Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Origanum
Common names: Oregano. Italian: Herba acciuga, origano. English: Wild marjoram, oregan. French: Marjolaine bâtarde, Marjolaine sauvage, Origan.
Benefits
The benefits of Oregano are plentiful. It has the properties to fight certain cancers, specifically prostate, bladder and cronic myelogenous erythroleukaemia.
It also works as an anti-inflammatory agent, and an anti-bacterial agent against pathogenic fungi, yeast, and bacteria, and an agent against human, animal, and plant pathogenic microorganisms – including drug-resistant and biofilm forming microorganisms. So, it’s good.
However, one should be cautious with this herb, as it also inhibits the production of nitric oxide (necessary to regulate the blood flow). Nitric oxide is good for body builders and also the development of regular sexual function.
Making the Tincture
Making the tincture is a fairly easy process. I think the hardest part is actually getting the leaves by themselves! I would be very interested to see if anybody has any information on the potency of the tincture whether or not the stems are left on…
- Cut up or grind the fresh herb to release juices and expose surface area.
- Fill the jar 2/3 to 3/4 full with the herb.
- Pour alcohol over the herbs. You want to make sure all the herbs are covered completely here!
- Use a knife or chopstick to go around the side of the mixture to release any air bubbles inside.
- Seal the jar!
What you should now have is a small jar full of your mixture, ready to be shaken.
The ritual is to shake the tincture for 1 minute every day.
Storage
As will all tinctures, extracts, alcohols and the likes, you want to store the tincture well out of the reach of sunlight, in a room temperature dark and dry place.
Please note that if the alcohol is getting low, you should top it up with more to make sure there are no herbs exposed to air. Any herbs exposed to air can introduce mold and bacteria into the tincture, which obviously isn’t wanted.
Settling Time
Everybody has different ideas for the settling time. Some say 2 weeks, some say 6-8 weeks, some say 2 days. I would suggest to experiment with this, as the alcohol quality and herb quantity can change everything. It is safe to start with a 2-3 week extraction time.
Bottling and Labeling and Storage
It is always suggested to use a cheesecloth as your strainer when filtering the tincture from the herb. I suspect this is to allow squeezing of the leaves to extract every last ounce of good stuff out of the leaves.
You’ll develop your own style, but the general is to:
- Pour the mixture through the cheesecloth into a bowl.
- Wring the cheesecloth with the oregano leaves in it as much as you can.
- Use your funnel to pour the contents of the bowl into your medicine bottles.
- LABEL LABEL LABEL. Without a label, you will find yourself staring at a dusty unknown bottle that smells strong.
A gentle suggestion for labeling is:
- Common name
- Latin name
- Part of herb used
- Fresh or dry
- Alcohol % and type
- Habitat of herb
- Date tincture was made
- Suggested dosage
That’s it. You’ve got your tincture made! Huray! Celebrate!
It should now be stored in a cool, dark place in order to ensure it lasts for years.
I have referenced the following sites for help with learning about tinctures, I suggest you read them to learn more as they’re very valuable resources: