How is a mother tincture produced?
At the beginning of the mother tinctures is always the plant. The mother tinctures are prepared and tested in accordance with the monography of the German Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia (GHP), as far as permitted, fresh plant parts are always used. Follow us on Instagram, where you can find pictures of current productions #vomfeldindieflasche @herbamedag.Where did our plants come from?
For our mother tinctures we use only the highest quality raw materials. The plant material is preferably from the region, wherever possible. Many of our mother tinctures are made from wild-collected plants. Our wild collectors know the places, where a particularly high quality of the plants is present. They put a lot of emphasis on sustainability when collecting so that they never harvest the whole stock and only extract what is in harmony with nature. Finally, the designated collection points should be profitable for generations. Plants grow in the wild only where they have the optimal conditions. There must be the right amount of sunlight, nutrients and water available. Nature brings out the best quality. Another source of plant material is of course the cultivation of medicinal plants. Whenever available, is based on organic farming from the region. The peasants tinker sometimes for years, until they have found the optimal conditions for cultivation. Depending on the plant, this takes a few attempts until it meets the high quality requirements of Herbamed. The harvest is usually done by hand, as no mechanical injury to the plants to be added. Some of the plants also come to us from overseas, conserved in alcohol or frozen, because they are not native to us and can not not be cultivated. If dried plant material is needed, we rely on established suppliers who have specialized in it.How does the plant get into the bottle?
Fresh plant production
The freshly harvested plants reach the Herbamed on the quickest way. There they are immediately processed into a mother tincture. But before the plant can be processed, it must meet all the quality requirements of our plant specialists. It is checked whether the plants are heavily contaminated, are attacked by insects or fungi, the plant species and genus and the growth stage coincide with the assigned parameters. A subsequent determination of the water content of the plant provides information on how much alcohol has to be used later in the process. The processing of the plant can now take place. The Herbamed employee takes the plant and shred it with a big cutter. This plant makes it possible to reduce the plant at high speed within a short time, without the plant material being heated and causing damage. The cutted plant is placed in a chrome steel barrel and doused with alcohol. The amount of alcohol, as already mentioned, is calculated from the residual moisture of the plant. If the right amount of plant and alcohol is in the barrel, it is stretched on a mixer and mixed evenly by repeated rotation. The mother tincture is now scheduled. Now it takes time for the active ingredients of the plant to be dissolved. This part of the process is called maceration. If the mother tincture has now developed properly, the plant material must be separated from the liquid. This is done with the help of a press, so that all active ingredients pass into the mother tincture. The raw tincture is now made. Now follows the last production process - the filtration. The mother tincture is specially filtered to remove the last particles without loss of active ingredients. The production of the mother tincture is now completed, but the manufacturing process is far from over.Production of dried plant material
Before the delivered dried plant material can be used, it must first be analyzed in the laboratory. Only if this meets all quality parameters, it will be used for production. Depending on how the drug is delivered, it must first be ground. The ground drug is then covered with the prescribed alcohol and pre-macerated overnight. This is then filled into a percolator and covered with alcohol. The method by percolation is considered an exhaustive variant, as fresh alcohol flows very slowly through the ground drug and dissolves the active ingredients. It forms the mother tincture. Depending on the suction power of the drug, it still needs to be squeezed so that the remaining amount of mother tincture can be recovered. After filtration, the mother tincture is put to quality control for testing..The quality check
Now it has to be checked whether the produced mother tinctures meet the strict quality requirements. For this a sample is examined in the laboratory. Standard parameters include dry residue, alcohol content, identity, density, pesticide controls and microbiological contaminants. Depending on the mother tincture, there are a number of other test points tested. If the mother tincture meets the requirements, this will be released for sale by the qualified person of Herbamed. The qualitatively perfect mother tincture is stored in a controlled manner in Herbamed's warehouse.Filling and shipping
You now have the opportunity to order the stored mother tincture in the size you want. The mother tincture is filled by hand into the bottle or larger container and labeled. It then arrives at the goods issue, where it is packaged safe for transport and transported to you as quickly as possible with a shipping service provider.What does mother tincture according to GHP mean?
The GHP is the homeopathic medicine book. It describes all requirements for plants, mother tinctures and tests in connection with the European Pharmacopoeia and the German Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. One of the most important sections for us are the manufacturing instructions of the mother tinctures, distinguishing between different regulations:REGULATION
1a
according to GHP
PRESS JUICE
If a mother tincture is produced according to the regulation 1a, the production takes place from the vegetable press juices. For this, the fresh plant is cutted and pressed directly. The press juice is mixed with 90% (v / v) alcohol.REGULATION
1b
according to GHP
MILK JUICE
In the preparation according to regulation 1b, fresh milk of the plant is used for the production of the milk juice. The process is analogous to the preparation according to 1a. Alcohol with a content of 36% (v / v) is used.REGULATION
2a
according to GHP
FRESH PLANT
Regulation 2a is mandated in the processing of fresh plants containing less than 70 percent pressed juice and more than 60% moisture. The preparation is carried out according to the described fresh plant production with an alcohol content of 50% (v / v).REGULATION
2b
according to GHP
FRESH PLANT
Regulation 2b is analogous to regulation 2a except that an alcohol containing 70% (v / v) is used.REGULATION
3a
according to GHP
FRESH PLANT
This is the most common method used in Herbamed and is generally applicable to all plants containing essential oil or resin or less than 60% moisture. The preparation is carried out as described with 90% (v / v) alcohol.REGULATION
3b
according to GHP
FRESH PLANT
The process is analogous to the preparation according to 3a, but an alcohol with a content of 80% (v / v) is used.REGULATION
4a
according to GHP
DRY PLANT
For the preparation according to regulation 4a, the dried plant is used and extracted by percolation. The alcohol content varies depending on the product.REGULATION
4b
according to GHP
ANIMAL
The production takes place with animal starting material by maceration or percolation. The alcohol content varies depending on the product.REGULATION
5a
