In this post we’re going to be talking specifically about herbal menstruum, what they are, different types you can use & how to ensure you’re choosing the proper ones for your herbal medicine making!

Beginners guide to Herbal Menstruum

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

Figuring out what herbal menstruum to use can feel overwhelming at times, or at least that’s how I felt when I first starting to make my herbal concoctions & preparations.

So, here is your guide to some herbal menstruum basics. Keep in mind these are not all of the options you can use, but they are some good ones I think to start with & really get to know. Sometimes we need to learn to walk before we can fly & that means getting to know the basics really well.

Grab your favorite cup of tea & let’s dig in!

Be sure to check out the glossary at the end of this post.

So before we can talk about all things menstruum let’s answer a simple question:

What is a menstruum?

It is a solvent used to extract medicinal compounds from plants. The word menstruum & the word solvent are one in the same & can be used interchangeably.

The menstruum or solvent acts as a medium that absorbs & carries the compounds from the plant materials & places it in the chosen medium. This is why fixed oils are often referred to as carrier oils

The word Menstruum originates from the Latin word “menstruus” which means monthly as this historically refers to the period of time an extraction process occurs.

Regardless of the herbal medicine you are wanting to make, you will need to consider the method you want to use as well as what it is you’re trying to extract.

How to choose the proper menstruum for your herbal preparations

There are 3 things to consider when choosing an appropriate menstruum or mix of menstruums

Solubility → what compounds do you want to extract?
Purpose → how are you intending on using the final preparation? Is it internal or external?
Preference → what are your personal preferences? Do you have any dietary or lifestyle restrictions?

Each menstruum will have its own set of strengths & weaknesses. Always remember you can mix different menstruums together to ensure you are extracting all of the phytochemical (plant chemical) components

For example: If you were wanting to use dried plant material in a glycerin menstruum you will need to add water to ensure you’re getting all of the phytochemicals. When we use fresh herbs we are actually utilizing the water already present in the plant for the extraction. Dried plant material has little to no water content present, hence the word dried. It can be a bit trickier working with fresh materials

I like to keep in mind that fresh = a present water content to keep in mind.

Common methods of extraction

Heat → decoctions & teas
Maceration → tincture
Infusions
Agitation
Percolation
Combination of any of the above

It is completely possible to have more than one method of extraction. The Nettles & Yarrow Decoction for Optimum Health post which uses both a decoction & infusion technique is a fine example

Types of Menstruum & what they can extract

Remember this is not all of the different menstruum options available, but they are a good place to start & are in no particular order of importance

An immensely abundant & inexpensive ingredient. It is extremely stable & predictable. Preparations made with water will not be preserved as they are & may require the addition of a preservative if you are wanting to keep the preparation long term.

Water is great at extracting:

Mucilage → primarily
Minerals
Aromatic & simple bitters
Acrid compounds
Starches & carbohydrates
Sugars/polysaccharides
Gums
Tannins

In order to really extract tannins with water you will need to add some glycerin to your menstruum. You could use 90% water with 10% glycerin & see how that turns out.

Water is not so great at extracting:

Essential /volatile oils
Fixed oils
Resins

Types of preparations using water:

Infusions

Teas
Hot infusion
Cold infusion

Decoctions
Concentrates
Jello
Hydrosols
Flower essences

**Alcohol**

*Ethyl Alcohol*
*Dilute Alcohol*

The second most relied upon menstruum as it is considered to be fairly stable & predictable. However it does not have as much of a solubility range as water does. It can be used in ethyl alcohol & dilute alcohol forms

Alcohol is great at extracting:

Resins
Balsams
Camphors
Essential oils
Glycosides
Acids
Acrids & bitters
Alkaloids

In order to extract resins you will need to use the highest proof of alcohol you can get your hands on

Alcohol proof is a measurement of the ethanol content in an alcoholic beverage. It is not quite the same as percentage.

Alcohol percentage is a measurement of the volume of alcohol in an alcoholic beverage.

Proof is calculated by doubling the alcohol percentage amount

When making herbal extractions with an alcohol component you will need to choose the highest alcohol you can find, typically 95% or 180 proof. Now we’re going to pretend that instead of it being 95% that it is 100%.

Let’s use an example from Herbalist Michael Moore's Herb formulas for clinic & home. All of his books can be found for free on his website if you want to check it out.

HERB FORMULAS FOR CLINIC AND HOME, 2nd EDITION by Michael Moore

Let’s decipher what this actually means & what to do when you come across an herbal preparation written in this way

A part is a unit of measurement in herbalism. A part could be 1 tablespoon, 1 cup, 1 ounce, 1 liter, 1 gram, etc.

For sake of ease let’s say that 1 part = 1 oz herb/1 fl.oz menstruum

This means we have a total of 7 parts in the recipe that we will need to add to 28 parts alcohol

7 (total parts of herbs) multiplied by 4 = 28 fl oz of menstruum needed

You would take 14 fl oz of 95% alcohol & add 14 fl oz of water to get the 50% alcohol called for in the recipe.

In the future I will be doing a more in depth guide on how to read an herbal formulation, but for now this is a great start.

Alcohol is not so great at extracting:

Minerals
Gums
Mucilage

Downside of using alcohol:

Some people want to avoid alcohol in any form
You want to use this medicine with a child

Upside of using alcohol:

You can preserve your herbal preparation if you have at least 25% alcohol present. Keep in mind that water, even water from fresh plants can water down the alcohol percentage
Alcohol has the ability to paralyze enzymes & prevent the growth of yeast, mold, fungi & most bacteria

Alcohol as a preservative is efficient & often necessary for the following reasons:

To eliminate microbial activity & preserve preparations almost indefinitely
To inactive enzymes which can be destructive to alkaloids & glycosides
To control destructive chemical decomposition of glycosides & saponins due to the presence of water

Types of preparations using alcohol:

Tinctures via maceration

Folk method
Weight to volume method

Tinctures via percolation AKA displacement
Fluid extracts
Wine based infusions

**Vinegar**

*Acetic Acid*
*Dilute Acetic Acid*

There are 2 main options we are going to talk about when choosing vinegar as a menstruum but you can choose any plant vinegar such as balsamic, rice or wine vinegars.

Vinegar does act as a preservative but is not as effective as alcohol or dilute alcohol. It can be added at 5-10% of an alcohol based menstruum to adjust the pH if needed.

Acetic acid → white vinegar which comes in a 4-10% solution

Dilute acetic acid → apple cider vinegar which comes in a 5% solution

This quote from the British Pharmacopoeia sums up the many uses of vinegar excellently:

“Actions & uses Acetic acid is oxidizes in the body & is excreted in the urine as carbonate; it is, therefore, mildly diaphoretic, diuretic & expectorant. It is administered in mixtures in the form of the diluted acid, or as oxymel, or oxymel of squill. Applied externally, it has an irritant action, & it is therefore used in liniments. The well-diluted acid is employed as a gargle (1 in 30). Acidum Aceticum Dilutim (homeopathic remedy for anaemia, burns, corns, debility, dropsies, high body temperature & warts) is used to sponge the skin in fevers, & as a lotion for the scalp. Acetic acid has been employed as a menstruum for the making of non-alcoholic preparations resembling tinctures. It is an efficient agent for the exhaustion of many drugs, & preparations made in this way are known as “acetracts”; their acidity & sour flavor are , in some instances, objections to their use. Acetic acid is incompatible with alkali slats, hydroxides, carbonates, bicarbonates, salicylates, & benzoates.”

Vinegar is great at extracting:

Alkaloids
Minerals
Some essential oils
Some alkamides
Some bitters

Always be sure to use plastic tops or liners when possible & avoid metal.

Vinegar is not so great at extracting:

Carbohydrates
Mucilage
Oils

Types of preparations using vinegar:

Vinegar infusions
Acetracts

The sweet fraction of a fixed oil. However, glycerin is not a carbohydrate & contains no sugar. When taken internally it is slowly absorbed into the bloodstream, then metabolized via the liver. Due to this slow process, glycerin does not cause any blood sugar imbalances.

Glycerin is great at extracting:

Essential oils
Alkamides
Tannins
Acids
Polysaccharides
Saponins
Glycosides
Pigments

Glycerin does something interesting called “holding things in solution”

Solution = the final product

Example: You have both tannins & alkaloids present in the same plant & want to make an herbal preparation of it

They both will have to “stay in solution” = Precipitation
If they were grabbing on to one another they would fall out of solution
Adding glycerin into an extraction will prevent precipitation from happening

Not so great at extracting:

Aromatic bitters
Resins
Minerals
Mucilage

Benefit of using glycerin:

If you have at least 60% glycerin in your herbal preparation it will act as a preservative. I like to use a ratio 3:1 (75% glycerin & 25% water or vinegar) For example if you were making an herbal preparation of dried nettles, because it’s mineral rich you might consider using 75% glycerin & 25% apple cider vinegar

Types of preparations using glycerin:

Glycerites

This is one substance (apart from water) that the human body can not function without. Even at the micro-level every single cell in the human body is held intact by a bi-lipid layer.

Lipid = fat

Lipids are one of the primary metabolites & is involved in many of our physical functions

Energy storage
Insulation & protection
Production of hormones
Structure of the cells
Transportation of fat soluble vitamins
Lubrication & comfort
Maintaining the health of our skin

Oils are a way we can deliver medicine internally & externally.

Examples of oils include Olive, Coconut, Sunflower, Shea butter, Cocoa butter, Tallow

Fixed oils are great at extracting:

Transport fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
Essential oils
Aromatic & pungent herbs
Resins & resinous herbs
Flavonoids
Oils in the plant

If you are wanting to extract a very resinous dried herb such as Rosemary, Calendula or Cannabis consider spritzing the plant material with some ethanol alcohol or ammonia water to get rid of some of the water content.

Types of preparations using oil:

Oil infusions
Topical preparations:

Balms
Salve

Medicinal oils are made at a 1:5 ratio (1 part herb by weight ot 5 parts oil by volume)

Massage oils are made at 1:10 ratio (1 part herb by weight to 10 parts oil by volume)

If you are making an herbal preparation with fresh plant material in oil, you will need to press by hand & avoid squeezing any water from the fresh plant into the infusion. I suggest decanting the final oil by allowing it to rest in a clean jar for 24 hours & allow any watry bits to settle at the bottom. Then just pour off the good oil from the top layer

You can get really specific with what oils you want to use when you use them per constitution

Dry & deficient → olive or sesame oil

The skin feels like it hasn’t been very well nourished

Hot & inflamed → coconut oil

Coconut is a cooling oil

Congested & cold → grapeseed oil

Grapeseed is a stimulating & penetrating oil

Great all around oil for anyone → Almond, Sunflower, Jojoba

Almond & Sunflower oil are medium bodied, not too thick or light
Jojoba oil is a wax that behaves like an oil as it is liquid at room temperature. It is the closest to sebum & does not go rancid in the same way an oil would.

Honey is great at extracting:

Water soluble ingredients

Antioxidants
Tannins
Enzymes
Vitamins
Minerals

Some oil soluble ingredients due to the presence of trace amounts of beeswax & pollen lipids found in raw honey. It must be raw, unpasteurized honey inorder to extract those trace amount of oils & wax

Benefits of using honey

Works as a preservative that has an indefinite shelf life under certain conditions. Without getting to sciency about this it has to do with the pH range of honey which sits between 3.2-4.5. This acidic environment is inhospitable to most bacteria & fungi which tend to like environments with a pH of 6.5-7.5
May enhance the bioavailability of certain plant compounds

Types of preparations using honey:

Syrup

Oxymels
Electuaries

Beginners guide to Herbal Menstruum

As you can see, there are many different solvents you can use & endless possibilities towards different mixtures to ensure that you are extracting all of the phytochemicals that you want in your herbal preparation.

A really good resource can be found in Herbalist James Green’s book The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook: A Home Manual. Many of these definitions came from this very book.

Glossary of Common Terms

Absolute alcohol: 100% ethyl alcohol. It is hard to produce & maintain because when subjected to the atmosphere it quickly absorbs 5% water. Absolute glycerin does the same thing. In herbalism whenever we see absolute alcohol it is referring to a mixture of 95% ethyl alcohol & 5% water mixture that is called grain alcohol.

Alkamides: Fatty amides produced by plants in the Asteraceae, Piperaceae & Rutaceae family of plants. They are characterized by a fatty acid tail & an amine moiety which is a specific part or group of atoms within a molecule that contain a nitrogen atom bonded to one or more carbon or hydrogen atoms.

Alkaloids: A type of chemical found in plants that acts as a drug or poison. They should be used with caution when taken internally. These compounds generally end in I-N-E such as caffeine, nicotine, morphine & berberine.

The important thing to remember regarding alkaloids is that their salts have distinctive therapeutic properties of their own but do not fully nor exactly represent the action of the whole plant from which they are derived.

Balsams: Resins or oleoresins containing a large amount of benzoic acid, cinnamic acid or esters of these acids.

They are soluble in alcohol & insoluble in water

Bitter compounds: This flavor stimulates the body into reflex action, such as getting the body ready to digest food but it can also prepare the way for other active ingredients.

They are soluble in water & alcohol. An optional amount of bitters are derived when the menstruum has at least 30-60% alcohol

Camphors: Closely related to essential/volatile oils. They constitute one of the elements of volatile oils & may be separated from them by subjecting the oils to a cooling process. Example: menthol being extracted from peppermint oil.

They are soluble in alcohol & insoluble in water

Dilute alcohol: Mixture of alcohol & water containing not less than 41.0% but not more than 42.0% by weight or not less than 48.4% but not more than 49.5% by volume.

According to the U.S Pharmacopeia website to prepare diluted alcohol:

Alcohol 500ml

Purified water 500ml

Measure the alcohol & purified water separately at the same temperature & mix. If the water & alcohol & the resulting mixture are measured at 25°, the volume of the mixture will be about 970 ml

Preserve in tight containers, remote from fire.

Essential oil/volatile oils: Highly concentrated aromatic liquid extracts derived from plants.

They are soluble in alcohol, fixed oil & glycerin, slightly soluble in cold water & are vaporized by boiling water.

Enzymes: Substance that breaks down or builds up the molecule of one substance or group.

They are soluble in water & insoluble in alcohol. Alcohol actually rendered their activity & they become destroyed at high temperatures. Adding alcohol to fresh plant extractions that contain glycosides prevents the destruction of the glycosides by enzymes.

Flavonoids: Class of chemicals that have variable phenolic structures found in fruits, vegetables, grains, barks, roots, stems & flowers. They are all considered antioxidants & are fundamental to colors other than green.

They are soluble in water, alcohol & fixed oils

Glycosides: Compounds that contain a sugar part attached to a non-sugar part called the Aglycone. Sugar + Aglycone = glycoside. When the sugar part is glucose, the substance is referred to as glucoside. They are distinguished from alkaloids as they end in I-N such as salicin found in willow or glycyrrhizin found in licorice root

They vary with different solubilities but nearly all are soluble in alcohol.

Gums: Substance found in great abundance in vegetation. All softened forms are emollient or demulcent, & have a soothing, lubricating effect while oftentimes being very nutritious. The dry unsoftened state of this substance is specifically referred to as gum. An example would be gum Arabic which is a complex mixture of polysaccharides & glycoproteins that is used in the food & cosmetic industry that comes from the Acacia tree

They are soluble in water, forming a mucilaginous liquid or jelly-like mass or paste but insoluble in alcohol as alcohol inhibits the gummy constituents

Gum-resins: Compound composed of a gum or gums partly or wholly soluble in water & a resin or resins soluble in alcohol. When mixed with water gum-resins can yield emulsions with the gum constituent more or less dissolving while the resin is mechanically suspended in the solution . An example would be Myrrh & it has been used in medicine, perfumery & incenses

Maceration : A method extracting soluble constituents by soaking them in a solvent

Mucilage: A gummy or gelatinous substance produced in certain plants by the action of water on the cell wall. This substance is produced by most plants, algae & some microorganisms. A good example can be found in chia seeds. If you soak chia seeds in water they get a gel like coating, that is mucilage.

They are soluble in water & are best extracted in cold infusion while being insoluble in alcohol. If alcohol needs to be used it must be done at the lowest concentrations possible. A good way to add mucilaginous herbs to a formulation of medication is to prepare the mucilaginous herbs on their own & add them to the final preparation rather than compounding them together.

Oils & Fats: Oils are fluid substances, fats are solid or semisolid substances. They both have a greasy feel to them. There are two types of oils: non-volatile or fixed oils & volatile or essential oils.

Fixed oils are insoluble in water or glycerine & even a small amount can greatly reduce the solvent action. When fixed oils are heated in the presence of alkalis, they begin to form soaps which happens to be an important byproduct called glycerin. Examples of fixed oils is avocado oil, peanut oil & olive oil

Volatile oils are aromatic flammable liquids typically obtained via steam distillation as well as by pressing (expression). They are soluble in alcohol & fixed oils. Some are slightly soluble in water.

Oleoresins:Resins often occur in more or less homogenous mixtures with volatile oils, this mixture is referred to as an oleoresin. An example would be Turpentine from coniferous trees

They are soluble in alcohol & fixed oils but insoluble in water.

Percolation: A method of extracting soluble constituents through continuous flow of solvent through a bed of dried, crushed plant material

Precipitation: This occurs as visible particulates sink to the bottom of the bottle. Precipitation is evenly distributed when the bottle is shaken.

Proteins: Albumin is a class of protein found in vegetable tissue, fluids & animal tissue. Albumin is soluble in water, coagulated by heat & insoluble in alcohol.

To avoid extraction or to remove proteins from a preparation:

Use 190 proof alcohol
Precipitate the dissolved proteins from a water extraction by adding alcohol afterwards
Coagulate & precipitate the albumin with heat by either boiling the plant as part of the extraction process or boiling the completed water extract & filter the solution

Resins: Non-volatile excretions or secretions that are produced when exposed to the air. They are generally the oxidation of essential oils. Examples would be Frankincense & Myrrh

They are soluble in alcohol, fixed oils, essential oils but insoluble in water. They melt at the temperature of boiling water.

Saponins: Plant components that process a unique characteristic of foaming when shaken with water, even when very dilute. They have the ability to hold finely divided fatty & resinous substances in perfect suspension as watery mixtures, producing emulsions with great stability.

This is the same action as soap. When we wash a greasy hand with soap, the grease leaves the hand & is rinsed away with the soap. This action within the body can have some very distinct medicinal effects.

They are soluble in water & in dilute alcohol.

Starches: A naturally occurring carbohydrate found in seeds, fruit, tubers, roots & stems of plants. Examples of common starches would be Arrowroot, Cornstarch & Tapioca .

They are insoluble in ordinary solvents but swell in boiling water to form a particular jelly-like or mucilaginous paste.

Sugars : In their most basic form, simple sugars present themselves as single sugar units are monosaccharides. They are sweet tasting & soluble in water & dilute alcohol.

2 - 10 sugar units linked together are called oligosaccharides

Many sugar units linked together are called polysaccharides. They are not sweet tasting or very soluble. They have high molecular weight compounds found in most living tissue. They make up the skeletal substance in the cell wall of higher plants (cellulose), the food reservoir (starches) or the protective substance (sap)

Tannins: Non-nitrogenous bodies that have an astringent taste & action on the body proteins, rendering a protective layer on the mucus membranes & skin. They are often found in bark & leaves. Most tannins form precipitates with alkaloids, albumin & many metallic salts, particularly iron salts. They are of special interest to those who want to avoid the preparation of unsightly mixtures or of dangerous alkaloidal precipitates.

Including glycerin as an extraction medium will bind tannins so they will not readily precipitate any accompanying alkaloids.

They are soluble in water, glycerin & somewhat in alcohol.

Waxes: Compounds of fatty acids with certain alcohols. They are different from fats as they contain no glycerin. They melt when heated & are brittle at low temperatures

I know that was a lot of information, but hey info dumping is one of my love languages. Just remember you don’t need to remember all of this information. Over time the pieces will put themselves together & before you know it you will you know now what you didn’t know before!

Comment down below & let me know what is your favorite type of herbal preparation to make?