What is the difference between tinctures with and without alcohol?

The answer is pretty straightforward: the difference is that one contains alcohol and the other does not. There is no difference in how they work with the body or the number of compounds they contain.

Alcohol-based tinctures contain about 45% alcohol and most people consider alcohol-free to be far more pleasant. Both versions are free of contaminants, including salmonella, yeast, mold, and Coliform. It can't be said that alcohol-based tinctures have greater purity, but they will fight better against contamination after opening. However, non-alcoholic tinctures are safe for children and animals, while the alcohol-containing versions are not recommended for anyone but adults.

The production of tinctures has been practiced since ancient times. What was it for? Herbs stay fresh for a very short time, and there are far fewer nutrients in dried herbs. Therefore, tinctures were the ideal solution for preserving beneficial properties in the most concentrated form. Initially, alcohol was used as a solvent, since it was the best way to extract and preserve the valuable substances contained in plants.

As time goes on, people continue to use tinctures to maintain and strengthen their health. Extraction technologies are becoming more and more advanced to ensure the final product contains the highest potency and volume of bio-active components. One of these technological improvements is the use of glycerin even in the manufacture of alcoholic tinctures. The fact is that glycerin has been proven to be one of the most powerful extractors. And together with alcohol, it improves the extraction process, ensuring that all the alkaloids and active components are extracted.