Post by Admin/ Traveler on Mar 14, 2019 20:16:43 GMT
(Trav here: I'm only posting the highlights of this article. I would encourage you to read the entire article by following the link provided to get the most out of this article.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT EVERY HERBALIST SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HERBAL PREPARATION SHELF-LIFE
Posted ByMeagan Visser
"Have you ever pulled an older herbal salve out of your bathroom cabinet and wondered if it was still effective? Or perhaps you’ve thought about making a large batch of herbal tea to store in the refrigerator and drink over the course of several days, later second guessing yourself because you weren’t sure how many days the tea would remain drinkable. What about the hydrosol that’s been sitting in the back of your refrigerator that now has a little white cloud floating in the bottom of it?
Questions about herbal preparation shelf-life are common, and while shelf-life and preparation potency will vary based on several factors such as the solvent used to make the preparation, how the preparation is made, stored, and used, and time itself, having a guideline can be helpful, especially if you’re new to making herbal preparations."
"Water-Based Preparations
Water-based herbal preparations are those that are comprised mostly of water. While teas, infusions, and decoctions may be the first preparations that come to mind, compresses, fomentations, hydrosols, and poultices fall into this category as well.
Because microbes multiply in water rather quickly, it’s recommended to use water-based preparations almost immediately. Refrigeration and freezing can help to extend shelf-life of these herbal preparations.
"Oil-Based Preparations
Oil-based herbal preparations are those that are comprised mostly of lipids, such as herbal salves and infused oils.
While microbes can multiply in oil once contaminated, microbes are not the main threat to the shelf-life of oil-based herbal preparations — it’s oxidation (rancidity). Oil rancidity naturally occurs with time, and can also occur due to improper storage and usage. We’ll discuss these three factors that affect herbal preparation shelf life later in this article. Water is another substance that can impact the shelf-life of herbal infused oils as it can lead to microbe growth within your oil. While this is normally not an issue if dry herbs are used, it is a concern for herbal oil infusions made with fresh herbs.
The shelf-life of oil-based preparations made with dried herbs varies greatly depending on the oil you choose, therefore, herbal infused oils and salves have a shelf-life that ranges from 6 months to 3 years. For infused oils that oxidize easily, you can add antioxidant products like vitamin E and rosemary oil extract to help extend shelf-life a little longer as these products have been shown to slow the process of oxidation (Riaz & Rokey, 2012)."
"Alcohol-Based Preparations
Alcohol-based herbal preparations are those that use some form of alcohol as the solvent. Herbal tinctures and herbal liniments are both considered alcohol-based preparations even though two different types of alcohol are used (ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol, respectively).
Alcohol preparations have a long shelf-life as alcohol slows decomposition of materials (Green, 2000) and bacterial growth, thus, increasing herbal preparation shelf-life, but for alcohol to properly preserve a tincture, the final alcohol percentage should be at least 25%. Herbal tinctures and liniments made using the appropriate amount of alcohol are shelf-stable and do not need to be refrigerated.
We recommend using alcohol-based herbal tinctures within two years. However, some alcohol tinctures and liniments have a shelf-life of 3-5 years, particularly those made with a high percentage of alcohol. Shelf-life can be extended with proper storage and usage as well as by thoroughly filtering the tincture to remove as much plant sediment as possible (Green, 2000).
Vinegar-Based Preparations
Vinegar-based herbal preparations are those that use vinegar as a solvent. Herbal vinegar tinctures are preparations that fit into this category.
Vinegar has long been used as a food preservative and natural household cleaner due to its acidity, which inhibits the growth of certain bacteria (Entani, Asai, Tsujihata, Tsukamoto, & Ohta, 1998; Rutala, Barbee, Aguiar, Sobsey, & Weber, 2000).
We recommend using vinegar-based herbal preparations within six months. Vinegar preparations in general are shelf-stable when made with no less than 5% vinegar (Cech, 2000; Green, 2000) and do not need to be refrigerated, although, refrigeration can help extend shelf-life. Like alcohol tinctures, vinegar tincture shelf-life can also be extended by thoroughly filtering plant sediment from the liquid."
"Dry or Powdered Preparations
Dry or powdered preparations are those that utilize dried or powdered herbs in the majority of the product. Loose powdered herbs, capsules, and pastilles are examples of herbal preparations that fall into this category.
Under appropriate storage conditions, dried herbs can retain their potency for 1-2 years. However, once an herb is powdered, the properties begin to degrade at an even faster rate, cutting shelf-life in half (Kress, 1997). For this reason, we recommend using powdered herbs within 6-12 months. Proper storage and refrigerating or even freezing powdered herbs can help to extend herbal preparation shelf-life by a couple of months.
Capsules have a one-year shelf life when stored properly. We recommend using refrigerated pastilles within six months."
"How Manufacturing Affects Herbal Preparation Shelf-Life
Don’t let the word manufacturing confuse you into thinking this section is only for herbal businesses who sell their products to the public. It isn’t! This information also applies to home herbalists who make products to use with their families or give them away to friends.
When making herbal preparations, you want to be mindful that you are working in a clean environment and with clean materials. The cleaner your hands, surfaces, and utensils are, the less chance for bacterial contamination of your herbal preparation. Using dry herbs as opposed to fresh herbs can help decrease the chance of bacterial growth due to the presence of water in fresh plant material. Avoiding overheating of herbal preparations, particularly herbal infused oils, can increase the chance of oxidation. Also, when storing any liquid preparation for an extended period of time, shelf-life can be extended by straining the liquid through a coffee filter several times to thoroughly remove plant sediment (Green, 2000)."
"How Storage Affects Herbal Preparation Shelf-Life
Storage also affects herbal preparation shelf-life in regards to the effectiveness of the preparation. Like herbs, herbal preparations should be stored out of direct sunlight, in a dry place free from moisture, and in a cool environment (not above 110 degrees) as light, moisture, and heat are all thought to reduce the effectiveness of the herbal properties contained in the preparation.
Refrigeration (below 40° Fahrenheit) can also help to extend the shelf-life of herbal products as bacteria grow more slowly in cold environments (United States Department of Agriculture, n.d.)."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT EVERY HERBALIST SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HERBAL PREPARATION SHELF-LIFE
Posted ByMeagan Visser
"Have you ever pulled an older herbal salve out of your bathroom cabinet and wondered if it was still effective? Or perhaps you’ve thought about making a large batch of herbal tea to store in the refrigerator and drink over the course of several days, later second guessing yourself because you weren’t sure how many days the tea would remain drinkable. What about the hydrosol that’s been sitting in the back of your refrigerator that now has a little white cloud floating in the bottom of it?
Questions about herbal preparation shelf-life are common, and while shelf-life and preparation potency will vary based on several factors such as the solvent used to make the preparation, how the preparation is made, stored, and used, and time itself, having a guideline can be helpful, especially if you’re new to making herbal preparations."
"Water-Based Preparations
Water-based herbal preparations are those that are comprised mostly of water. While teas, infusions, and decoctions may be the first preparations that come to mind, compresses, fomentations, hydrosols, and poultices fall into this category as well.
Because microbes multiply in water rather quickly, it’s recommended to use water-based preparations almost immediately. Refrigeration and freezing can help to extend shelf-life of these herbal preparations.
"Oil-Based Preparations
Oil-based herbal preparations are those that are comprised mostly of lipids, such as herbal salves and infused oils.
While microbes can multiply in oil once contaminated, microbes are not the main threat to the shelf-life of oil-based herbal preparations — it’s oxidation (rancidity). Oil rancidity naturally occurs with time, and can also occur due to improper storage and usage. We’ll discuss these three factors that affect herbal preparation shelf life later in this article. Water is another substance that can impact the shelf-life of herbal infused oils as it can lead to microbe growth within your oil. While this is normally not an issue if dry herbs are used, it is a concern for herbal oil infusions made with fresh herbs.
The shelf-life of oil-based preparations made with dried herbs varies greatly depending on the oil you choose, therefore, herbal infused oils and salves have a shelf-life that ranges from 6 months to 3 years. For infused oils that oxidize easily, you can add antioxidant products like vitamin E and rosemary oil extract to help extend shelf-life a little longer as these products have been shown to slow the process of oxidation (Riaz & Rokey, 2012)."
"Alcohol-Based Preparations
Alcohol-based herbal preparations are those that use some form of alcohol as the solvent. Herbal tinctures and herbal liniments are both considered alcohol-based preparations even though two different types of alcohol are used (ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol, respectively).
Alcohol preparations have a long shelf-life as alcohol slows decomposition of materials (Green, 2000) and bacterial growth, thus, increasing herbal preparation shelf-life, but for alcohol to properly preserve a tincture, the final alcohol percentage should be at least 25%. Herbal tinctures and liniments made using the appropriate amount of alcohol are shelf-stable and do not need to be refrigerated.
We recommend using alcohol-based herbal tinctures within two years. However, some alcohol tinctures and liniments have a shelf-life of 3-5 years, particularly those made with a high percentage of alcohol. Shelf-life can be extended with proper storage and usage as well as by thoroughly filtering the tincture to remove as much plant sediment as possible (Green, 2000).
Vinegar-Based Preparations
Vinegar-based herbal preparations are those that use vinegar as a solvent. Herbal vinegar tinctures are preparations that fit into this category.
Vinegar has long been used as a food preservative and natural household cleaner due to its acidity, which inhibits the growth of certain bacteria (Entani, Asai, Tsujihata, Tsukamoto, & Ohta, 1998; Rutala, Barbee, Aguiar, Sobsey, & Weber, 2000).
We recommend using vinegar-based herbal preparations within six months. Vinegar preparations in general are shelf-stable when made with no less than 5% vinegar (Cech, 2000; Green, 2000) and do not need to be refrigerated, although, refrigeration can help extend shelf-life. Like alcohol tinctures, vinegar tincture shelf-life can also be extended by thoroughly filtering plant sediment from the liquid."
"Dry or Powdered Preparations
Dry or powdered preparations are those that utilize dried or powdered herbs in the majority of the product. Loose powdered herbs, capsules, and pastilles are examples of herbal preparations that fall into this category.
Under appropriate storage conditions, dried herbs can retain their potency for 1-2 years. However, once an herb is powdered, the properties begin to degrade at an even faster rate, cutting shelf-life in half (Kress, 1997). For this reason, we recommend using powdered herbs within 6-12 months. Proper storage and refrigerating or even freezing powdered herbs can help to extend herbal preparation shelf-life by a couple of months.
Capsules have a one-year shelf life when stored properly. We recommend using refrigerated pastilles within six months."
"How Manufacturing Affects Herbal Preparation Shelf-Life
Don’t let the word manufacturing confuse you into thinking this section is only for herbal businesses who sell their products to the public. It isn’t! This information also applies to home herbalists who make products to use with their families or give them away to friends.
When making herbal preparations, you want to be mindful that you are working in a clean environment and with clean materials. The cleaner your hands, surfaces, and utensils are, the less chance for bacterial contamination of your herbal preparation. Using dry herbs as opposed to fresh herbs can help decrease the chance of bacterial growth due to the presence of water in fresh plant material. Avoiding overheating of herbal preparations, particularly herbal infused oils, can increase the chance of oxidation. Also, when storing any liquid preparation for an extended period of time, shelf-life can be extended by straining the liquid through a coffee filter several times to thoroughly remove plant sediment (Green, 2000)."
"How Storage Affects Herbal Preparation Shelf-Life
Storage also affects herbal preparation shelf-life in regards to the effectiveness of the preparation. Like herbs, herbal preparations should be stored out of direct sunlight, in a dry place free from moisture, and in a cool environment (not above 110 degrees) as light, moisture, and heat are all thought to reduce the effectiveness of the herbal properties contained in the preparation.
Refrigeration (below 40° Fahrenheit) can also help to extend the shelf-life of herbal products as bacteria grow more slowly in cold environments (United States Department of Agriculture, n.d.)."