During peak cold and flu season, I never leave the house without this “Stay Well” tincture. It combines elderberry, echinacea, and ginger for powerful immune-boosting support.
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The information in this post is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is always best to work with a qualified healthcare professional before incorporating herbs into your diet.
“Stay Well” Immune-Supporting Herb Blend
Herbs are a great way to support wellness and immune function during the cold winter months. So many herbs can be taken preventatively to help ward off illness. Or they can help at the first sign of a cold or flu to help lessen and shorten the duration of symptoms.
This “Stay Well” immunity tincture combines just three herbs but the synergistic effects are potent.
- Elderberry is a well-known herbal ally for the immune system. It inhibits the spread of many viral infections, helps reduce inflammation, and has the ability to help shorten the duration and severity of cold and flu symptoms.
- Echinacea is very stimulating to the immune system, promotes the flow of lymph, and supports detoxification. It is widely used to address infections of all kinds, including viral infections, and aids in the process of antibody formation.
- Ginger is very stimulating, increasing circulation and enhancing immune function. It is a potent antiviral and antibacterial and is great for getting stuck mucus flowing again.
The ratios for this herbal tincture are 3 parts elderberry, 1 part echinacea, and ½ part ginger. Elderberry is a great herb to help build, strengthen, and support overall immune function. It helps strengthen it so that it can better resist illness. Echinacea is a powerful immune stimulant, giving the immune system a boost when needed. And ginger, in addition to its immune-supporting properties, is used as a kind of power enhancer. It enhances the other herbs in the formula and helps them get where they need to go.
While this recipe uses dried herbs to make your own “Stay Well” tincture, you can use the same ratios to blend premade tincture to make this formula. Elderberry, echinacea, and ginger tinctures are fairly easy to find at any health food or herb store that carries tinctures.
How To Make An Herbal Tincture
I use what’s commonly called the “folk method” when making tinctures. This method relies on a few basic proportions rather than exact ratios by weight. Tinctures made using the folk method are lovely and very effective. I know many herbalists use this method exclusively. It’s a great method for making tinctures at home because of its accessibility.
However, the potency can vary from batch to batch when measuring by volume instead of weight. I haven’t found this to be a problem when making tinctures for myself and my family. But it is something to be aware of, especially if you start to explore low-dose botanicals.
With the folk method, you’ll add your herbs to the jar and then fill it with alcohol. Vodka that is 80- to 100-proof is the most commonly used and most versatile, especially if working with dried herbs like in this recipe. If you want to use fresh herbs, it may be better to use a high-proof alcohol like Everclear and dilute it down to the percentage that you need. But that’s a technique for another blog post.
The amount of herbs you’ll fill your jar with will depend on the type of herb you’re using:
- Fresh leaves and flowers: Fill the jar ⅔ – ¾ full with finely chopped herbs.
- Dried leaves and flowers: Fill the jar ½ – ¾ full with finely cut herbs.
- Fresh roots, bark, and berries: Fill the jar ⅓ – ½ full with finely chopped herbs.
- Dried roots, bark, and berries: Fill the jar ¼ – ⅓ full with finely cut herbs.
First, place the herbs in the jar. Then fill the jar to the very top with the alcohol, making sure all the herbs are covered.
(Note in my pictures my jar isn’t quite full. I measured out a bit too much herbs for my pint jar so I had to use a 1 ½ pint jar, instead. I still made sure the alcohol level was enough to fully cover the herbs but it’s still not ideal. The measurements in the recipe below are adjusted to fit into a pint jar.)
Secure the lid and give the jar a good shake to fully distribute the herbs. Check the alcohol level after the first day or two and top up, as needed. The dried herbs tend to absorb some of the alcohol, so you may need to add a bit more to keep the jar full.
Place the jar in a cool, dark spot away from direct heat and sunlight. Let the herbs infuse for at least 4 weeks and up to 8 weeks, shaking every day or so to make sure the herbs aren’t clumping together.
Once your tincture is done infusing, strain out the herbs using a fine mesh strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth. I usually strain mine over a large glass measuring cup as this makes it easier to measure and pour the tincture into bottles.
Make sure and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible when straining—you don’t want to leave any of that herbal goodness behind.
Transfer the tincture into amber glass jars using a funnel. Amber glass is the best option as this helps protect your tincture from light but any glass bottle or jar with a tight lid will do. If you use clear glass, just be sure to store it somewhere that’s cool and dark.
Labeling & Storing Your Tincture
Finally—and I can’t stress this enough—label your tinctures.
I’d love to pretend I judiciously label my herbal preparations. But there have been a few times where I put it off and then fully and completely forgot what was in the preparation. So, don’t be like me. Always label your tinctures with the following information:
- Name of formula
- Date made
- Dosage
- Ingredients (optional)
If you keep your herbal recipes written down somewhere, then you don’t have to include the ingredients on the label. But sometimes it’s nice to know what’s in a specific tincture at a glance without having to look up your recipe.
I like to keep this tincture in 1-ounce bottles. They’re easy for me to keep in my purse and give away to family and friends.
As for dosage, this will vary depending on the herbs in the formula. For herbs that don’t have any major cautions or contraindications, I generally follow Rosemary Gladstar’s guidance:
“I usually suggest ¼ teaspoon tincture 3 times daily for chronic illness and/or tonic purposes. For acute situations, ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon every half an hour to an hour.”
Rosemary Gladstar, The Science & Art of Herbalism
Again, the correct dosage of your tincture will depend on the herbs you’re using and could be much lower if using any low-dose botanicals.
Using Your “Stay Well” Herbal Tincture
This “Stay Well” tincture is a great herbal ally to use as a preventative measure or as support at the first sign of a cold or flu. Also, please note that these dosages are intended for adults.
- Prevention: Take a dropperful (about ¼ – ⅓ teaspoon) 1-3 times a day in the days leading up to going somewhere you’ll likely be exposed to illness (like heading on a flight, for example) or after being somewhere that you were likely exposed to illness (like when a cold starts making the rounds at work). This will hopefully help keep your immune defenses up and lessen your chance of catching anything.
- At the first sign: The minute you feel that telltale tickle in the back of your throat, start taking ¼ – ½ dropper (about 10-15 drops) every 30-60 minutes. Ideally, this will help stop the illness before it develops. If it does turn into a full-blown cold or flu, continue taking ½ a dropper several times throughout the day to help support your immune system and hopefully lessen the severity and duration. Use this in addition to any other interventions you may need. And, this should go without saying, but see your doctor if things continue to get worse or last longer than usual.
I say “hopefully” in both of these scenarios because, while the herbs in this formula can be powerful allies during cold and flu season, nothing is guaranteed to work 100% of the time and, chances are, we’ll all catch something at some point or another. But herbs are an incredible way to support our bodies so they can heal as quickly as possible.
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“Stay Well” Immune-Boosting Herbal Tincture
Equipment
- Pint jar
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (3 parts) dried elderberries
- 2 tablespoons (1 part) dried echinacea
- 1 tablespoon (½ part) dried ginger
- 80- or 100-proof vodka
Instructions
- Measure the herbs and place them in a glass pint jar. Fill the jar to the top with the vodka.
- Secure the lid and shake to distribute the herbs. Label the jar with the formula name and date and place it in a cool, dark place to infuse. Check the alcohol level after the first day or two and top up as needed.
- Let the tincture infuse for 4-8 weeks, shaking every day or so to redistribute the herb.
- Once the tincture is done infusing, strain out the herbs using a fine mesh strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Straining the tincture into a large glass measuring cup makes it easier to transfer the tincture into dropper bottles. Make sure to squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible when strainingso you don’t leave any herbal goodness behind.
- Transfer the tincture into clean amber glass bottles. The amber glass helps to protect the tincture from light but any glass bottle or jar with a tight lid will do. One-ounce bottles with droppers are great for carrying with you and giving away to family and friends.
- Label your tincture with the name of the formula, the date made, and dosage information. (See “Using Your “Stay Well” Herbal Tincture” section above for usage guidelines.)
- Store tincture away from direct light and heat. Stored properly, tinctures are quite shelf stable and should stay potent for several years (and possibly indefinitely).
