Hello...

Does anyone know where I can get brown, screw-cap, medicine bottles for storing tinctures? I know I could use wine bottles but it just doesn't seem right!

Hi Ian

I'm presuming you are in the UK. Baldwins sell brown glass tincture bottles. I think Neal's Yard do too and probably other glass bottle manufacturers.

Personally, I use recycled glass as much as possible. My tinctures live quite happily in wine bottles if I have large amounts and elderflower cordial green bottles if it is smaller. I will go around a cafe asking for used ginger beer or cordial bottles if they are the type I use. National Trust cafes are really good for this. They also stock small glass jam jars which are ideal for storing single use salves.

I have bought small bottles with dropper pippettes from Baldwins for when I want to give someone a smallish amount of tincture eg scullcap for screaming habdab moments when its a drop dosage and it needs to be immediately accessible.

No-one has ever complained about receiving a tincture in a recycled bottle. I'm not a qualified herbalist, so don't have to present a professional medicinal image to the world. This may be different for you. I couldn't afford to stock my larder with purely purchased bottles.

Sarah

Hi Sarah...

Thank's for the info. I know your suggestion makes sense and I'm being a bit too precious...it's just that screw caps, for wine bottles, are not that substantial and corks are prone to breaking after repeated use...get another cork is the answer to that I think!

May be the local chemist will have them. So long as wine bottles, or others have been steralized what used for has no longer any "message".

You can buy them in packs (of 36 usually) from some of the professional herbalist stockists such as Herbs in a Bottle or Rutland.
Hope if helps

You can get plastic corks from home winemaking supply shops or off Ebay. They are very good to sterilise and last for a long time.

You can get the bottle from:http://www.rutlandbio.com/ or from ebay