There is a temptation to think of tincture-making as something you do in autumn with the harvest. But the best tinctures are often made in July and August, when the aromatic and flowering herbs that need fresh plant preparation are at their peak and when there is enough time for a proper maceration before the cold season arrives and the tinctures are most needed.
Why July for Tincture-Making
The herbs that are most valuable as fresh-plant tinctures are those whose volatile compounds and delicate constituents degrade significantly in drying: lemon balm, St. John’s Wort, cleavers, and the fresh-flowering nervines. July is when lemon balm is leafy and abundant before it flowers, when St. John’s Wort is at its blooming peak, when calendula is producing flowers daily. Making tinctures now from fresh plant material at its most vibrant gives you a quality of preparation that dried-herb tinctures cannot match.
The Basic Tincture Method
For a simple folk method tincture: fill a clean glass jar with fresh plant material, chopped or lightly bruised, to just above the neck. Cover completely with high-proof spirit (40% for most herbs, 60-70% for resins and high-volatile-oil herbs). The plant material must be fully submerged: exposed plant material above the liquid can develop mold. Cap tightly, label with herb, date, and menstruum. Leave in a cool, dark place for four to six weeks, shaking every day or two. Strain through cheesecloth, press firmly, and bottle in labeled dark glass.
Strength and Ratios
The folk method described above produces a tincture of roughly 1:2 to 1:3 (one part plant material to two or three parts menstruum by weight). For a more precise preparation: weigh the fresh plant material, multiply by two or three to get the menstruum volume, and use that quantity of spirit. Professional-standard tinctures specify their ratio on the label, and this is the information that lets you compare and dose meaningfully.
What to Tincture This Month
Priority herbs for July fresh-plant tinctures: lemon balm (at its volatile peak before flowering), St. John’s Wort flowering tops (the fresh tops turn the spirit red with hypericin, a beautiful and reliable indicator of quality), calendula flowers (harvested daily for a cold-infused glycerite or alcohol tincture), and lavender (the flowering spikes at their most aromatic). The Herbalist Codex app has tincture preparation guidance for each herb alongside their profile, including recommended menstruum strength and optimal timing for harvest.