Alot of people ask me what a tisane is, as I have the word on my infusions. A tisane is an infusion, as of dried leaves used as a beverage or for medicinal purposes. This post will explain the difference between a tea, an infusion, and a tincture? This will also explain the difference it can make to your overall health and body, between cooking with your herbs and making an infusion or tincture with them.
Teas and infusions are daily methods of feeding and nourishing our body that can also assist in the healing process. Tinctures are a way of healing our body and helping to prevent illness.
Plants contain various compounds: flavonoids, alkaloids, vitamins, minerals, and others too… but we are just going to bare these in mind.
Flavonoids are compounds that can be extracted by water or alcohol. They have a variety of medicinal effects but one of the most important effects of flavonoids is their antioxidant effect. An antioxidant is a molecule that can slow down or prevent the oxidation of other molecules.
Alkaloids are compounds that can be extracted very well by alcohol and much less so by water. They can sometimes dissipate with heat which is why a tea or infusion isn’t the best method when you’re trying to extract these compounds. Alkaloids are the healing or medicinal compounds that are typically the ones that scientist try to isolate to develop a pharmaceutical.
Vitamins and Minerals are extracted by water and nourish and feed the body which provides a different type of healing affect than an alkaloid.
So, when you look at those 4 compounds and understand what they do and how you can extract them from the plant, it becomes very easy to determine which method to use.
A tea will extract flavonoids with their antioxidant properties as well as vitamins and minerals. However due to the short steeping time, they would not extract as much and would be used more as a soothing, relaxing beverage.
Infusions are very much like food for our bodies. They are high in vitamins and minerals and are a wonderful way to get these nutrients into our bodies. When we drink the nutrients as an infusion (or a tea) our bodies are much more able to assimilate them than when they are taken in pill form.
A tincture is made by infusing herbs in alcohol. The alcohol will extract many of the medicinal constituents of the herbs including alkaloids and flavonoids, but because 100 proof vodka is 50% alcohol and 50% water, the tincture will also extract vitamins and minerals. Tinctures have a long shelf life and are an easy way to get the herbs into your system. It’s easy to take a dropperful of tincture when you need it.
If you have an aversion to alcohol, glycerin can be used instead, but glycerin doesn’t extract as many of the medicinal constituents and only has a shelf life of 6 months – 1 year. However a glycerin based tincture may be a good option for children.
Get into the garden and pick some leaves, try something new or come to the market to see what is on my table. I usually have tasters 
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