We’re in Boulder and luckily we had an opportunity to sit down with Brigitte Mars…
She’s a master herbalist and explained to us how to make an herbal tincture at home as well as the best way to dry your herbs.
I know you’ll like this one…
Your question of the day: What is a good brand of vodka that we can use for our tinctures?
Click here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and leave your comment now!
To visit Brigitte’s website, please click here!
Live Awesome!
Kev
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7:27 pm on May 26th, 2009
try absolut vodka
have fun making your tinctures
and boulder is an awesome place to live
Brigitte’s books are great too.
7:40 pm on May 26th, 2009
I buy the Rain Brand of organic Vodka…It is a beautiful glass bottle, a fair market value. I use this vodka to sterilize the glass container I use to make my kombucha, and all bottles I use to store the kombucha in when I pour it out of the container.
Welcome!! How long are you in Boulder? I am a teacher of Raw Foods (just moved to Boulder a year ago). I am making all organic, all raw chocolates (cacao) mint-cream (not dairy)-filled patties. I am just starting to market them and already getting orders for 30-60 from all over the country (and I’m not even in a store yet)…..e-mail me and I’ll give you a sample/taste! ….I became Raw in 1968….and have taught meditation, yoga and ayurveda for 35+ years.
Barbara
8:06 pm on May 26th, 2009
Hi Kevin and Annmarie,
Glad you are enjoying Boulder, knew you would…hope you found a place to park…not surprised you would consider Boulder a potential long-term destination. Loved my days there…Brigitte has been an incredible resource for so many there for years. I second the Absolut.
Cheers,
Michael & Tracy
8:16 pm on May 26th, 2009
A friend wants to know what if you only have a few grams of an herb, how much vodka and how long should it cure?
8:21 pm on May 26th, 2009
when you go into the liquor store anything on the top shelf is going to be the highest quality. that’s where the term “top shelf” comes from. please don’t judge me (lol)
8:30 pm on May 26th, 2009
here’s a link to some organic/green vodkas – http://planetgreen.discovery.com/buying-guides/buy-green-vodka.html
haven’t tried them myself, but seems that if you’re going to make tinctures, you’d want to focus on the integrity of the vodka production!
8:30 pm on May 26th, 2009
I believe Rain and Square One are two organic brands of vodka
8:34 pm on May 26th, 2009
Hello Kevin and AnneMarie,
Wow, I just missed you in Boulder. I was there just a week ahead of you.
We found this amazing oxygen bar there that also sold raw food.
I love making tinctures – my favorite is California Poppy since poppies grow wild on our property.
Colorado is where we plan to end up too. We lived there for over 15 years and can’t wait to return for good.
Green Blessings,
Patricia
8:36 pm on May 26th, 2009
I’m blessed to know Brigitte probably 30+ yrs. and she’s part of our growing raw community. I loved seeing today’s video of her demo. I learned something for sure.
Boulder, CO is not in a “rain tunnel” but you came Kevin so this was a test to see if you really love it here or not. I’m glad you still have the interest to move here. I schedule the rawlucks at least 2x month for years now. Brigitte is active when in town too. Everyone loves her!
8:51 pm on May 26th, 2009
Grey Goose is a top shelf vodka, but it’s fairly expensive. Rain is also a good vodka, it’s organic and is a little less pricey compared to Grey Goose. Think they are my two picks.
9:00 pm on May 26th, 2009
There are two basic vodka sources, vodka fermented from potato mash and vodka fermented from grain mash .. I like grain sourced vodka much better simply because it seems to be more pure in essence and flavor, potato vodka just doesn’t seem as pure to me as grain fermented vodka…
Also another really good thing to do with vodka is make Pure VANILLA EXTRACT… just take a pure vanilla bean, slice it down the middle to open it up and throw it into a bottle of vodka, let it sit for about 6 months and you have pure vanilla extract you can use to flavor any of your raw food baking and cooking.
9:02 pm on May 26th, 2009
Brigitte was delightful – - brown bag in the back seat of the car – you have to love the simplicity of it all
. Can’t help with the vodka brand 
– but if you ever need whiskey advice – I can help you out 
(oh – and as Brian said – please don’t judge me either…lol)…hugs, Dede
9:02 pm on May 26th, 2009
As for types or brands of vodka, I am not sure if the United States imports this russian brand, but in Canada where I live we can it.. its called Stolichnaya Vodka from Russia, its about the purest vodka I have ever found thus far.
9:43 pm on May 26th, 2009
I haven’t been to CO, but it has been a place in the back of my mind for 15 years so at least need to visit soon myself.
I have no advice on the vodka, in fact I would be more interested in what brandy/whisky is usable because I have NEVER been good with vodka(1-2 shots and I’m ill). I would love to know how to use other alchohol in tincture instead.
Jenn
9:45 pm on May 26th, 2009
Thanks for this one, Kevin. I really enjoyed Brigitte and the simple, empowering methods she offered. Super show!
Katrina
10:43 pm on May 26th, 2009
Hi Kevin Loved the video but I have no idea what tinctures are actually used for. I’m guessing it’s for herbal tea.
12:08 am on May 27th, 2009
42 Below Vodka_from New Zealand
:uses GM free wheat from the purest fields in the world and water from a volcanic spring that achieves the highest purity rating possible – AA. 42 Below is distilled near a world benchmark for air purity, 42 degrees below the equator. Made from 100% GM free wheat, the spirit is distilled three times (each pass uses 35 separate filters) then ‘washed’ in spring water to thin the spirit to a point where any last remaining impurities can be deleted. After which it is distilled a final time to create a totally clean spirit. It is then bottled at a full-flavoured 42%. It is then distilled a fifth time to create totally pure spirit. This ‘high saturation’ distilling in New Zealand spring water is unique to 42 BELOW. The spirit then passes through 35 filters to create a very smooth vodka with a distinctive flavour from the infusion
12:13 am on May 27th, 2009
Hello everybody! The best vodka is considered to be ABSOLUT. SMIRRNOFF is another good choice.
Personally I would never use whisky or brandy in my tinctures.
Best regards from Moscow.
2:51 am on May 27th, 2009
Here in Croatia people use brandy as a base for tincture. They bake it on their own. My mother in law bakes her brandy.
She has done it from pears and plums, but you can make it from grapes too.
Try to find out who is making his/her homemade brandy and use it for base.
Good hunting!
9:09 am on May 27th, 2009
My personal choice for vodka taste is Svedka. Unfortunately, it’s in plastic bottles, so not suitable for tinctures. Realistically though, taste, smoothness, etc. is irrelevant when it comes to tinctures. You want something cheap in a glass bottle, IMHO. “Top shelf” would not be my first choice for a tincture.
Of course, a close cousin of the tincture is schnapps. Basically a tincture with sugar (or honey) in it, made more for drinking than for medicinal purposes. In this case, flavor/smoothness counts. Not made to be medicinal but then, how bad for you could a schnapps (tincture) made from rose hips or goji berries really be?
To attest to the power of home made tinctures, when I was young I had a chronic throat infection. It would flare up once or twice a year and eventually antibiotics did nothing. 2 weeks on a juniper berry tincture (mixed with another tincture, I can’t remember what the companion was) and the infection was gone, never to return. That was over 25 years ago!
9:56 am on May 27th, 2009
Question for Brigitte:
Can you put few different herbs in the same jar to make a tincture combination?
thanks…
11:19 am on May 27th, 2009
Can you only use fresh herbs or can you also use just dried herbs?
11:56 am on May 27th, 2009
I have made a wonderful tincture for aches and pains. I take lavender flowers, stuff a glass full of the flowers, cover with vodka (my husband got kinda mad at me because I used our really expensive vodka for this), put it in the sun for 3 full day – like making sun tea. Strain, store in glass jar and use on sore muscles, or other aches and pains. Easy and it works. For 10 great uses of vodka plus this tincture recipe go to my website under Healing Recipes: http://www.robin-grant.com
12:25 pm on May 27th, 2009
What is the purpose of tinctures? Which herbs do what? Can you do some more on this topic?
I just finished your book and really enjoyed it. It is full of so many helpful tips. I’m not raw now, but my goal is to be 80-90% raw. I’ll be able to apply what I learned in your book to my raw adventure. You keep talking about having a medical advisor/doctor, but I don’t have a clue about how to find a good one. I live in Los Angeles.
2:32 pm on May 27th, 2009
I’ve been taking Dr. Bob Marshall’s Quantum Nutrition / Premier Research Labs tinctures that I buy from Gabriel Cousens’ Tree of Life and from someone local who received her Masters & certification & is authorized to sell them. They use an organic pure grain alcohol – but would be curious what kind.
5:04 pm on May 27th, 2009
I think Absolut Vodka is a good choice for making tinctures. I have been using it for several years now for making my tinctures. I think it’s a great quality grain vodka with an ideal an alcohol/water ratio – 40/60.
6:07 pm on May 27th, 2009
most of the vodkas on the market are made from grain, some people are sensitive to that but in general, no worries. Luksusowa under $15/750ml triple distilled. Tito’s Handmade Vodka from Texas is made from corn, very neutral spirit, one of the best I’ve ever tasted (I used to work in the spirits biz, had to taste a lot of stuff), under $20/750ml. I would imagine you could go with a pint and make a smaller batch for experimenting. good show!
8:29 pm on May 27th, 2009
In Canada we have Silent Sam Vodka, it is very smooth and odorless I’m sure it would work well. Love your clips!!! I haven’t missed any since I started watching 3 months ago, since I went raw and loving it. You guys are a great source of inspiration and information. Thank You!
8:29 pm on May 27th, 2009
I’ve done a lot of reading, researching and purchasing of tinctures, mainly for use in my bath and body products – they are amazing! Most of the well-known herbalists recommend 190 proof (translate Everclear) if you can buy it where you live – not legal everywhere. I’d prefer organic grape, but can’t find it for a reasonable price – still searching. Tinctures are amazing for many different reasons, but mainly because you can concentrate and extract all those wonderful chemical constituents in whatever herb or for whatever reason you wish. I am a certified aromatherapist, registered nurse, and manufacturer of bath & body products – I use a combo of herbs (tinctures & extracts) and aromatherapy to make awesome products. Point is – you can too!!
10:17 am on July 24th, 2009
Hi Brigitte,
I don’t think you will remember me but we met at your home and were in susans book together. I have a question, what are the laws about putting tintures in a shop, will be my sons.
Thank You
Pat Dice