**In this post I walk you through how to make a cold or hot glycerite compound. The main difference is the hot compound is done in under 4 hours & the cold process takes 4-6 weeks.**

*The recipe shared is for a digestive system support, but you can totally customize this formulation to meet your needs, just follow the same directions!*

Glycerite Compound for a Happy Digestive System

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

What is glycerite?

It is an extract prepared by soaking botanical materials in vegetable glycerin.

Glycerin is made up of fatty acids. Herbalist James Green, in his book The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook refers to glycerin as the sweet principle of fat. It is a liquid obtained from the hydrolysis of vegetable fat, animal fat or fixed oils.

It is a naturally occurring compound found within the human body through the act of digestion every time we eat fats.

Make sure when sourcing your glycerin you are using one made from vegetables as opposed to the other options.

Glycerin is considered to be slightly antiseptic & can prevent fermentation.

If you take diluted glycerin on its own it's actually demulcent, emollient & soothing.

Glycerin works as a humectant which means it has the ability to take moisture from the surrounding environment.

One thing that is of importance to remember when using glycerin as a menstruum is that the solution needs to be at a minimum of 60% glycerin to ensure shelf stability.

You will need a semi-specific type of vegetable glycerin to make this glycerite. It needs to hold the classification of USP grade, which stands for United States Pharmacopeia. This classification means it is approved for food & beverage applications. It might instead, depending on where you live, have a BP, British Pharmacopoeia, pharmaceutical grade. The most important thing is to make sure you are using a vegetable glycerin that is safe for internal use.

The glycerin I use for making lotions for my personal use has those very distinctions, so that is what I use. There is no need to go out to buy ingredients we already have.

Benefits of glycerite

If you were avoiding alcohol for any reason this would be a great alternative for you to utilize.

Glycerin itself has a sweet flavor, 60% as sweet as sucrose which makes it an excellent option for those who need that spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. Mary Poppins jokes aside, it does have a lower glycemic index than sugar & it does not feed bacteria or candida.

If you were wanting to extract a certain group of phytochemicals called tannins, glycerin as well as water do an excellent job at that.

Menstruum information

A menstruum is a solvent used to extract compounds from plants. I prefer the word menstruum to solvent, but use whatever word you prefer. Solvent makes me think of paint thinner or some type of chemical like that but that’s just my opinion.

One of the most popular menstruums in herbalism is alcohol. Another is white vinegar (acetic acid) or apple cider vinegar (dilute acetic acid).

Each is able to pull out different phytochemicals from the plant & it’s good to consider what phytochemicals are in the plant so that you are ensuring you are extracting exactly what you want.

Water is able to extract:

Mucilage
Starches
Sugars (polysaccharides)
Gums
Tannins

Glycerin is able to extract:

Tannins
Sugars
Enzymes
Glycosides
Some bitter compounds
Pigments

These are the two different menstruums we are going to be using today. Both of the herbal allies in this recipe contain tannins so glycerin is a perfect choice.

When using glycerin as a menstruum you need to make sure that the final product contains at least 60% glycerin to ensure shelf stability of 1-2 years.

A good ratio to follow when you find you need to mix glycerin with water, depending on if you are using fresh or dried herbs 3:1. Meaning we’re using 75% glycerine & 25% water. We don’t want to dilute the glycerin too much so that it’s not shelf stable.

Remember fresh herbs have a natural water content but dried herbs do not & we do require water to extract certain phytochemicals.

Just in case you’re curious about what other menstruum’s can extract

Alcohol is able to extract:

Resins
Balsams
Camphors
Essential oils
Alkaloids

Acetic acid is able to extract:

Alkaloids
Minerals

Now it’s time to talk about the herbal allies that are going into this glycerite

Name: Zingiber officinale

Common name: Ginger

Main Herbal actions of concern:

Stimulant - helping to move stuck energy & stimulating blood flow in the GI
Carminative - warming the digestive tract & increasing digestive fire
Antiemetic - helping to fight any nausea
Diffusive - helping to move heat from the core of the body to the periphery
Spasmolytic - helping to sooth spasm in the GI

Energetics: Warming, drying, stimulating & relaxing

Ruling planet: Sun

Ruling element: Earth

Contraindication: It can have a blood thinning effect so talk to your doctor if you are on blood thinners & its an emmenagogue increasing blood flow to the pelvic bowl so I would avoid it if you have a heavy cycle or during pregnancy without being under the care of your physician

Name: Thymus vulgaris

Common name: Thyme

Main Herbal actions of concern:

Carminative - helping to settle digestion upset & relieve digestive spasm, supporting a healthy microbiome & can lend some probiotic effects in the gut
Stimulant - helping to stimulate digestion in the upper digestive tract- mouth, esophagus, stomach & the first part of the small intestine
antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial & antiviral - properties helping to support the immune system

Energetics: warming & drying

Ruling planet: Mars

Ruling element: Air

Contraindications: It can interact with blood thinners, diabetes medications & thyroid medications. It is not recommended for pregnant or lactating people as it can stimulate the uterus causing contractions. Avoid if you have allergies to the mint family.

Glycerite compound for a happy digestive system

Before we get to the recipe there are a few things we need to go over the concept of part & weight to volume when it comes to herbalism

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.

Weight to Volume:

There are 2 different ways you can prepare this glycerite, with dried or fresh herbs.

I’m not entirely sure who came up with these ratios but dried herb is typically used in a 1:5 ratio, 1 part herb to 5 parts menstruum.

Fresh herb is typically used in a 1:2 ration, 1 part herb to 2 parts menstruum

You can also use a combination of dried & fresh plants but you will need to make sure that you are adding a bit of water, maybe 10%, to your glycerin so that there is enough water in the menstruum to extract the phytochemicals from the dried plant materials.

Remember the extraction process needs water as certain plant constituents are only extracted using water. Fresh plant matter has all of its natural water content. Dried plant matter has no natural water content.

I do find it easiest & less confusing when my parts are 1 oz (weight) to 1 fluid oz (volume)

I’ll show you how this works with the two different versions of our recipe, dried herb & fresh herb.

Dried herb with a ratio of [1:5] 75% glycerin & 25% water

1 part dried ginger

1 part dried thyme

5 parts glycerin & water mixture

This means we need:

1 oz dried ginger

1 oz dried thyme

10 fluid oz glycerin mixture = 7.5 fluid oz glycerin, 2.5 fluid oz water

Wait, why wouldn’t we just put in 10 fluid oz of glycerin, why do we need to add water?

The answer to this is simple, we need to ensure that there is at least 60% glycerin in the final herbal concoction.

By following a 3:1 ratio, 3 parts glycerin to 1 part water, this will ensure that you end up with at least 60% glycerin.

The reason we want to make sure that there is at least a 60% glycerin content has to do with ensuring your glycerin is going to be shelf stable for 2 years. With that being said, if you notice any mold growing or your glycerin compound turning hazy all of a sudden, that means it’s been contaminated & needs to be disposed of.

The math would be:

1 + 1 = 2 ← this is how much total herbs we require

2 X 5 = 10 ← this is how much total menstruum we require

This means we end up with 5 times as much glycerin to herb!

Fresh herb with a ratio of [1:2] 100% glycerin

1 part fresh ginger

1 part fresh thyme

2 parts glycerin

This means we need:

1 oz fresh ginger

1 oz fresh thyme

4 fluid oz of glycerin

The math would be:

1 + 1 = 2 total oz of herb

2 X 2 = 4 total fluid oz of glycerin

This means we end up with 2 times as much glycerin to herb!

I do hope this makes sense. I know the math can seem a bit overwhelming at times, or maybe that’s just my learning disability talking, but if I can do it you can do it. I have something called Dyscalculia, which is similar to dyslexia but it has to do with math & number related information.

Plus here’s the thing if you get it wrong, who really cares? Call it a learning curve & move on with your day. This only needs to be as complicated as we make it.

One more thing that is important to remember is if you need to add more glycerin, perhaps the amount you put in does not even cover the herbs, this is what happened in the video. Don’t worry, just keep adding parts of glycerin until there is enough to thoroughly cover the herbs.

I had to add an additional 1 part of glycerin so my ratio ended up being a 1:3. Next time I am going to make this glycerin I will remember that extra part I added. This is why keeping notes of your herbal creations is a good idea to consider.

**It’s time to put everything together!**

*Are you using dried or fresh herbs?*

Recipe/Formulation:

Dried herb:

[1:5] 75% glycerin, 25% water

1 part dried ginger

1 part dried thyme

5 parts vegetable glycerin

Fresh herb:

[1:2] 100% glycerin

1 part fresh ginger

1 part fresh thyme

2 parts vegetable glycerin

Equipment:

1-2 Mason jars
Bowls for measuring herb
Knife to chop up the herbs
Canning funnel
Kitchen scale
Container to strain into
Colander that fits into your container
Cheesecloth or muslin cloth for straining

To make a hot glycerite compound you will also need:

Stove or hot plate
Large pot to make a water bath
Cloth to put in the bottom of the pot of the water bath
Kettle

Instructions:

Cold process:

Prepare herbs as needed by grinding the dried herbs
If you are using fresh herbs, proceed to the next step. If using dried herbs, take one clean mason jar & mix your menstruum. Put on the lid & shake the jar thoroughly to blend. The reason we want to mix it in a clean jar is because glycerin is thick, sticky & gooey which means it does take a bit to get it mixed together nicely. This is much easier to do without bits of ground up herb getting in the way
Add the prepared herbs to the clean mason jar
Add the prepared menstruum to the jar
Put on the lid & shake the jar thoroughly to blend
Keep the jar at room temperature for 4-6 weeks
Gently warm your glycerite in a water bath for 15 minutes for easier straining
Strain your glycerite with some cheesecloth or muslin into a clean bowl by placing the herbs in the cloth & squeezing until as much liquid as possible has been squeezed out. I find it easier to put a colander in the bowl so I can put the cloth down when my hands need a rest.
Bottle your glycerite
Label your glycerite with the date, all ingredients used & your weight to volume ratio

Hot process:

**Be sure to put a clean cloth under your jar**

*This ensures that the jar won’t be thrown around by the simmering water*

Prepare herbs as needed by grinding the dried herbs
Take one clean mason jar & mix your menstruum. Put on the lid & shake the jar thoroughly to blend. The reason we want to mix it in a clean jar is because glycerin is thick, sticky & gooey which means it does take a bit to get it mixed together nicely. This is much easier to do without bits of ground up herb getting in the way
Add the prepared herbs to the clean mason jar
Add the prepared menstruum to the jar
Put on the lid & shake the jar thoroughly to blend
Place the jar in a pot on the stove & fill it with water to create a water bath. I like to place a clean cloth under the jar so that once the water gets simmering the jar doesn’t potentially get tossed around
Bring the water to a gentle simmer & take note of the time
Allow the water to gently simmer for 3-4 hours adding any additional water that is lost to steam & evaporation. Any additional water that is added needs to be boiling so that you don’t end up breaking your jar.
Once the time is up remove from the heat but DO NOT open the jar until it has cooled down a bit. Failure to do so could result in hot glycerine all over you & your kitchen.
When the jar is cool enough to touch it’s time to strain. If the jar has cooled off completely & is cold to the touch, you may need to warm up by putting it back into a water bath, simmering for 15 minutes
Strain your glycerite with some cheesecloth or muslin into a clean bowl by placing the herbs in the cloth & squeezing until as much liquid as possible has been squeezed out. I find it easier to put a colander in the bowl so I can put the cloth down when my hands need a rest.
Bottle your glycerite
Label your glycerite with the date, all ingredients used & your weight to volume ratio.