Alternative Medicine Series: What Is A

Mother Tincture?

This article on mother tincture or teinturemre is part of a new series on alternative

medicines and remedies that are used as a treatment or as a preventive measure against
illness, to boost the immune system or as a complementary medicine. These alternative
medicines are available in Europe but are also available in most countries and probably where
you live too. There will be links on where to buy these products at the end of the article. For
most of these links, I have no commercial ties to these soft medicines and receive no benefit
from my suggestions. As with any articles I write, my disclaimer: please do not accept my
health advice as a substitute for seeking medical treatment.

Ginseng and Echinacea: My First Experience Using

Mother Tincture Remedy
A few years ago I went to my GP, (general family doctor) complaining about feeling tired. It
was the end of November and the winter hadnt even opened its eyes yet. But it had been
weeks since I felt really energetic. The thought of going through the holiday season feeling
worn-out was not something I was looking forward to.

My General Practitioner is a homeopath as well as a medical doctor and after examination, he

handed me a prescription for two teinturemre (in English this is mother tincture) for
Ginseng and Echinacea. I went to the pharmacy and ordered the medicine, which had to be
specifically made at the Boiron laboratory in town.
I was perplexed. I have heard of Ginseng and Echinacea, (and have taken these two herbs in
pill and herbal tea form), but this clear liquid small bottle of mother tincture was a new way
to take this herb.

What is a mother tincture? A mother tincture or teinturemre is the base of a

homeopathic remedy

A tincture is a medicine consisting of an extract of a substance diluted in an alcohol solution.

A mother tincture is an extract of a fresh, raw plant or herb (occasionally from dried plant)
obtained by maceration of the plant or herb in alcohol and water.

A mother tincture is the first stage in the preparation of a homeopathic remedy dilution. It is
the base of which further homeopathic dilutions are done. It the mother or base of a remedy.
For extensive details on how mother tinctures are made see this extract from a homeopathic
book here: Mother Tinctures for Homeopathic Preparations or from reading the rules on
mother tinctures from the Father of Homeopathic medicine, Dr. Hahnemann. Or watch this
video from Boiron laboratory video 3 la teinture-mre here (audio is in French, but easy to
follow images).

And read more here on homeopathy as an alternative medicine and how the dilutions of
homeopathy are done.

What is the difference between an herbal tincture and a mother tincture?

The main difference is the dilution in the alcohol solution.

The herbal tincture is more powerful because it and has more of the raw material in the
tincture medicine compared to a mother tincture in which the mother substance is diluted
more. (Note-homeopathic practitioners prefer to use mother tinctures rather than herbal
tinctures because they do not think herbal tinctures are as safe as mother tinctures).

An herbal tincture has an alcohol ratio of one part to three or five parts alcohol.

A mother tincture has an alcohol ratio of one part to nine parts alcohol which in homeopathy
medicine makes them a 1x potency.

Can I make my own herbal or mother tincture remedies?

Yes you can. Note that the raw material used as the tincture base must be (ideally) free of
pesticides and be from a clean source.

Here are some links from Wellness Mama and The Mountain Rose Blog for making your own
herbal tinctures.

Please read the precautions on using tincture remedies for treating illness below.

How do homeopathic mother tinctures work compared with typical

homeopathic medicines?
Mother tinctures have a very fast action and the effect can be felt in a few minutes (read my
experience with ginseng at the end of this article). These tinctures are well accepted by the
body, especially with the digestion system (if taken correctly spaced separately from meals).

Typical homeopathic remedies have a slower action (not immediate).

They are used to spot treat illness and symptoms and are not used long-term.

Typical homeopathic remedies are used on a longer-term basis and are prescribed for
treating the body as a whole, not just for illness.

They have raw botanical properties and the herbs are perhaps more potent in their natural
form.

Typical homeopathic remedies are highly diluted and the raw material from the mother
tincture is not detected in its final state.

Use mother tinctures and herbal tinctures with precautions

Using a herbal and mother tinctures from chamomile to help induce sleep is a lighter dose of
medicine (and less risk of side-effects), but there are botanical herbs and plants that can have
a strong effect on the human body. This is why I recommend that mother tinctures are used
with caution and ideally under the advice of a homeopathic practitioner.

My suggestions:

Seek advice from a homeopathic professional before using mother tincture remedies

Do not overdose on the standard dosage. Usually mother tinctures are taken by
prescribed number of drops and taking double dose (or more) is not recommended

Do not self-medicate for curing strong or chronic illnesses by buying mother tinctures
online. As mentioned, seek advice from a medical professional for illness that should
be treated by a medical doctor (gallstones, heart problems, gastrointestinal disorders,
etc.)

Do not take mother tinctures over long-periods (typically the dose is for less than one
month)

Mother tinctures usually expire within a month after being opened and then discarded
(unlike typical homeopathic remedies which have a much longer shelf life)

Let your doctor know if you are taking mother tinctures before any surgical operation
or other medical treatment, including discussion with your doctor about combining
herbal or mother tinctures and taking pharmaceutical medicine

So did my Ginseng and Echinacea mother tinctures actually work?

I did use the Ginseng and Echinacea tinctures with the dose my doctor recommended. I will
tell you that the ginseng mother tincture was strong, both really strong in taste (almost
unbearable) and strong in its effects (felt it working tout de suite immediately).
The Ginseng did help me to feel more energetic and the Echinacea seemed to protect against
getting colds and flu that winter.

There are a lot of mother tinctures available, should I buy some?

In the precautions above, you can read my advice to seek a homeopathic practitioner for
guidance on using mother tinctures as an alternative medicine treatment for various illnesses
(especially if you have complex health issues).

But I believe that knowledge is key and it would be useful for you to take some time to read
up on mother tinctures and explore the possibility of using this remedy on a lighter basis (in
my case for example, I was just a bit tired and needed a pick-me-up).

Here are some books on using homeopathic mother tinctures:

A LITTLE ABOUT
POTENCY - DILUTIONS DYNAMIZATION
Homeopathic dilutions are prepared according to the Hahnemannian method.
Each dilution is energetically agitated: this is the "Dynamization process".
Titurations are generally reserved for insoluble substances. Solid material is
added to lactose and grinded in stages. The tablets or powders are placed under
the tongue, and allowed to melt slowly before swallowing.
Dilutions: These are the medicines in liquid forms whose excipient is water or
alcohol. Dilutions are generally reserved for soluble substances. Few drops of
liquid are placed under the tongue, and allowed to move in mouth slowly before
swallowing.
Titurations are generally potentized with Alcohol or Water to make liquid
dilutions.
Original soluble substance dissolved in liquid is called Mother Tincture (Also
called Q Tincture)

X Potencies (also called D Potency)

Dilution in Water/Alcohol or Result Overall Dilution

Tituration with Lactose
1X 1 Part of material added to 9 1:10
Parts
2X 1 Part of 1X ----- added to 9 1:100
Parts
2X 1 Part of 2X ------ added to 9 1:1000
Parts
---- -------- ------
10X 1 Part of 14X ----- added to 9 1:10000000000
Parts
(ten zeros after one)
Note in these days many stages are illuminated and material is potentized
directly in electric blenders etc.

C Potencies (also called CH Potency)

Dilution in Water/Alcohol or Result Overall Dilution

Tituration with Lactose
1C 1 Part of material added to 99 100
Parts
2C 1 Part of 1C ------ added to 99 100,00
Parts
2C 1 Part of 2C ------ added to 99 100,00,00
Parts
---- -------- ------
30 1 Part of 29C----- added to 99 1:100,00,00,00,00 ----------- 00,00-----
C Parts
 (Thiry zeros after one)
Note in these days many stages are illuminated and material is potentized
directly in electric blenders etc.

M Potencies

Dilution in Water/Alcohol or Result Overall Dilution

Tituration with Lactose
1M 1 Part in 1000 Parts 1:1000
2M 1 Part of 1M ------ to 1000 Parts 1:100,000
10 1 Part of 9M----- added to 99 1:1000,000,000 ----------- 000-----
M Parts
(thirty zeros after one)
Note in these days many stages are illuminated and material is potentized
directly in electric blenders etc.

LM Potencies

LM and Q are the Roman numerals for the 1 in 50,000 dilution of the first step in
the process of making these potencies.
<p
How to Make Your Own Potentized Medicine From a Herb:

1. Say, if you have Chamomile growing in your backyard, which is a homeopathy remedy.

2. Following are the steps to make potentize Chamomile medicine.

3. Wash, clean and liquefy the whole plant in blender, this is Mother Tincture of
Chamomile.

4. Take a clean clear plastic 2 liter bottle. Fill it half with one liter spring or rain water. Half
filled so the liquid could be shaken vigoursly.

5. Add a drop of Mother Tincture from Step 1. Add it into the one liter water in 2 liter water
bottle.

6. Since One drop is equal to 1/10 ml, adding it into 1000 ml makes the ration of 1:10000,
which is 4x potency or 2C. 1C = 2X. 30 C = 60X.

7. Medicine is ready only if you shake the bottle vigorously by banging it at least 50 times.
This is called dynamization.

</p
DOSAGE & ADMINISTRATION
Potency/ Dosage

There is no drug power or potency of mother tincture. It is available in only one single
potency. It is available in the liquid (tincture) form. Dosage is in the form of drops. The
quantity of drops to be consumed and the repetition of the dose shall all be dependent on the
phase; intensity and severity of the disease condition. Hence, the dosage shall differ from
patient to patient, depending on the need of the disease condition. A qualified Homoeopathic
physician shall be the best person to assess the dosage. Therefore, mother tinctures are to be
taken under the supervision of a qualified Homoeopathic physician.

How to Take

Mother tinctures can be prescribed singly or in alternation. Two, three or even more mother
tinctures can be prescribed in alteration, depending on the need of the disease condition. They
are either administered internally or externally.

For External Use A small quantity of mother tincture, ointment, oils or liniment is to
be applied at the affected part. It is used as local applications.

For Internal Use Appropriate number of drops of mother tincture is to be mixed in

water and is to be consumed. Repetition of dose shall be as per the advice of the
Homoeopathic physician.

Dose Adjustments

Dose adjustments are made as per the phase; intensity and severity of the disease condition.
The dose varies from disease condition to condition.

Recommended Treatment Duration

Treatment duration differs from patient to patient as it is based on the disease condition. The
mother tincture is taken till the distress is not controlled. Though, it offers a temporary relief.

SAFETY PROFILE
Side Effects

Mother tinctures are considered to be harmless as it is the lowest potency and is a less
diluted tincture.

It can be used for any disease condition following the principle of symptom similarity.

Long term use of mother tinctures containing poisonous plant enzymes, glycolides,
alkaloids and other phytochemicalingredients is not advisable as it may prove to be
detrimental to health.
 If taken in the crude form, it may produce new pathological symptoms.

Allergic Reactions (Allergy)

Mother tinctures produce no allergic reactions.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Mother tinctures are harmless for use in pregnant and nursing women, even the alcohol-based
mother tinctures.

Contraindications

No noted contraindications. Long term use is not advisable.

Drug Interactions

No drug interactions noted.

Warnings & Precautions

Mother tinctures should be used only under the prescription and supervision of a qualified
Homoeopathic physician.

ADVANTAGES
Few advantages of mother tinctures are as follows:-

Easy and convenient to use;

Acts quickly. Its action starts within 3 4 minutes and last for longer duration;

It is a sure-shot prescription with lesser chances of failure;

It is harmless as it is a less diluted tincture;

Beneficial in any disease based upon symptom similarity;

Useful in emergency and acute cases;

They enter the bloodstream much more directly compared to any other mode and

It is used as a palliative medicine in several disease conditions.

DISADVANTAGES
Few disadvantages of mother tinctures are as follows:-
 They fail to offer permanent solution, they only offer temporary relief;

They are not able to activate the deranged vital force and

Long use is not advisable.

STORAGE OF MOTHER TICNTURE

For effective action of mother tincture, proper storage of mother tincture is a must.

Some of the steps for proper storage are as follows:

Store in a clean, dark, airtight, neutral flint glass bottle;

Store in a dry and cool place;

Store in a cool and dark cupboard;

Avoid keeping the tinctures in hot area for long duration as heat hampers the quality
of mother tincture;

Avoid exposure to strong light, direct sunlight, strong odour, damp, smoke or dust;

Avoid exposure to cold for long duration as the tincture may become turbid with
muddy sediment or may even form crystals;

Avoid storing in amber-coloured bottles and

Avoid blue-coloured bottles, as they have dynamic effects which are harmful to the
tincture.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOTHER TINCTURES &

HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES
HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Aspects MOTHER TINCTURES

Acts as Physiological dose Dynamized dose

Fails to undergo any process of Undergoes a process known as
Preparation
potentisation potentisation
Action Fast action Slow action
Results Offers temporary relief Offers permanent cure
Fails to activate the deranged Cure takes place by action on the
Vital force
vital force deranged vital force
Prescription Prescribed on the basis of the Treats the body as a whole and not
 illness only the illness
Dilution Less diluted Highly diluted