How to make Mother Tinctures

From the hydro-alcoholic extraction of Sulfur and Mercury, along with Rhythm, Microdoses and Compatibility.

Mother Tinctures are healing herbal extracts made from the maceration of herbs in a “hydro-alcoholic solution”. It is a way of transferring the properties of the plant to another medium, more durable (two years), more concentrated and more transportable. From these extracts, we will make what is called “microdosing”, which is a first dilution and has many advantages that I will detail in the corresponding section.

Steps for the Preparation of an SPAGYRIC MOTHER TINCTURES (hydro-alcoholic alchemical extracts: plant Sulphur and Mercury):

  1. Items required:

* Wide-neck glass jar.

* Selected plant. It can be fresh or dry (if it is dry, wait for it to absorb the alcoholic mixture well before finishing the process).

* Grain alcohol (it is the one used to make liqueurs, in general it is tridestilled ethyl alcohol).

* Distilled water (this water is demineralized, but it lasts forever. We can use spring water for a tincture if we are going to use it immediately).

Once everything is gathered, we will put the plant in small pieces in the jar (leaving room for the hydro-alcoholic solution to cover it and exceed it by 1 centimetre).

  1. Hydro-alcoholic solution:

The hydro-alcoholic solution is a mixture of grain alcohol and distilled water, the amount of each depends on the part of the plant that we are going to use:

* For flowers: we will mix the alcohol with the distilled water in equal parts.

* For leaves: 70% alcohol and 30% water.

* For roots and for Aloe vera, which have a lot of water: 90% alcohol and 10% distilled water.

Once the mixture is made, (do not put the alcohol first because it burns the plant), cover the plant matter and exceed it by 1 centimeter.

3.α Herbalistic Procedure:

We cover the jar, label it with the date and put it in a cool and dark place for a minimum of 14 days (we witches use multiples of seven for the preparations), or 21 or 28, shaking daily and checking that the alcoholic solution continues to cover the herb. If is necessary add more of the mix.

3. β Alchemical Procedure:

We cover the jar and put it in a warm place for incubation. We will solve this to start with by placing our tincture next to a salt lamp, inside a cardboard box, for 40 days. All these days we will stir the liquid, setting the intention that we have previously sown in it, paying attention to the stars.

  1. To finish:

Once this time has elapsed, we strain the tincture with a cloth, separating the plant matter that has already passed its properties to the alcoholic solution (this plant matter is reserved for later calcination).

This solution (Mother Tincture) is kept in an amber bottle.

Put on a tag and voila!

* DOSE and MICRODOSE: From quantity to Rhythm.

General dosage of herbal mother tincture (without salts):

We will take it as if it were a microdose (see microdose dosage).

Or, if is necessary and you really feel, the dosage would be the person’s weight in drops of MT (Mother Tincture), divided in 4 daily doses, diluted in a little water.

For example, if the person weighs 60 kilos, he/she will take 60 drops diluted in water, divided in 4 intakes of 15 drops each.

The first intake on an empty stomach, when getting up. The last one before going to bed and the other two, half an hour before lunch and snack (away from meals because they dissolve the healing substance of the herbs), for a maximum of three weeks and rest for a week.

In case of specific or mild pains, take as long as necessary until the symptom disappears (from 3 days to a week).

In case of pain/duels that are chronic take 3 weeks and rest 1, to resume after that week, once the results are verified.

It is important to bear in mind that these doses are general, and for people who want to treat a specific symptom and who are not under allopathic medication, which makes the treatment and choice of plants much more complex.

That is why I recommend, for people in the experimentation phase with phytomedicine, that they take the microdose dosage and thus avoid any risk of toxicity or lack of compatibility with the plant being.

* How to Re-Activate Mother Tinctures

After 2 years of having strained and stored a tincture, it is necessary to reactivate them, because over time some active ingredients become diluted.

It is a very simple process: the tincture is treated as if it were the former hydro-alcoholic solution, more of the same plant matter is added again and the maceration process is repeated (it is left aside again for 14 days in a dark and cool place). Afterwards, strain the liquid and you’ll have your reactivated tincture!

It will be a little more concentrated than the previous one, but this does not change the properties or the way we relate to it.

Come on alchemists! The hands to build, the heart to love and the mind to create!

Are you interested in this content and want to know more?

In the Astroherbarium course you will find a video tutorial with Belem Azull, which will guide you step by step; and many quality resources for you to prepare your own alchemical laboratory.