Reply To: Herbal Therapeutics
Hi Shirley,
Not a worry.
I will try to clarify it a bit more for you with some examples.
In any situation where alcohol is being discussed (beyond tincture making) the ‘proof’ value is completely different from the % of alcohol strength.
I think for the sake of keeping things simple, just avoid the word ‘proof’ as it means different things in different countries, but the ‘proof’ value is often double the percentage of ethanol by volume (Example 100 proof is 50% ethanol or strength). The % strength is on all bottle of spirits in this country, and some of them also show the ‘proof’ value, so sticking to the % strength is what we are going for here.
So for a recipe to make 90% calendula tincture and say we’re using dry calendula and it’s a 1:3, it could be like this:
50 g dried calendula
150 mL 90% alcohol (often cane, sugar beet or corn alcohol)
The weight of the calendula (50g) and the volume of the alcohol (150 mL) are the ratio, and the 90% is the strength of the ethanol in the alcohol.
It might be that you are getting confused because finding 90% strength alcohol is very difficult in Canada. Most spirits in the liquor stores are around 45%-70% max in strength. E.g. vodka and rum are often around 45-50% ethanol strength.
If you are having a hard time finding a 90% strength alcohol, try asking around at some local distilleries or if the main reason you want a 90% calendula tincture is to make a cream formula that can help with fungal concerns, you might have the best luck buying some pre-made calendula tincture that was made with at least 90% strength alcohol.
Please don’t hesitate to ask further questions, but I hope this clarifies things for you. You could also try popping into the liquor store and looking at a few bottles of alcohol to see what the ranges of % strengths are and whether they have their ‘proof’ value on the labels. This will help you get a bit more comfortable with the concept of alcohol strengths.
With warmth,
Benna