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Alcohol is second only to water as a solvent (extracting fluid) for making herbal extracts. Herbs are composed of a wide variety of chemical components to which their benefit is attributed. Some of these components are more soluble in water and some are more soluble in alcohol. This explains why the alcohol content is different from herb to herb. Resins in Myrrh or Cayenne are best extracted in alcohol and will have a higher alcohol content. Other herbs such as Marshmallow or Slippery Elm are best extracted in water. | |
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Alcohol is not only important for extracting components of herbs, but it has the ability to preserve the extract from spoiling. Even when water is the best solvent, the extract must contain 15-30% alcohol to maintain stability and prevent spoiling. The alcohol content on labels indicates what percent of the liquid is alcohol not how much herb is in the bottle. Each ounce of an herbal extract represents the soluble components of 7.5 to 30 grams of herb no matter if the alcohol content is 25% or 85%. The concentration level is determined by the nature of each herb. | |
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If a label states the concentration as 1:4 then each ounce represents the soluble portion of 7.5 grams of that herb. A label declaring a 1:1 concentration represents 30 grams of the soluble herb. The average daily dose of an herbal extract is 45-90 drops. Overall herbal extracts average 45% alcohol. Therefore, the average total daily consumption of alcohol is a mere 40 drops. We advise other high quality alternatives such as fresh freeze-dried encapsulated herbs when even these small amounts of alcohol are not appropriate. | |