How To Read & Write An Herbal Formulation
In this post we’re going to go over how to read an herbal formulation
Then I’ll share some tips on how to write your own!
How to read an Herbal Formulation
This post may contain links but they are not affiliate links. I am not in any sort of affiliate program at this time. They are links to things I actually use
Today we’re going to be talking about how to properly read an herbal formulation. I know I found the entire task to be a bit intimidating when I first started. My goal with this blog & YouTube channel is to share what I’ve learned so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.
This post is meant to accompany the Herbal Menstruum Guide post. Check that out HERE in case you missed it.
We will first go over some basics on reading a formulation so you will be able to open any herbal preparation book & be able to make some amazing plant medicines.
Then we will talk a bit about writing your own & I will be sharing some of my favorite resources.
Let’s talk a bit about a few important terms you may come across: Parts, Folk Method & Weight to Volume (W/V)
Parts:
A unit of measurement in herbalism
Here’s the fun thing about parts, you kind of get to determine the amount. This is going to come down ultimately to how much medicine you are wanting to make.
Let’s pretend one part is equal to 1 oz for the sake of ease.
This means 1 part = 1 oz
If the recipe calls for 2 parts, this would mean we would use 2 oz
If the recipe called for ½ part we would use ½ oz.
A part could be 1 tablespoon, 1 cup, 1 ounce, 1 liter, 1 gram, etc.
Folk Method:
This isn’t as common of a method found in an herbal formulation book but it is a method that has been used for as long as people have been making herbal preparations.
This method is super simple & no math skills are required. I like to follow this method when making infused oils.
Simply place some herbs in a jar, fill the jar with your chosen menstruum, cover, shake daily & your medicine will be ready in 4-6 weeks.
Weight to Volume:
There are 2 different ways you can prepare any herbal medicine, with dried or fresh herbs or you can use a combination of fresh & dried.
Just remember if you are using a combination of fresh & dried herbs you will need to adjust the total amount of menstruum or solvent. Fresh herbs have their water content still which is why they require less water in the extraction process. Dried herbs have their natural water content removed & additional water is needed for the extraction process
The weight to volume is always written as a ratio.
The number on the left = Weight
The number on the right = Volume
The ratio for dried herbs is typically: [1:5]
This means we have 1 part herb to 5 parts menstruum/solvent
The ratio for fresh herbs is typically: [1:2]
This means we have 1 part herbs to 2 parts menstruum/solvent
I do find it easiest & less confusing when my parts are 1 oz (weight) to 1 fluid oz (volume) but this depends pretty heavily on the amount of final product you’re looking to make
This method does produce the exact same preparations each time so there is a certain consistency you can find when following a Weight to Volume ratio
Menstruum/solvent:
An extraction medium. This could be water, alcohol, glycerin or acetic acid (vinegar) to name a few options we have available to us.
Image of an herbal menstruum, books & herbs
Now that we have some common terms you may come across out of the way let’s go over a few different herbal formulations you may come across & break them down. I’ve pulled these examples from two different places online.
Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. This is where you can find the written works of herbalist Michael Moore. If you aren’t familiar with this site, may I suggest taking a good look around as there is a lot of free & invaluable information to be found. The main book from that website I’ve used is Herb Formulas for Clinic & Home, 2nd edition
Herbalista Free School. Their website has some amazing free courses on herbal medicine making, botany, urban foraging, herbal foundations as well as community & clinic care.
I have no affiliation with either school but just wanted to share these resources
Now let’s look at some different examples of formulas you may see
For sake of ease we will follow this measurement but feel free to use whatever measurement for your herbal preparations
1 part = 1 oz of herb (weight)
1 part = 1 fl oz of menstruum (volume)
Image of Summertime tea recipe card
Let’s break it down:
1 part Hibiscus = 1 oz
1 part Hawthorn = 1 oz
1 part Lemongrass = 1 oz
1 part Lemon Balm = 1 oz
½ part Mint = ½ oz
½ part Linden Flower = ½ oz
We will require 5 oz total herbs to make this tea blend.
To make this formulation I would just mix everything in a big bowl & fill up some fillable tea bags using 2 per 8 oz of water.
Image of Bitter Tonic Tincture recipe card
Let’s break it down:
Tincture 1:4, 50% alcohol
This is our first formulation that has a ratio. This ratio will tell you if the plant material required is fresh or dried. If it was fresh it should read 1:2. If it is written as 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:10 most likely dried herb is what you would use.
I prefer to use 95% alcohol or 180-proof for all of my tinctures mixed with water (or glycerin) until you get the appropriate amount of alcohol needed. Since there is no alcohol that is 100% we’re just going to pretend that 95 = 100. You could add that extra 5 back by mixing that amount of water (or glycerin) with your alcohol.
This formulation has a ratio of 1:4. These ratios can sometimes look like this: [1:4]
2 parts Gentian Root = 2 oz
2 parts Quassia Wood = 2 oz
2 parts Angelica Root/Seed = 2 oz
½ part Cardamon Seed = ½ oz
½ part Bayberry Bark = ½ oz
This means we require 7 oz total dried herb to make this tincture
We have a ratio of 1:4 which means:
7 oz of herbs (weight) X 4 Fl oz of alcohol (volume) = 28 Fl oz of alcohol needed
Always take the total amount of herbs & multiply it by the volume portion of the ratio
Next we need to figure out how much alcohol we need:
50% alcohol = a mixture of 50% alcohol & 50% water (or glycerin)
Image of Deep Energy Tonic recipe card
Let’s break it down:
Tincture 1:5, Glycerin 60%
1 part Eleuthero Root = 1 oz
1 part Rhodiola Root = 1 oz
1 part Ginger Root = 1 oz
1 part Hawthorn Berry = 1 oz
1 part Schisandra Berry = 1 oz
This means we will require 5 total oz of dried herb to make this tincture
We have a ratio of 1:5 which means:
5 oz of herbs (weight) X 5 Fl oz of glycerin (volume) = 25 Fl oz of glycerin (& water) needed
Next we need to figure out how much glycerin we need
60% glycerin = a mixture of 60% glycerin & 40% water
I find it easiest to mix up 50 Fl oz by putting 30 Fl oz of glycerin & 20 Fl oz of filtered water in a large mason jar & shaking until combined.
Or you could take the total volume amount of glycerin needed & multiply it by the percentage required:
25 X 0.6 = 15 Fl oz Glycerin
25 X 0.4 = 10 Fl oz water
To check our math:
15 (glycerin) + 10 (water) = 25 total Fl oz required
Whenever mixing menstruum, do so in a separate jar to ensure that the liquids are fully combined. I promise it will be way easier to mix them when you don’t have herbs flowing around the jar.
Image of Solidarity Soother Compound recipe card
Let’s break it down:
Tincture 1:6, Glycerin 60%, Water or Hydrosol 40%
1 part Skullcap = 1 oz
1 part Lemon Balm = 1 oz
1 part Tulsi Basil = 1 oz
1 part Milky Oats = 1 oz
1 part Fennel or Chamomile = 1 oz
This means we will require 5 total oz of dried herb to make this tincture
We have a ratio of 1:6 which means:
5 oz of herbs (weight) X 6 fl oz of glycerin (volume) = 30 fl oz of glycerin (& water or hydrosol) needed
Next we need to figure out how much glycerin we need:
60% glycerin = a mixture of 60% glycerin & 40% water/hydrosol
Follow the same instructions as above to figure out how much glycerin & water/hydrosol needed
30 (total Fl oz required) X 0.60 (percentage of glycerin needed) = 18 Fl oz Glycerin required
30 (total Fl oz required) - 18 (the amount of glycerin required) = 12 Fl oz of water/hydrosol required
To check our math:
18 (glycerin) + 12 (water/hydrosol) = 30 total Fl oz required
If you were wanting to add an additional herb to this formulation as suggested:
6 oz (weight) X 6 Fl oz (volume) = 36 Fl oz of Glycerin & water/hydrosol mixture
If you were wanting to take an herb out of this formulation:
4 oz (weight) X 6 Fl oz (volume) = 24 Fl oz of glycerin & water/hydrosol
How to read an Herbal Formulation
Image of Catnip-Fennel Tincture recipe card
This example is made with already prepared tinctures. As you can see there are 3 different alcohol percentages required so when you come across this it means you need to have 3 different tinctures that have already been prepared & then are mixed together. Because this preparation is made from a mixture of tinctures it will be measured in Fl oz (volume)
Let’s break it down:
3 parts Fresh Catnip Tincture (1:2, 95% alcohol) = 3 Fl oz
3 parts Fennel seed Tincture (1:5, 60% alcohol) = 3 Fl oz
1 part Licorice root Tincture (1:5, 50% alcohol) = 1 Fl oz
This means we will require 7 total fl oz of prepared tinctures to make this compound
Fresh Catnip Tincture:
Fresh Catnip 1 part = 1 oz
Alcohol 2 parts = 2 Fl oz
Fennel seed Tincture:
Dried Fennel seed 1 part = 1 oz
Alcohol 5 parts = 5 Fl oz total
60% alcohol = 3 Fl oz alcohol + 2 Fl oz water
Licorice root Tincture:
Dried Licorice root 1 part = 1 oz
Alcohol 5 parts = 5 Fl oz total
50% alcohol = 2.5 Fl oz alcohol + 2.5 =Fl oz water
This next example is for a salve formulation that requires a unique preparation to help stabilize alkaloids. You can use this method on any herb that has a high alkaloid content. Alkaloids are recognizable chemicals as they typically end in I-N-E such as Caffeine, Nicotine, & Morphine
Image of Goldenseal Salve recipe card
Let’s break it down:
This is our first example of a formulation not being written in parts but in ounces & tablespoons.
The important part of this formulation is the ammonia water & the alcohol as these are what helps to stabilize the alkaloid Berberine which is found in Goldenseal
To make ammonia water take 3-4 ml of ammonia added to 96-97 ml of filtered water in a spritzer bottle. Spritzing will give you more control over how much alcohol or ammonia water is used.
Alkaloids are not compounds to be messed with, but with a healthy dose of respect & knowledge we can safely use these constituents. When taken internally in large doses they can damage the liver. Using an ammonia water to stabilize the alkaloids will help them become safer for use.
You can also put 95% alcohol in a spritzer bottle & mist your dried, ground herbs, then seal them the day before you are wanting to use them. Spritzing will give you more control over how much alcohol is used.
Image of Echinacea Salve recipe card for instructions
Now that we’ve gone over some different examples of herbal formulations, are you ready to create your own?
Types of alcohol you can use:
Vodka - 40-60%
Great for tincturing softer plants parts like leaves & flowers
Everclear/Grain alcohol 50%
Great for tincturing seeds, roots, barks & resins
Brandy - 40% alcohol
Adds sweetness & can enhance the flavor
Rum - 40-50% alcohol
Great for warming herbs as it adds a touch of sweetness
Percentage of alcohol to consider:
40-50% (80-100 proof)
Best for extracting leaves, flowers & other soft plant parts
The lower alcohol content prevents the extraction from becoming too astringent
60-70% (120-140 proof)
Best for extracting seeds & roots
The higher alcohol content ensures for a strong extraction getting the full range of medicinal properties
80-95% (160-190 proof)
Best for extracting resinous herbs, barks & seeds
The highest proof alcohol is necessary for extracting the full range of medicinal properties in difficult to extract compounds
Here are a few of my favorite resources I like to use when creating my herbal tinctures
This form helps you to keep track of each of your herbal preparations to ensure you get the same result each & every time
If you choose to use batch numbers the way I like to make them is by writing what it is & the date.
I’ll share an example of what I mean:
Take the name of what you’re making & add the date
Batch number suggestions:
Happyheart05032025
Hearttonicmay52025
Happyheartglycerite05032025
If you were making a single herb tincture use the botanical name of the herb & the date.
Just make sure they are not too long & easy for you to decipher what they mean.
These charts take the guesswork out of which proof of alcohol or which extraction medium will provide you with the best possible results for your herbal preparations
Another important thing to consider when making herbal preparations is the amount of pressure on plant communities. We have picked some of these plants to almost extinction & they are now at risk.
Whenever possible try to avoid working with plants that are considered to be at risk. There are many herbal allies just waiting to work with us, just pick another plant. Or allow the plant to pick you. Always be sure to be listening for when a plant stands up in the forest & calls our name. That can be the most potent healing medicine of all.
Comment down below & let me know what other things you would like to learn about herbal medicine making?
Until next time, may you find Peace wherever you are!
Watch the video & tutorial HERE
Image of linked YouTube thumbnail
Sources:
Book: Green, James (2000) The Medicine Makers Handbook A Home Manual. New York: Crossing Press pp 354
https://theherbalacademy.com/blog/weight-to-volume-tinctures/
https://herbanfarmstead.com/2024/10/09/how-to-make-a-tincture/
https://theherbalacademy.com/blog/folk-method-herbal-preparations/