"Weirdly enough, clove tea worked wonders. Tastes kinda funky at first, but it numbs things up nicely without being overwhelming."
Clove tea's a good shout, but careful with it—I've seen people go overboard and end up irritating their gums even more. Speaking from experience here... Has anyone tried diluting homemade tinctures gone wrong with something neutral like coconut oil? Curious if that helps tone things down.
Clove tea definitely has its merits—I remember trying it once when I had a toothache, and it did help ease things up a bit. You're right about the taste though; it's an acquired one for sure. Good point about moderation too; I've seen people underestimate how potent cloves can be and end up regretting it later.
Regarding diluting tinctures, coconut oil could be a decent neutralizer, especially if the tincture is oil-based. I've personally had luck using olive oil to tone down overly strong herbal extracts. It blends smoothly and doesn't add any harshness or weird aftertaste. Just make sure you're mixing compatible bases—oil with oil, alcohol tinctures might need something else like glycerin or even just water to dilute properly. Either way, starting small and testing gradually is always the safest bet... learned that one the hard way myself!
"alcohol tinctures might need something else like glycerin or even just water to dilute properly."
Hmm, water can sometimes make alcohol tinctures cloudy or weirdly separated—I learned this after panicking over a homemade chamomile tincture gone wrong. Maybe honey instead? It masks odd tastes surprisingly well...
Honey's a pretty clever idea, actually. I've had a few herbal tincture mishaps myself—once made a peppermint tincture that tasted more like mouthwash than anything soothing. Diluting with water definitely made it cloudy and kinda weird-looking, so I totally get your chamomile panic moment. Honey helped me salvage mine too, not just for taste but also texture-wise. It smoothed things out nicely and made it feel less medicinal.
If you're still worried about the alcohol bite or strength, you could also try mixing it into tea or warm water right before drinking. That way, you don't have to worry about long-term cloudiness or separation issues. Either way, don't stress too much—homemade tinctures can be tricky, and even the odd-tasting ones usually aren't a total loss.
Honey does sound like a decent fix, but honestly, I've had better luck with glycerin. Honey can sometimes make things overly sweet or sticky for my taste—especially if you're trying to use the tincture regularly. Glycerin smooths out that harsh alcohol bite without turning it into syrupy candy.
Also, mixing tinctures into tea is hit-or-miss for me. Tried it once with a lavender tincture disaster (think grandma's perfume meets vodka), and it just made the whole cup taste weirdly floral and boozy. Ended up diluting it way down in plain water and chugging quickly—sometimes you just gotta embrace the medicinal vibe and get it over with, lol.
But yeah, homemade herbal stuff is always a gamble...at least it's usually cheaper than store-bought mistakes.
