How to Make a Plantain Tincture

Plantain has been used medicinally for many years. Primarily for skin irritation, plantain tincture is used to reduce itching and swelling of skin ailments. It aids in healing of minor cuts and burns. It has also been used to treat digestive disorders, including ulcers and diarrhea. Prepared with alcohol, plantain has a history of soothing coughs. This article explains how to prepare a plantain tincture.

Things You'll Need

• Plantain flowers and leaves
• Grinding tool
• Distilled or filtered water
• Vodka
• Jars and bottles
• Cheesecloth

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Instructions

• 1

  Finely grind flowers and leaves. Mortar and pestle, food grinder or processor are all acceptable for this task.

• 2

  Measure amount of ground plantain. For each part of ground plantain, mix one part vodka and three parts water. Example: for 1 cup of plantain mix 1 cup vodka and 3 cups water.

• 3

  Pour the ingredients into a jar. Seal the jar tightly. Place the jar in a cool dark location. Allow the tincture to sit for at least two weeks, but no more than six weeks. The longer it sits, the more potent the tincture will become. Gently shake the jar every couple days.

• 4

  Press contents of jar. This can be done by straining through a cheesecloth and squeezing the excess liquid out of the plantain. Discard any material left in cloth.

• 5

  Transfer the tincture to bottles or jars with tightly fitted lids. Store in a cool, dark location.