A tincture is a concentrated herbal extract created by soaking herbs in alcohol over a period of time. The benefit of this over just drying the leaves is that the tincture has a shelf life of 5 years--much higher than the dried leaves. They can be added to other teas or drinks for the benefits without having to seep the leaves each time and can also be added to baking and cooking in lieu of the expensive extracts that you can buy at the store. I have more recipes for some of these on my pinterest boards as well.
Lemon Balm (which I didn't know) is good for anxiety, depression, stress, flatulence, indigestion and insomnia.
I couldn't get the video to post here, but I installed the link below the picture.
I'm definitely going to try this with both the Lemon Balm and the Spearmint I have growing in my garden, and one of these days I'm going to buy some Vanilla beans and make my own Vanilla extract as well (I'll have the vodka I need!).
While searching for this video, I came across several others. I also have lavender in my garden and found this video for making infused oils using dried herbs:
I make herb infused oils for cooking all the time--I especially love Rosemary and Basil infused oils--these I do using fresh herbs heating the oil on the stovetop. The shelf life is less with these. I also like making herb infused vinegars--because of the high acidity, these have a longer shelf life.
There are even videos on how to make lip balms and salves.
So, make sure you pick those herbs at the end of the Summer. You can dry them, or make extracts, oils or vinegars from them to enjoy all year long.
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