tinctures? How can I learn more about the tradition of percolation tinctures? Or is this a newer mode of herbal medicine making?

Why would it not be the same result to take the 100 grams of dried powered plant material and add it to a jar with 500 ml of menstruum, let sit for 12 hrs then strain? If not how is it different.. I am just not understanding the value of the percolation procedure. Thanks - I love the video and the cool beard.

Why can't you just do all this in a mason jar like any other tincture? It's what we did back in the 70s. And then we covered a large mixing bowl with wire mesh and cheese cloth, poured it in the mesh, and let it drip through. When it was done, we squeezed to get all the liquid out. IF the cheesecloth wasn't fine enough, we let sediments settle and we siphoned it out. Basically the same, right?

Have you ever tried ultrasound to speed up extractions. I have tried it on aging and infusing alchol using california white oak and with cinnamon bark. It would probably cut your 2 down to 2 to 4 hours. Oh I also used it on a stinging nettle tincture. A 4 hour ultrasound seemed stronger than a two weeks tincture. There is also a possible benefit that it might be making nano particles for an easier uptake and bioavailability like it does for liposomal vitamin C. So a win win in my book. let me know what you think

Why can we not use fresh herbs for percolating??

That is quite the beard!

with a beard that long, I believed every word.

Did we miss a step? I followed through the beginning of adding 1/3 of herb and covering with the filter, then adding menstrum ... but what happened with the other 2/3 of the herb?

So why the heck would I continue with maceration if this is quicker and stronger??