Enjoy the health benefits of turmeric with homemade tincture. Just two ingredients and a few minutes of prep time!

The health benefits of turmeric

Curcuma longa, better known as turmeric, has become the goldenrod darling of the supplement world. This root plant, related to ginger, is bright yellow-orange in color, is a primary ingredient in curry and has a long resume of health benefits.

Studies have shown turmeric to be a powerful anti-oxidant ¹² ³ and anti-inflammatory⁴⁵⁶⁷, which works to benefit human health⁸ in a variety of ways. It is used for treatment of arthritis⁹¹⁰, infections¹¹¹², diabetes¹³, digestive disorders¹⁴¹⁵¹⁶, high cholesterol¹⁷, cancer¹⁸¹⁹²⁰²¹, depression²²²³²⁴, respiratory infections, allergies, liver disease²⁵²⁶²⁷²⁸, connective tissue ailments, for oral health²⁹³⁰, topically for skin conditions, Alzheimers Disease³¹ and also has brain protective capabilities³²³³ during aging. The list goes on an on, this is just some highlights. It has been known for centuries and is found in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and modern scientific studies have found it to be effective and is the basis of an overwhelming amount of research and scientific evidence.

Turmeric’s bioavailability is improved by taking it with piperine³⁴, an enzyme found in black pepper, therefore, It is recommended that you always take turmeric with a little black pepper and many bottled supplements will include it in the formula.

I had the fortunate opportunity to learn this process as part of a Wildcrafting workshop by Earth Medicine Institute. Instructor and author, David Bruce Leonard, shared this process and formula as part of the practical instruction. This formula makes a large quantity of tincture that can last for years.

Why Make Tincture?

Turmeric root is great fresh and can be used in cooking or blended up and taken as a little short or added to a smoothy. Fresh root can be difficult to source in some areas and does not stay fresh forever. You can freeze turmeric root, but tincture is another great use that helps preserve the root and gives a quick and easy method for usage. The process for making the tincture is incredibly simple, basically just blending up the turmeric and strain out any solids. For potency it is necessary for the tincture to set for 6 weeks in the solvent in order for the beneficial components to be released. Also, the tincture will be light sensitive. You can either store the tincture in a dark place or use a dark colored glass bottle. You will want to shake up the tincture every couple of days. This process does utilize alcohol, so would not be suitable for someone in recovery.

Pros of Tinctures	Cons of Tinctures
Lasts nearly forever, preserves herbs that would otherwise lose potency Solvent draws out more of the healing chemicals in the plants Easy to dose, more palatable and more easily absorbed by the body Portable Ready to use Fast to blend formulas for specific treatments	Requires some equipment Finished tincture can stain clothing, mouth, etc Requires lead time of approximately 6 weeks to prepare Alcohol is a concern for some people Solvent increases the cost of treatment

Tincture Making Process

The process for making turmeric tincture is easy and the basic concept will work for a variety of herbs not just turmeric. You will need a high powered blender, some cloth to strain, a jar for storage, masking tape to label and a couple of ingredients. For the purposes of the formula the extraction solution (in our case, Everclear) is referred to as the menstrum. The herb material is called the mark. The formula below is for fresh herbs or roots that have moisture in it. If you are making tincture with dry herbs you do not need as strong of a menstrum.

Ingredients

Everclear 190 (95% alcohol)
1lb Turmeric, fresh, cut into chunks or slices for blending

Step 1: Blend

To start with you want to break down cell walls of the plant to aid in extraction of beneficial compound. We we want to get the plant material as fine as possible, so use a high-powered blender, like a Blendtech or Vitamix, and blend the plant material until as smooth as possible. Add some of Everclear and blend some more. This should begin looking like a slurry. Blend until it does not appear to be getting any smoother.

Step 2: Strain

You will want to strain the mixture as finely as possible. You can use muslin or finer fabric if you have no herb press. You can use any sort of fabric and an old pillow case works just fine. You can also get a straining bag used for nut milk (I am using this one) or brewing, but this is not necessary. Strain the mixture by placing the fabric over a bowl, securing and pouring the mixture through the fabric. Squeeze out the excess liquid out of the collected solids.

Pour the strained mixture into a dark glass bottle or a mason jar. You will want to keep the bottle out of light, sunlight will break down the compounds. Be sure to label your jar or bottle well, add name, date, extraction details. You can use masking tape to do this, but be sure to tape around the entire jar so that the label does not fall off.

Step 2: Store and Shake

Store for 6 weeks, shaking every 2-3 days to get mix up the sediments which will settle to the bottom. After 6 weeks it will be ready to use. I transfer mine to a glass dropper bottle for easy dosing. Tinctures will maintain their potency for several years.

Let me know how this process works out for you! Feel free to comment below with any questions.

5 from 1 vote

Turmeric Tincture

How to make turmeric tincture at home with fresh roots

Prep Time10 mins

Storage in Dark Place42 d

Keyword: herbal remedy, turmeric tincture

Author: Organically Made

Equipment

High Power Blender - Blendtech or Vitamix

Materials

1.75 liter Everclear 190 Proof
1 lb Turmeric root cut into 2" pieces

Instructions

Blend

Add half of turmeric root to blender. Pulse to break up, then blend. Add remaining turmeric and repeat. Then blend until as smooth as is reasonable. The more the root is broken down the better the extraction rate will be.
Add roughly 2 cups of everclear and blend until smooth. Add remaining everclear and blend until combined.

Strain

Over a large bowl, strain the tincture through a tightly woven fabric.

Store

Pour the strained mixture into a 1 quart jar. Store in dark place for 6 weeks, shake every 2-3 days during the 6 weeks.

Notes

The tincture will remain potent for several years.

Sediment will settle to the bottom of the bottle, this is normal.

The tincture is impacted by light, so store in a dark place or in a dark glass bottle.

Be sure to label your bottle with the formula and date. Tape all the way around the jar for the label or it will be inclined to fall off over time.

The turmeric will sort of settle at the bottom and by mixing it the solvent is able to work on those solids.

Kevin

May 26, 2022

Very excited to try!! Do you know if the tincture is able to reach that 95% curcuminoid level that the high quality supplements are???

Rebecca Bellomy

July 10, 2022

Will the final mixture look like the last photo, or will it be more liquidy? In the last photo, it looks very thick, though it appears it is being poured into the Mason jar.

Please clarify.

homesteady

August 30, 2022

Hi Rebecca, There are some solids that are still in the mix, so it is thicker and cloudy when you add it to the jar. Over time the solids will settle to the bottom and you will have a clear, yellow tincture on the top of the jar. Yes, this was stored in a quart mason jar.

Homemade Turmeric Tincture