Here is a video of Logan showing you how to make pine pollen tincture.
What you’ll need to do this includes:
- Mason Jars
- Pine Pollen
- Alcohol (recommended high-quality vodka that is at least 70 proof)
- Spoon or similar instrument for stirring
Optional tools include:
- Dropper Bottle
- Funnel
- Paint Cone Strainer
The process to make pine pollen tincture is actually quite simple. Pour the pine pollen into a glass jar. Then add alcohol in sufficient quality to cover it all. After that you let it sit for about two weeks.
The pine pollen and alcohol will separate. This is good as you just want the pure alcohol, as the pine pollen won’t really have anything beneficial left in it. You can use a dropper to squeeze the liquid off the top. Or you can pour it off into another jar through a strainer to separate the liquid from the powder.
By creating your own tinctures, you can save a lot of money over buying them, although it will take some work. Since the pine pollen tincture has the benefits of delivering the hormonal components even better, many people prefer this form.
I would recommend you start with a dropper-full and you can increase it from there. I personally can feel something stronger when I take pine pollen in tincture form, rather than in a powder. I’ve gone up to 6 full droppers at on time.
Pine Pollen Acetract (Tincture Alternative)
We sell more Pine Pollen Tinctures than anything else here at Lost Empire Herbs. (We do sell more Pine Pollen Powder, but it’s spread across our 50-gram bags and the 250-gram megadose versions, so less individual units of each.)
But some people do not want to take tinctures, because they’re sensitive to alcohol, such as recovering alcoholics who are trying to stay 100% alcohol-free, or others who may have concerns due to a medical condition, etc.
In our post on How to Take Tinctures, I mentioned a method that mitigates the alcohol. By squirting the tincture into boiling hot water, much of the alcohol evaporates off because at it’s boiling point it’s less than that of the water.
Well, now we offer you another alternative…the Pine Pollen Acetract.
Acetract! Unless you’re an herbalist, I’m willing to bet you’ve never heard that word before.
To get into the terminology a tincture specifically refers to an alcoholic solvent of an herb.
But there are other solvents available too. With the ever-common water, you’d be making an infusion or a decoction. Glycerin makes for a glycerite. And vinegar makes for an acetract. The root acet- being the same as what you see in acetic acid, the main acid found in vinegar of all types.
Now, the reason that alcohol is used is because it is one of the very best solvents. Vinegar works too but to a lesser degree. I figured I’d run a little experiment…
Does an acetract or vinegar tincture of Pine Pollen work as well as a normal Pine Pollen Tincture?
Does it produce the same hormonal effects?
Well, I started this acetract a while back, promptly forgot about it, but then discovered it again and filmed the pressing of it to give it a shot. Warning, if you choose to try this. The taste of vinegar is intense. It’s hard to tell if the immediate effect was the same I feel from a Pine Pollen Tincture, or if it simply was from the intensity of tasting the straight vinegar.
I’m still early in my experiment with this, so I can’t say for sure. but I’ll offer it up to anyone else to try if they’d like to avoid alcohol altogether as an option. If you have tried this or use this method, please post your results in the comments section below.
I know someone is going to ask. What type of vinegar should be used to make pine pollen tincture? What kind did I use? I’m not sure. It wasn’t on the label and I don’t remember. (This is why you should put lots of details on your labels when you’re processing your own herbs.) It’s likely either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. And either of those are good to use.
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Keith says
Hi Logan,
Is there any reason why I could not mix the pine pollen tincture from Lost Empire herbs with pine pollen tincture pine pollen powder in vodka? I noticed they look and taste very different.
Zane Christopher says
There should be no reason at all. The reason they are different has to do with the manufacturing process they use to make our tinctures. I will have to get the low down on it so I understand it correctly but I do not its not as simple as doing it yourself at home like you or I would do.
Blending them together is fine and may even help either one a bit more potent. The manufacturers don’t use vodka so that alone will change it up nicely. ;)
Debbie says
HI. is there any real way to test the efficacy of the pine pollen? Do you all test yours in any way? I was speaking to someone who is super knowledgeable and said that the pine tree is one of the most susceptible to disease , mold, etc. How do you know if it affects the pine pollen?
Thanks!
Zane Christopher says
We do Debbie. On the sales page there is a testing tab that we post the tests for. We actually just retested some of the more popular herbs to update our tests and I have to put up the new pine pollen microbiologicals. This batch tested out super clean even by my loose standards. Our pine pollen is also non-irradiated unlike probably every other pine pollen on the market.
kenneth says
Can you use clear rum to make a pine pollen tincture?
Zane Christopher says
Why not? At least it would taste good! But most herbalists tend to use less flavored alcohols as they generally are viewed as working better for extraction purposes. Honestly, I believe we shouldn’t limit ourselves to the “best” effect of something if something else can provide a unique experience.
kenneth says
Thanks Zane! Great products!
Mark "The Sharp Guy" says
I am about to try making a Horny Goat Weed / He Shou Wu tincture. I have found that these two herbs together give me a big energy boost after lunch. Would you use the same ratio for the tincture that you use for the herbs in powder form?
Also, I would suggest a coffee filter folded to fit into a funnel when you are removing the powder instead of the paint filter. Just pre-wet the coffee filter and you can always wring it to get all the liquid out.
Mark "The Sharp Guy" says
Forget what I said about the coffee filter idea. The tincture was so thick it didn’t drip through the filter. I just added some more vodka and added the same amount of water.
Seems to be working but it sure does stain.
MUTHUKKUMARA RATNAM says
Hi Logan, i would like to know the dilution of 500ml of 190proof alcohol to make pine pollen tincture. Could you please tell me how many grams of pine pollen should i put in the mason jar.
Zane Christopher says
So while the different proofs of alcohol do change how much to use, we still recommend you cover the pine pollen with a finger or two above the top of the pp with alcohol. 190 proof is pretty caustic stuff and I don’t think it is entirely necessary for pollen. I only use that stuff for roots myself to speed up the time in bottle. Leafs and pollen are a lot less fibrous and therefore lose constituents to the alcohol faster. A good 80 proof should even work fine for the pollen and with more water in it will pull water-solubles out with it too. The choice is entirely up to you though.
Nickol says
I realize older pine pollen may not be as potent, as fresh or plentiful, example harvesting in May/June rather than March. But, I was wondering if there are health benefits & nutritional value to a late harvest? Are the left over castings beneficial at all, whether in a tincture or ground up?
Zane Christopher says
That is a very interesting question Nickol. I would think that the nutritional profile would change as the weeks went by, however, I think consuming the wild stuff would always have a benefit to your health. Maybe it would help to think of it like a fruit harvest, say for peaches. If you are like me, you really only eat these when they are in season, during the summer. You can tell when the fruit is an early harvest and not that good (though still edible and technically, food) and when the final seasons fruit is available. There is marked difference (in nutrition profile as well no doubt) but the entire time, the peaches are edible. I see no reason that the same is true for pine pollen.
The castings I have no idea about. I have not seen any mention of that anywhere but there might be something to them. Experimentation is the spice of life!
Stanley says
i want to take the tincture and powder;how much of each should i take?
Mikayla Gibson says
Start with 1/2 – 1tsp twice daily of the powder and 1 – 2 droppers of the tincture daily
kif says
when you say droppers do you mean drops of a small bottle of droppers?
Zane Christopher says
She probably meant dropper as in taking a full dropper of tincture. As opposed to doing for example, 10 drops (actually drop by drop) from a dropper under the tongue.
Jack says
Thank you for this great information, i would like to go and gather some pine pollen to make a tincture but my question is that there are so many species of pine trees whats the best one to use?
thanks again
admin says
Just about any type should work. I think I recall saying something about NOT to use the Ponderossa pine though. There isn’t enough research to verify if they all have the same stuff or what may be most potent.
Naeem Bangi says
Hi Logan can you please tell me how to make the pine pollen tincture without alcohol
What is the best to use and how long should I let the pine pollen soak
Thank you
admin says
Vinegar is a possible solution. Not sure if it has the same phytoandrogen pulling action as alcohol does but you can try it. I have a jar soaking but I haven’t tested it yet. Same amount of time to soak as alcohol should be fine.
Paul says
Hi
Have you heard of grape seed extract and its benefits.