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Rabbit Tobacco Tincture

October 9, 2015 By Gwen Brown 8 Comments

rabbit tobacco tincture (6 of 11)

Rabbit tobacco is one of my favorite herbs for the cold & flu season. I’ve already written about Rabbit Tobacco a good bit here on the blog: how to ID it and how I use it. I mostly think of it as a great congestion remedy. But I recently saw herbalist Darryl Patton talking about how he really likes Rabbit Tobacco as a tincture for viruses. Huh! I’m always up for a new use for an herb I already like.

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So I decided to test it out, and share how EASY it is to create a very simple tincture. And I’m going to bust a common myth about tinctures too at the end of this post.

Why Make a Tincture?

Tinctures are plant extracts made with strong alcohol. Not the tastiest things out there, but the substrate pulls out the strong medicinal properties of the herb so well that you really usually only use a tiny amount. They’re so very potent! That’s one reason I like to make tinctures: they are concentrated herbal power.

The other reason is that a tincture has a very long shelf life. They can last for years…far outlasting dried herbal matter.

rabbit tobacco tincture (1 of 11)

All you need is the herb that you plan to use, a small jar with a non-metal lid, and a good 80 proof alcohol. I like to use rum. I started out using vodka, but as another friend said, “It makes my tinctures nastier than they need to be.” So true! So choose a non-nasty, or at least a lesser nasty tasting alcohol.

[bctt tweet=”I’m going to bust a common myth about tinctures & show you how to make one!” via=”no”]

To Make a Tincture

Start by taking your dried herb, and filling your jar a little more than halfway full. Since I’m just testing this out, and since I usually can find a fair amount of rabbit tobacco each year, I’m just going to make up a little pint jar. Some people make tinctures by the quart.

rabbit tobacco tincture (3 of 11)

Why not fill the jar all the way with herbs? Dried herbs especially usually swell up a good bit once you add the alcohol.

Next, pour in your rum.

rabbit tobacco tincture (4 of 11)

You want the level to be just above the plant matter.

rabbit tobacco tincture (5 of 11)

Now, it’s really a great idea to use dark glass containers for tinctures to help preserve the potency, but I’ll just stick this jar in a dark place. It’ll only hold the tincture for the first few months anyway before I strain it off into a dark glass dropper bottle. (Amazon Prime affiliate link) Like this. rabbit tobacco tincture (2 of 11)

I already stuck a label on it to get it ready. I like to cover the label with a piece of clear packing tape to make it more waterproof. And because I’m a messy, messy pourer.

Once your jar is filled, put the lid on tightly. If you only have metal lids, you can always put plastic wrap over the jar before putting the lid on. This will prevent the alcohol from rusting out the lid.rabbit tobacco tincture (9 of 11)

That’s it! You’re done!

I like to place it in a dark spot to steep, and check on it the next day to add a bit more rum if the herbs are sticking up above the liquid.

rabbit tobacco tincture (6 of 11)

A Tincture Myth

There is a myth going around that you should only use a tincture after it’s steeped for 6-8 weeks. While it’s true that the longer you let it sit, the more potent it becomes, it’s NOT true that a younger tincture is of no value.

Just to show you, I took another photo of my tincture just 4 days after making it. Notice that the rum started out crystal clear in the above photo…

I'll show you how to make a tincture using rabbit tobacco- a fantastic antiviral herb!

and now it’s definitely picked up the color and scent of the rabbit tobacco. I’d feel comfortable using it right now, and in fact, I DID use a bit because I was starting to feel a little under the weather. I can definitely taste the herbs already, and it’s good stuff! But I’ll keep it steeping for several more weeks or months to maximize the strength.

Using Rabbit Tobacco Tincture

With tinctures, dosage amounts vary depending on the plant you’ve used, and with the person taking it.

Herbalist Darryl Patton suggests a good general guideline for using Rabbit Tobacco tincture as 30 drops (1/2 teaspoon) 3x a day with meals. He also mentions that the tincture is his choice for viruses, but he prefers decoctions (teas or steams) for shutting down mucous producing cells and to take advantage of the drying actions of rabbit tobacco. You can read more of Darryl’s writing on Rabbit Tobacco here.

I plan to use this tincture when we’re fighting a virus, and I’ll still use the tea and steam method for upper respiratory infections and gunky coughs.

What’s your favorite tincture to make and use?

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I'll show you how to make a tincture using rabbit tobacco- a fantastic antiviral herb!

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Filed Under: Cough Cold & Flu Remedies, Health and Natural Remedies, Herbs From Your Yard, Natural Remedies & Recipes Tagged With: antiviral, cold remedy

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  1. Zakiya Alake says

    October 9, 2015 at 9:43 AM

    Thank you, Gwen. Here in Boston, I’m enjoying my Rabbit Tobacco Pillow. I bought it from your Etsy store. Hopefully, I can purchase some tincture from you some day. If not, your directions will suffice.

    Reply
  2. Julie says

    October 14, 2015 at 9:32 AM

    Gwen,

    Thank you for all the time you invest in posting your blogs. I have learned so much from you. i have actually started making tinctures myself. My question for you is, “Can you suggest a good source for where to buy rabbit tobacco?”. Thank you for all you do.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      October 14, 2015 at 12:40 PM

      Hi Julie! SO glad you’re enjoying learning to use herbs…isn’t it fun!?!!
      Rabbit Tobacco is an herb that I wild harvest, and because it’s a “folk herb” it’s not very well known yet so it’s not sold by most retailers. I do have a little Etsy shop and I’ve put a few bags of leaves and flowers up just recently. I’ll continue to harvest and make those available through the fall. There is also a website called http://www.rabbittobacco.com that sells it. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Robin says

    July 23, 2021 at 10:57 PM

    We use Rabbit Tobacco for colds and flus. We use it along with Mullein, Elecampane, Wild Cherry Bark I make decoctions and Tinctures. If I’m not feeling well, which happened recently, but actually had not happened for about 19 months previous, I like to sip on a decoction of herbs all day, along with broths. I add things like nettles and horsetail and chamomile and pine needles, and, and, and. I love your post. It is sweet and Simple.

    Reply
  4. Henry "Hank" Hoover says

    October 28, 2022 at 3:49 AM

    Hello My name i Hank Hoover If I live just after the first of the year I will be 80 Years young.
    My father was born before 1899 My Mother was born 1905 Both of them were Hunter Gatherers. Both of them were great
    at keeping Herbs for good health and Healing Herbs. Rabbit Tobacco which is also called Life Everlasting and Sweet Everlasting. We never used it internally But I have no doubt that it could be healpful if done carefully.because I know that
    It has such great Healing properties for any open wounds, which is what we used it for. It works better and faster than
    any pharmacy treatment that I have ever seen. Make a Tincture with The Herb and a strong Alcohol Or for someone who don’t want to use Alcohol you can use Cider Vinegar or Olive Oil. Then get a good Dropper for you wont want to waste any of it. It will Heal Wounds or Sores Of all kinds faster more compleetly than any thing I have ever seen. I will make some soon.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      January 4, 2023 at 3:29 PM

      Happy 80th year, Hank! And thank you for the insights and history on using Rabbit Tobacco! I have not used it internally (some herbs are best at external use), but I’ll have to try your suggestion and add it to my Green Salve this year!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Green Moms Network Week in Review says:
    October 16, 2015 at 7:55 AM

    […] Nest shows us how to make Rabbit Tobacco tincture which is great for cold and flu […]

    Reply
  2. How We Made it Through Without the Flu – FortHaven Farm says:
    May 6, 2017 at 8:57 PM

    […] My friend Gwen has a beautiful website and does a great job teaching about a number of these plant and also how to make things like tinctures https://gwens-nest.com/rabbit-tobacco-tincture/ […]

    Reply

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