Homemade Mullein Tincture
Homemade mullein tincture recipe using fresh wild leaves and vodka. Natural respiratory support for coughs and congestion. Includes alcohol-free glycerite instructions and dried leaf options. Perfect for the home herbal medicine cabinet.
Servings 2 cups
Equipment
- Wide-mouth quart mason jar
- Cheesecloth (90 grade) + coffee filters
- Amber glass dropper bottles
Ingredients
- Fresh mullein leaves (enough to fill a quart jar 2/3 to 3/4 full once chopped)
- Vodka (80-100 proof*)
Instructions
- Wash fresh mullein leaves and chop or tear into rough pieces.
- Fill a clean quart jar about 2/3 to 3/4 full with chopped leaves. Press down gently.
- Cover with vodka to within an inch of the rim. All plant material must be submerged.
- Place parchment paper under a metal lid to prevent corrosion. Seal, label with date.
- Store in a cool dark cupboard 6-8 weeks. Shake every few days. Top off alcohol if needed.
- Strain through cheesecloth, squeezing well. Strain again through a coffee filter to catch the fine leaf hairs.
- Funnel into amber dropper bottles. Label and store in a cool dark place.
Notes
Alcohol notes: Vodka is the standard choice for its neutral flavor. Brandy and whiskey work too. The finished tincture needs to be at least 25% alcohol for preservation. Since fresh leaves release moisture, use at least 80 proof, ideally 100 proof for fresh herbs. Never use rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, or denatured alcohol. Those are toxic and not safe to consume.
To use dried mullein leaves instead: Fill the jar about halfway (not two-thirds) with crumbled dried leaves. 80 proof vodka is fine since there's less moisture. Dried leaves absorb a lot of liquid, so check levels often the first week and top off. Everything else is the same.
To make an alcohol-free glycerite: For dried leaves, cover with a mix of 3 parts vegetable glycerin to 1 part distilled water. For fresh leaves, use straight vegetable glycerin (the plant's own moisture provides the water). Shake daily—glycerin is thicker than alcohol and needs more agitation. Infuse 6-8 weeks, strain, store in the fridge. Shelf life is about 1-2 years. Glycerin is actually better than alcohol at extracting mullein's mucilage, so there's a real benefit here beyond just avoiding the booze.
On yield: A quart jar of fresh-leaf tincture gives you roughly 2 to 3 cups of finished tincture, depending on how tightly you packed it. Fresh material releases some water, so you might get slightly more liquid back than the vodka you put in. Dried herbs absorb liquid, so expect a bit less than what you started with.
Why the double strain? Mullein leaves are covered in very fine hairs. Regular cheesecloth lets them through. Those tiny fibers can irritate your throat, which defeats the purpose when you're taking this stuff for respiratory relief. Running it through a coffee filter after the cheesecloth strain takes ten extra minutes but makes a much smoother tincture.