How to Make a Ginger Tincture


A ginger tincture is easy to make and is wonderful for treating:

  • nausea
  • motion sickness
  • stomach flu
  • congestion
  • chills
How to Make a Ginger Tincture

Because it’s concentrated, you only need a few drops at a time to be effective, making it much easier to dose to a person reluctant to swallow anything.

I find that mixing a few drops into a glass of ginger ale, or a spoonful of honey, makes patient compliance much higher!

While ginger is an excellent home remedy that’s completely safe for many people, if you are: on prescription medications (especially blood thinners), pregnant, or nursing; check with a medical professional before treating your symptoms with this or any other herbal preparation.

How to Make a Ginger Tincture

To make this tincture you will need:

  • ginger
  • drinkable alcohol (such as vodka or brandy)

For the ginger, you can use either powdered (like you buy in a spice section of a store) or chopped dried root or chopped fresh root. Fresh ginger root is often found in the produce section of your local supermarket.

No precise amounts are given in this recipe, because it’s completely determined by how much ginger you have on hand.

If using dried spice: Fill a jar about 1/4 full with your ginger. Pour vodka or brandy (80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume) over it until you have almost filled the jar. Cap, shake and store in a cool, dark place for several weeks, shaking periodically. After 4 to 6 weeks, strain and store your ginger tincture. The shelf life of this tincture is at least one to two years, if not longer.

If using fresh root: Fill a jar roughly 1/2 to 3/4 way full with your chopped ginger. Pour high proof alcohol (100 proof vodka, or Everclear 151) over top, until the jar is almost filled. Place a cap on the jar, shake well and store in a dark cabinet for around two weeks, shaking periodically. After two to three weeks, strain and store your finished ginger tincture in a cool, dark place. Shelf life is a year, or longer.

Dosing:

The general recommended dosage for adults is up to three dropperfuls, three times a day, with children receiving half of that suggested dose. However, I find it powerful enough to only need to dose my family members about three drops at a time, scattered throughout the day as needed (though one or two doses usually does the trick.) So, be sure to start with a lower dose and see how that does first.

Remember: This is a great home remedy for the occasional case of queasiness or stomach bug, but if you develop persistent symptoms or serious signs of illness, you should seek the advice of your doctor or other health care provider.

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48 Comments

  1. Oh this sounds lovely!
    I have a question though- would the fresh ginger result in a higher likely hood of going bad more quickly, since the “fresh” means it has water? Or is that negated by the alcohol?

  2. A question. With ground powdered ginger, do you fill the jar as full as with dried ginger? Seems like the powdered ginger by volume would be a lot more ginger than dried ginger by volume. I’d like to use my yummy ginger I just reordered from Penzey’s. It’s my favorite. Can’t wait to try it.

    1. Hi Jae! That’s a great question. Yes, there is somewhat of a difference. With the dried root pieces I fill the jar about 1/4, but for the powdered spice I just add a few tablespoons per the 8 oz jars I usually mix them in (so perhaps roughly 1/8 cup?) Another thing to remember with the powder is that it tends to settle into a clump at the bottom of the jar and will need more frequent shaking. Measurements don’t have to be precise unless you’re trying to create a standardized formula that will have about the same strength each batch. Otherwise, the folksy method of a little bit of this and a little bit of that, works just great for home use. :)

  3. thanks for the wonderful remedies found on your web. please is there any other thing to use apart from alcohol

    1. Yes! You can use apple cider vinegar or vegetable glycerine.
      Either of those will work with ginger, though they extract the properties a little differently. I would probably go with using apple cider vinegar as a first choice. You can then mix it with honey to taste, when you dose it out.

    1. Hi Melissa! Yes you sure can infuse an oil with ginger. I like to use dried, chopped pieces of root, but you can also use the powdered version (just make sure that you shake it, a lot, since the powder will compact at the bottom.) Fill a small jar about 1/4 with dried chopped ginger root (a little less if using powder – more like 1/8 jar) and then pour oil over top, Shake/stir well, cap and let infuse for about four weeks. (Shaking daily or as often as you remember to.) Strain and then you can store the oil up to a year. I like to use it in arthritis salves – it will increase blood flow and help warm up cold feet too!

  4. I take 2200 mg of Ginger Root per day. Can you tell me using your Ginger Extract recipe how one figures out how much high proof vodka needs to dissolve x amount of Ginger extract? I am weary of taking so many supplement pills, but I wouldn’t get it any other way since my diet habits don’t include a lot of spices or supplements found in natural foods.

    My goal is to make a mixed tincture or syrup of the 40-or so supplements that I take a day to minimize pill taking and the hassle of putting my supplements in pill dosing compartments. I take most of these for antioxidant/cancer prevention.

    Thank you again!

    1. Hi Jim! That is a good question, but not one that I’m sure I could answer effectively. I tend to use the folk method of “a little bit of this and little bit of that”, which is terribly imprecise. I know there are ways to make more standardized extracts, if you weigh your herbs and vodka precisely each time, though there will still be variations, depending on the quality/age/growing conditions of the herb to begin with. My book “Making Plant Medicine” by Richo Cech has information on many herbs and gives suggested ratios for their various uses. I was really hoping he had more of a formula for ginger I could give you, but unfortunately he doesn’t have one. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be more help! I do love your idea of a supplemental tincture/syrup and I hope it works splendidly for you!

    1. Hi Karen! You can scale the recipe up or down to fit whatever size jar you have on hand. I normally use a half pint jar for most tinctures, unless it’s one we use a lot of, then I’ll go with a pint jar.

  5. Is it possible to use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (from the pharmacy) instead of vodka or brandy? Will it be drinkable?

  6. Hi, can I start using a ginger tincture right away because my child feels nauseous or you can suggest another recipe? Thank you

    1. Hi Luba! It really should infuse a while first. One thing that helps my kids a lot when they feel queasy is to mix a pinch of powdered ginger (the kitchen spice kind, for baking) with a small spoonful of honey. (No honey for kids under one year old though.) I hope they start feeling better soon!

  7. Thank you for sharing. I am just starting to try to get off of prescription drugs for high blood pressure and cholesterol. I would love to be able to treat with more natural oils or herbs. Would you have any suggestions or tincture to treat these problems??

    1. Hi Rebekah, I’m sorry I missed seeing this comment before now! I think it’s great that you’re trying to get off of the meds with natural treatments. This is something that you want to work very closely with a trained health care professional who can monitor your stats and can adjust your med doses down, as needed. One safe and gentle herb you might want to look into is hawthorn. Best of luck with your quest!

  8. I’m allergic to anything over 7% alcohol. Would this tincture cause an allergic reaction or because it is mixed with the ginger would that nullify that effect? I would appreciate any info anyone has on this. Thank you in advance.

  9. Is it possible to burn off the alcohol after it’s done infusing, or would that comprise the integrity/potency of the tincture?

    1. Hi Sarah, I’ve heard of people putting a few drops tincture in a cup of hot tea or beverage so the alcohol evaporates off, but I’m not sure how you could burn it off otherwise. (It might be possible though & it’s just something I haven’t learned about!) If you’d like to go the alcohol-free route, it’s probably easier to make a ginger syrup: https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/easy-ginger-honey-syrup/

  10. I finally strained my tincture and I have all this left over “spent” ginger. Was wondering if I could use this further maybe infuse in coconut oil for a warming joint rub?

    1. Hi Dani C! You might be able to dry it and then infuse the oil, but I’m not sure how it will work. It’s worth a try though if you want to test a small batch out!

  11. Oh wow! I composted the ginger few hours before receiving this reply haha bummer! Murphy’s Law I suppose lol thank you. I did however have a small batch made and sitting at my front door which recieves blazing hot afternoon sun. Guess I’ll find out in a few weeks. Thank you Nerdy Farm Wife!

  12. Hi Jan,
    I’ve been experimenting with ginger cordial and ginger beer and have been looking for better ways to get the flavour out of the ginger root. I’ve bought some 80% (by volume) vodka type stuff which I plan on using to make a tincture using your method.
    Have you used it as food flavouring or purely as a health thing? Any tips?

    1. Hi Peter, We use this purely for health. (Though I like your flavoring idea too.) I just went to sample a bit of mine so I could report on how it tasted straight (I usually mix it with honey) and discovered my tincture jar is empty! (If you don’t seal it tightly, it’ll eventually evaporate out. Oops.) Something you may want to try is to strain your first infusion when it’s done and use the resulting liquid to infuse a new batch – making a double infusion. It’s just a guess, but that might help boost the flavor. I hope you have much success in your ginger experiments!

  13. I have found that making ginger tea buy just boiling a few slices of ginger root in water and drinking it has greatly helped my sinusitus and reduced the amount of phelm and i feel so much better! also cut out all sugar, wheat and processed food. I have my life back!

  14. Hi Jan,
    I would really like to make this tincture. However, I am into essential oils & would like to use my Young Living pure essential oil instead of fresh or dried ginger. Your thoughts about how much I should use as the essential oils are so concentrated. Thanks.

  15. hi there! Thanks for your recipe i am looking to build up a tincture medicine cabinet. i understand ginger root tincture is helpful in killing off parasites, as is lemongrass. Wondering if you know of any other inexpensive anti parasitic tinctures i can make and also do you know if once the liquid is strained can the remaining root be re used a few times more? I ask because i saw a youtube video of someone who said valerium root can be used 6 more times but not sure if that is exclusive to valerium or not. thanks!

    1. Hi Chesca! I’m not overly familiar with anti-parasitic herbal tinctures, so am afraid I don’t have much advice to offer.
      Have you checked out the Herbal Academy’s site? They have some articles that mention anti-parasitics.
      I use ginger root just once for the tincture instead of using it again. It’s possible that you can, but I’m not sure how strong the following tincture would be.

  16. I have been successful in keeping ginger as a house plant in Alaska. When in the supermarket I noticed that some ginger root showed signs of sprouting. I chose one of those rhizomes broke off what I needed, let the rest dry until it formed a skin over the broken part. I then planted it into a pot that I kept in my window sill.

    The leaves are much like an iris and get up to 18 inches. The root has grown, but this far I haven’t gotten flowers.
    The root has kept nicely for a few years now and multiplied at about the same rate as Irises do. (Pretty slow) left in my pantry unplanted however it just drys up like poor keeping garlic.

  17. I enjoyed reading and learning about ginger I am going to make a ginger tincture tomorrow . How long would you say it should it cure?
    Also do you have any suggestions on tinctures made in the form b of balms that will relieve menstrual cramps and endometriosis?
    Thanks again for sharing this information.

    1. Hi Regina! So happy you enjoyed learning about ginger! :)
      For dried ginger, you would infuse about 4+ weeks, for fresh ginger, around 2 to 3 weeks.
      For balms: I don’t have any PMS recipes on my site yet, though there are two in my Aches & Pains eBook set.
      Basically though, you can take a basic salve recipe (I have info on making those in a free guide: https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/subscribe/ )
      and include things such as clary sage or juniper berry essential oil.
      Warming spices such as ginger and cayenne may be helpful too – such as this recipe:
      https://unrulygardening.com/spicy-salve-recipe/

    1. Hi Christina! That’s something I haven’t tried before, so I’m just not sure how it would do. I know some people enjoy cinnamon for similar reasons as ginger, so you could always make a small test batch and try it out. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! :)

    1. Hi Brenda! Yes, peel the ginger first. If you use a spoon to scrape off the peeling (instead of cutting it away with a knife), it goes a lot faster! :)

  18. Hi there!!! I’m curious if you still
    Need to be concerned with the potential to contract botulism from making a tincture with fresh ginger root and vodka. Or would the vodka be too acidic for bacteria to breed?

    1. Hi Rach! As long as your tincture has a high enough alcohol concentration, then it will inhibit microbial growth.
      Herbalists have dialed in correct herb & alcohol ratios over the years, and science/food agencies have developed many guidelines too, such as:
      “If ethanol (alcohol) is the sole barrier to food preservation, concentrations need to be in the range of 18 to 21% for ‘microbiology stability’”
      https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B012227055X000249
      (First study my search turned up, there are more!) :)
      Where I would be concerned about botulism is when infusing fresh products into oils.

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