I’ve designed my Flu, Flu+, and Viral Exposure herb kits to be super simple to assemble at home. You’ll need:
- The herb kit of your choice (80 grams of dried herbs)
- 400 mL (about 1 3/4 cups) of alcohol (80 to 100 proof or 40-50% ABV – I like 100 proof spiced rum for these)
- A 16oz jar with a tight lid, like a pint canning jar
- A strainer
I’ve sized the herb kits so you don’t even need to measure the alcohol. Just put the herbs in a pint canning jar and add enough alcohol to top up the jar. If you want to be more precise, measure 400mL of alcohol to go with the 80g of herbs in the pack.
Label your lid clearly with:
- What formula this is (e.g., Flu+)
- The alcohol you used
- The date you assembled it (i.e., today’s date)
- The date you should strain it (about six weeks from today)
Then just set it in a cool, dark place for at least four and ideally six weeks. Shake it every couple of days, especially for the first couple weeks.
Note: if the herbs soak up all the alcohol in the first couple days and look like damp coffee grounds instead of herbs floating in liquid, transfer everything to a larger jar and add another 100 mL of alcohol. (The very first packs I made had 100g of herbs instead of 80g and need extra alcohol.)
Here’s a slightly more involved video showing all the steps. I used a larger jar and measured out the exact amount of alcohol for this version.
Straining your tincture
After 4-6 weeks, you can strain your tincture into a clean bottle so it’s ready for use. It’s ok if it sits for more than 6 weeks as long as it isn’t showing any signs of spoiling (which would be really rare for something made with dry herbs and covered in alcohol).
In the video below, I’ll show you how to strain your tincture and “wash” the leftover herbs (the “marc”) to get all the goodies out without diluting the final tincture too much. It also describes what to do if your tincture looks dry, instead of like herbs floating in liquid.
If you’re curious about what happens if you wash the herbs a second time, here’s an image showing the first washing (left) with the second washing (right). You can see that the tincture is getting diluted. I would go ahead and mix this half-cup of “second wash” into the main jar, but at this point I’d compost the marc.
How much should I take?
I follow the standard tincture dosages suggested by Thomas Easley and Steven Horne in their absolutely fabulous (and 0% AI-generated) book The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guide. Take 1-2 dropperfuls (30-60 drops = 1-2 mL) every hour for the first day; then you should be feeling somewhat better. Continue with 1-2 dropperfuls every 2-4 hours for the next couple days as needed. You can also take 1 tsp. every 3-6 hours (6 tsp/day max), if that’s more convenient. You can add the tinctures to a small amount of water, tea, or juice to improve the taste. You could also add honey to the tinctures, but do use the higher doses then to account for the dilution of the honey.
Note: The Viral Exposure herbs contain echinacea, which works on contact with viruses in your throat. It’s important to let it trickle down your throat slowly to extend the time it’s in contact with your throat.