Alcohol-Free Tinctures

This is our alcohol-free line, 17 listings of liquid extracts made with vegetable glycerin instead of alcohol for people who want a dropper format without any spirit in it. It covers kanna, blue lotus, kava, amanita muscaria, wild dagga, wild lettuce, California poppy, catnip and sun opener, plus blended bottles that combine two or three of those plants. Each tincture is made from high quality whole herbs in small batches, the ethnobotanical bottles are lab tested for alkaloid content, kanna is sourced through South African San Council benefit-sharing partnerships and wild dagga is grown organically on our own farm in South Africa. Alcohol-based bottles sit in the main tinctures collection, and if you are unsure which base suits you, see alcohol-based vs alcohol-free tinctures.

At a glance

• Alcohol-free line, 17 listings
• Liquid extracts made with vegetable glycerin instead of alcohol
• Kanna, blue lotus, kava, amanita, wild dagga, wild lettuce, California poppy, catnip and sun opener, plus blended bottles
• Made from high quality whole herbs in small batches
• Ethnobotanical bottles lab tested for alkaloid content
• Kanna sourced through South African San Council benefit-sharing partnerships, wild dagga grown organically on our own farm in South Africa

The plants. Glycerin is a sweet, viscous liquid that pulls water-soluble constituents well and preserves them without alcohol:

• Kanna, Sceletium tortuosum, contributes mesembrine and mesembrenone
• Blue lotus, Nymphaea caerulea, contributes nuciferine and aporphine
• Kava, Piper methysticum, contributes kavalactones
• Wild dagga, Leonotis leonurus, is a South African mint-family shrub with leonurine
• Wild lettuce, Lactuca virosa, is a bitter European lettuce known for its milky lactucarium
• California poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is California's state flower, and catnip, Nepeta cataria, is a mint carrying nepetalactone

How to choose. Pick your bottle:

• The Kanna Tincture Alcohol Free 2oz is the bright daytime choice and the Blue Lotus Tincture Alcohol Free 2 oz the soft evening one
• If you want the three ethnobotanicals together in one pocket bottle, the Kanna, Blue Lotus and Kava Tincture 10 ML is alcohol free
• Kava alone comes as the Kava Tincture High-Potency 10ml
• From the gentle herb shelf choose the Wild Dagga Tincture, the Wild Lettuce Tincture, the Organic California Poppy Tincture or the Organic Catnip Tincture, all 2 fl oz and all alcohol free

Dosing overview. Each label gives its own dropper serving; start at the low end, hold the liquid under the tongue for a minute, then swallow. They are usually felt in twenty to forty minutes, so wait before a second dropper. The 10ml high potency bottles are more concentrated than the 2 oz bottles, so their serving is smaller. Do not combine bottles on the same day until you know each one on its own.

What to expect. The first thing people notice is the taste: sweet, thick and herbal rather than sharp. Users describe kanna as lifted and social, blue lotus and California poppy as a dreamy unwind, kava as relaxed with a tingle on the tongue, wild lettuce as mellow and body-focused, dagga as easygoing and catnip as calm. Effects are gentler in onset than alcohol tinctures and last a few hours.

Side effects and cautions. More than the stated serving can bring nausea, drowsiness or a headache that pass as the plant clears; reduce next time.

• Kanna bottles must not be combined with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, triptans, tramadol or St. John's Wort
• Kava bottles should not be combined with alcohol or sedative medications and need professional advice with any liver condition
• Kanna, kava, lotus and dagga are not for use if pregnant or nursing and are for adults 21 and over
• With the gentle herbs, consult a professional if pregnant, nursing or on medication

Common questions

• Why choose a glycerin tincture over an alcohol one? Glycerin has no alcohol, tastes sweet and suits anyone who avoids spirits or prefers a sweeter, gentler dropper.
• Do alcohol-free tinctures need refrigeration? No, a cool dark cupboard is enough, though refrigeration after opening keeps glycerin tinctures fresh longer.
• Which alcohol-free tincture combines kanna, kava and blue lotus? The 10 ML blend does, in one bottle, at a smaller serving than the single-plant 2 oz tinctures.

Disclaimer. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These are traditional botanicals, and traditional use does not establish that they will produce any particular result. Consult your healthcare provider before use if you take any medication or have a medical condition. Use at your own risk and keep out of reach of children. Formulated by Healing Herbals, run by a practicing herbalist of 13+ years.