Tincture
Magnolia bark tincture
Magnolia bark is the strongest calming plant in the whole apothecary, and must be treated accordingly.
It contains honokiol and magnolol, which bind to the same sites in the brain as sedative medication — only far more gently. It has been used in Chinese medicine for two thousand years for unease, tightness in the chest, and the sleeplessness where thoughts run in circles.
Bark is hard, woody material, and so it takes longer than any other tincture here: six to eight weeks, not four. There is no shortcut. Set it going now and it stands ready for winter.
Buy the bark from a reliable herb supplier. Do not strip bark from a magnolia in your garden — it kills the branch, and you cannot be certain of the species.
Ingredients
- Dried magnolia bark, lightly crushed
- 40% vodka, enough to cover
Equipment
- Jar with tight lid
- Mortar or hammer to crush the bark
- Cloth or coffee filter
- Dark dropper bottle
Method
- 1
Fill a jar ⅓ full with dried, lightly crushed magnolia bark, cover with 40% vodka, and let steep in the dark for 6-8 weeks (bark needs a longer extraction).
- 2
Strain and take 15-20 drops in water 1-2 times daily.
Dosage
15-20 drops in a little water, 1-2 times daily.
Start at the low end. Magnolia bark is stronger than most, and you can always go up.
If taken for sleep, take it an hour before bed.
Shelf life
2-3 years, dark and cool.
Safety
Magnolia bark is sedative and can make you drowsy. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how it affects you.
Must not be combined with alcohol, sleeping pills, sedatives or other medication that depresses the central nervous system. The effects stack.
If you are having surgery, stop at least two weeks before and tell the anaesthetist about it. Magnolia bark can deepen anaesthesia.
Not during pregnancy or breastfeeding. There are reports that magnolia bark can stimulate the womb.
Not as a permanent daily intake over months. Good long-term studies do not exist. Use it in periods of 6-8 weeks with breaks between.
Buy the bark from a reliable source with the species named. Do not strip bark from trees yourself.
If you have liver or kidney disease, or take regular medication, ask your doctor first.
Unease and sleeplessness lasting months belong with a doctor. There may be a treatable cause, and a tincture investigates nothing.
How the herbs work
Magnolia bark contains honokiol and magnolol, which bind to the GABA receptors in the brain, the same binding sites benzodiazepines and other sedatives use. The effect is far gentler, but the mechanism is related, and that is exactly why it must not be layered on top of sedative medication.
The compounds also lower cortisol, the body''s main stress hormone, and several small trials have measured lower cortisol and less self-reported unease after a couple of weeks.
The bark is hard, woody material, and the alcohol needs time to penetrate. Hence the six to eight weeks. A four-week tincture is not half as strong, it is weak.
Its use in Chinese medicine goes back two thousand years, where it appears in formulas for what translates best as tightness in the chest.
The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.