Echinacea Tincture Recipe For Your Immune System
Echinacea purpurea (Eastern Purple Coneflower) has been used for centuries by Native Americans to treat respiratory issues and small injuries. It is used in a wide variety of modern medications and can be bought as tea, pills, tinctures, juice and medicinal honey.
This undemanding plant has striking large purple flowerheads and attracts many pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Echinacea stimulates the formation of white blood cells, which are the power house of our immune system.
You Will Need
- 50 g dried Echinacea flowers
- 200 ml alcohol with at least 40% vol.
- clean jar with a lid
- paper or musselin filter
- brown glass dropper bottles
Harvest the Echinacea from July – September.
Cut at the base of the long flower stem, tie into bouquets and hang upside down to dry.
How To Make The Tincture
- Cut up the dried flowerheads and put them in a clean, dry jar. Press them down a bit.
- Fill up with the alcohol until all plant parts are covered.
- Note: dried plants will soak up liquid and you might need to top up the alcohol to make sure all parts are covered.
- Close the lid tightly and let the mixture steep in the shade at room temperature for 4 weeks.
- Shake every other day to help the dispersion of the ingredients. This also helps to prevent mould.
- Pour through a paper or mousselin filter.
- Fill the tincture into brown glass dropper bottles.
The tincture will easily keep for up to 2 years if stored in a cool and dark place.
How To Use Echinacea Tincture
Echinacea is best used as a preventative course of treatment in spring and fall, when the body is prone to coughs and colds.
Take 15 – 20 drops 3 times daily for several days. Do not use longer than 2 weeks, as the effect on the immune system could be reversed if taken longer. Make sure to pause taking Echinaces for at least 2 weeks between treatments.
If developing a cold, take an initial dose of 50 drops diluted in a glass of water or tea at the first sign of illness. Continue with 10 – 20 drops three times daily.
The tincture can help healing small cuts, burns, bruises and insect bites. Dilute 10-20 drops in a little water and soak a cotton pad or bandage with the mixture before applying to the injured skin.
