You mentioned in the case of Milk Thistle it would be better to use a standardized extract, as in a tincture the (constituents of the) hard skin of the seed would not be extracted properly. Is there a way to make a decent tincture anyway? Just for liver support without addressing any sickness. Thank you.

That is not what I said, I said you cannot make an effective tea of Milk Thistle seed. You can make a very effective tincture, but it requires high alcohol (80-90%) and several unusual steps that most other tinctures do not, to make it.

Would you like to tell me the unusual steps needed to make the Milk Thistle tincture?

It is a bit complicated, but you need to grind the seeds up finely, then soak them in water for 6-8 hours, then press them out to get all the water, starches and fixed oils out (you will need a serious tincture press for this). Let the remaining seed cake dry out (after pressing it will be in a compacted “cake”) and regrind. This is what you use to make the tincture with high levels of alcohol (80-90%). It is quite laborious, but anything less is an inferior product. The resulting tincture will be a bright yellow color with little or no sediment. If it is brown or cloudy you did not get enough of the starches and fixed oils out, which are useless and reduce the activity of your finished tincture.

Thank you very very much! I made a normal tincture with grinded seeds (without the unusual steps, only with vodka 40%) years ago and it turned pink. Do you have any idea where the pink colour came from, which constituent might play a role? I did not take the tincture but was wondering about the colour for a long time and nobody I met had answers to my questions, even at the Ohlone Herbal Center. So, I really appreciate you shared this with me!

Oh, one addition: I grew the Milk Thisle myself in California on disturbed soil, a former wine growing area. The seeds have been very black and thick. Maybe herbizides and pestizides made the tincture turn pink?

Doubtful, again I think most likely you did not get the starches out.