How to Make a Lemon Balm Tincture

[@HeidiVillegas]

Don't forget to get my FREE gift to you: My 24 page guide on How to Relax Using Herbs & Oils. It also includes recipes! Just click the link and I'll send it to your inbox! healingharvesthomestead.lpages.co/how-to-relax-using-herbs-opt-in/

[@robingalloway3541]

Thank you, I hate measuring out exact, weighing, and getting too. Precise. This folklore method is perfect for me

[@HeidiVillegas]

Yes, for many of us who cook from scratch and are just eyeball measurers (which does come with skill) the folk method is great!

[@Rocketscientist66]

Hi Heidi! So glad I found this video 💞 Very interested in starting to learn how to make tinctures. Thank you for your great work and your very „down to Earth“ way of explaining the method. I will be subscribing to your channel 🤓

[@HeidiVillegas]

You are so welcome, and I'm so glad you're here!❤️

[@susanmeadors2733]

What a really great video on making a lemon balm tincture!!

[@HeidiVillegas]

Thank you so much!

[@ryanellis4474]

You did an excellent job with this video. Great work! Keep doing your thing!

[@HeidiVillegas]

Oh, thank you so very much! I appreciate you!

[@jojow8416]

Thank you for this wonderful information. QUESTION: can you allow this to infuse for 8 weeks, strain it and then add more lemon balm. In that way you would get a double extraction making it stronger.

[@HeidiVillegas]

Hi, JoJo! You could absolutely add more fresh lemon balm to the first finished tincture to power it up more! :-)

[@jameyfisher423]

Thanks Heidi!! I will make fresh lemon balm tincture today! I love this adaptogen so much! God Bless you!

[@HeidiVillegas]

Wonderful! Let me know how it turns out!💖

[@johnstiles7464]

Great information TY! I'm glad you mentioned the water release from the plant watering down the alcohol. It crossed my mind but didn't really consider it

[@HeidiVillegas]

Thanks, John!

[@irenetorres8073]

Thanks Heidi ❤

[@HeidiVillegas]

You are so welcome!💖

[@debram3098]

Thank you for yet another great video. I particularly love lemon balm. It smells heavenly! I have never tried using fresh herbs to tincture but you gave me the courage to give this a try!

[@HeidiVillegas]

Let me know how it goes for you, Debra! I hope you love how it turns out!

[@shabnamjaffri5345]

Can you ever teach making tincture without alcohol please

[@HeidiVillegas]

Hi, Shabnam! Absolutely! Glycerin is a great option.

[@shabnamjaffri5345]

@@HeidiVillegas you mentioned many time but please show how to make it

[@lynnscott8286]

Love your videos. I’ve signed up for your class. Can’t wait

[@HeidiVillegas]

I can't wait to see you on the fourth! If you want to start early, please do! You'll get an extra week before graduation to start preparing your apothecary. Be sure to join the student group, too!

[@brownville13615]

Cool! 🥰

[@HeidiVillegas]

Thanks!

[@janeb7633]

Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge. Much appreciated.

[@HeidiVillegas]

You're very welcome, Jane!

[@gibsonsyd]

Thank you!

[@HeidiVillegas]

You're welcome!🥰

[@jogeorge9752]

It's good to help calm hyperthyroid and Graves disease down. I drink about 6 cups of lemon balm tea daily. Its very calming but doesnt make you tired. Tastes good too.

[@HeidiVillegas]

I absolutely love it too. I use it as a preventative for cold sores caused by stress. Works great for this!

[@Imjetta7]

Thank you so much!

[@HeidiVillegas]

You're welcome!💖

[@debhuddleston3450]

After cutting the plant, would bruising the plant in a mortar and pestle help the constituents release a little bit better? Thank you 😊 Your videos are so informative and helpful!

[@HeidiVillegas]

It may help a bit, but it's not an absolutely necessary step. :-)

[@paulawalsh8981]

Thank you, Heidi 😊

[@HeidiVillegas]

You are so welcome!

[@kaylalala4530]

Lovely video, thank you! I make alot of salves and body butters, we grow an extensive garden and expanding more and more with herbs and tinctures. Lemon balm is my favorite, oh the smell is just so so divine! One thing I was wondering, I usually just see people using leaves only. It seems you are chopping stems and all and adding. Is there any benefit to the stem as well besides making it so much easier on our gathering and chopping?haha

[@HeidiVillegas]

The stems have mild amounts of medicinal compounds (the leaves are the strongest), and yes....I'm a lazy tincture maker, LOL. But the stuff works GREAT!

[@ajalicea1091]

If someone can not tolerate alcohol can you use vegetable glycerin?

[@HeidiVillegas]

Absolutely. You may need to dose a little higher with glycerin because it will be a weaker extract, though.

[@livin_life_321]

Hello Heidi, Did you wash your lemon balm before using it? I have a new plant so it's not very tall and I am wondering if I should let it grow and harvest next year or is it ok to harvest some this year?

[@HeidiVillegas]

I'll usually give it a little rinse, then make sure all the water is dried off it....but sometimes I don't if it just rained or if it's in a patch that's in a very clean area (no pets, dust, etc.)

[@CE-gk3ds]

Thank you for your video. Do you wash or rinse your lemon balm before putting into the jar?

[@HeidiVillegas]

I do if I'm gathering from a dusty part of my yard. I have a patch that is in a pretty clean place, and I don't rinse those stems sometimes.

[@veracha6758]

Can I use the plastic lid? Some people said tin lid can become rusty and destroy the tincture.some people said to use parchment paper in between .so what ways would you recommend?

[@HeidiVillegas]

Plastic is just fine. :-) Be sure it's food grade and doesn't contain BPA

[@MotherNaturesEdge]

Hello Heidi! I was wondering if setting the tincture in the sunlight damages the properties. I've heard different information

[@HeidiVillegas]

In my personal experience, no, I don't think it does unless the sun is so "HOT" that it cooks the tincture. Gentle warmth actually helps draw out the chemical constituents. BUT with that said, it's important to get it stored in a cool, dark location once the herbs are spent.

[@MotherNaturesEdge]

@@HeidiVillegas thank you so very much for responding! That solved a lot of concerns

[@feliciabrasuell1997]

Thanks for sharing...... I have a question?????? Do we not have to rinse off the herb first?????

[@HeidiVillegas]

It depends on where and how it's grown. If it's in an area where pets or wild animals are...absolutely. If it's been sprayed with anything at all...yes. But if it's protected and not in a dirty or dusty environment, not necessarily.

[@feliciabrasuell1997]

@@HeidiVillegas thank you so much for your help...

[@juditrimble2604]

Since freeze drying retains about 95% of the nutrients, could you freeze dry the lemon balm to use in this recipe?

[@HeidiVillegas]

I believe you sure could!

[@curtisbinkley2342]

Thanks Heidi. Hope you get feeling better. I have have had my thyroid removed due to cancer. I thought I remembered you mentioning the lemon balm and the thyroid? Would it be safe for me to use?

[@HeidiVillegas]

Hi, Curtis---I can't say definitively if it would be safe for you, unfortunately, as we're all so different. Some people seem to have a mild reaction from lemon balm if they suffer from low thyroid, and others do just fine with it. I'd check in with your doctor on this question, and perhaps if you feel comfortable trying it, maybe take a bit each day? It's good to hear from you again! I hope you're doing great!💖

[@Vantastictravels4ever]

Do you rinse the lemon balm off with water after you pick it? It needs to be very dry before using in the tincture correct?

[@HeidiVillegas]

I do rinse if really "buggy". This year we have a LOT of spittle bugs....so I just rinse, then let dry a bit before tincturing.

[@OakTree-LandScapeOnFacBook]

Would you still taste lemon balm if I dry the leaves?

[@HeidiVillegas]

A little bit, you may. But the volatile aromatics do tend to dissipate the older the herb is and has been dried.

[@ivorygrl]

What’s the purpose of alcohol? And what’s the purpose of the Glycerin? Why does the Lemon 🍋 Balm tincture need either one of those ingredients in it?

[@HeidiVillegas]

They're both solvents and extract the medicinal constituents well.

[@ivorygrl]

@@HeidiVillegas i don’t understand why the nutritional content has to be extracted. It all goes through our digestive system.

[@nicolabrown1489]

Hi I'm in scotland, UK where do I buy those huge bottles of 100 proof +

[@HeidiVillegas]

I'm not sure about Scotland, and I'm sorry for that! I know even in the states here in the U..S., the rules are all different.

[@liddiasecrist5313]

🥰

[@HeidiVillegas]

💖

[@pattymiller8447]

Can mint lemon balm be used??

[@HeidiVillegas]

Well, lemon balm is in the mint family, so I imagine we're talking about the same plant. It's Melissa officinalis (Latin name), so if your plant is that plant, then you're good! But generally, mints are all wonderful.

[@pareshkhan5882]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@HeidiVillegas]

❤️

[@pareshkhan5882]

I am very interesting in such planets

[@RayneTopaz]

What if you can't get fresh herbs?

[@HeidiVillegas]

You can purchase dried herbs if you. need to, and they'll work fine if they're of good quality. :-)

[@RayneTopaz]

Thank you

[@parisz]

By far the best Lemon Balm Tincture video on KZbin! Thanks a lot!

[@HeidiVillegas]

Wow, thank you!🥰