Extractions

The appeal of making your own mushroom tinctures is straightforward enough, especially if you're learning how to make mushroom tinctures at home: you control the source material, you choose the alcohol, and you know exactly what went into the finished product. That same appeal is also where most attempts go sideways. The process is forgiving in some respects and quite particular in others, and the line between a potent finished tincture and a weak infusion is usually drawn by decisions made before a single drop of ethanol enters the jar.

Industrial ethanol is frequently denatured. Methanol and other toxic compounds are introduced after distillation, specifically to prevent consumption. This changes the product's regulatory and tax classification without altering the base chemical. The ethanol is still ethanol. The additives make it poisonous to drink and unsuitable for anything applied to the skin or used in products that enter the body.Food grade alcohol takes a different route. No denaturants are introduced. The product is tested for contaminants through methods including High Performance Liquid Chromatography.