Tinctures are homeopathic remedies, so to answer the question - we really need to understand homeopathy. Homeopathy is the mystery clad rebel of the Wellness family: tricky to explain and at times dividing. On one hand, the science is often negative, sometimes positive and largely inconclusive. Research references can be cherry picked to support whatever your preference may be. On the other though, historical success is rather fabulous. It’s estimated over 200 million people use this gentle and effective natural therapy on the regular, worldwide. That’s a lot of bodies. It’s also part of the national health systems in many countries, and gets props from the British Royalty in matters of VIP health.
Why all the controversy?
In large part that’s due to mystery in the method. Homeopathic remedies are energetic, meaning they do not generally contain any measurable remnants of pharmacologically active components. Yup, in modern homeopathy there is almost always NONE of the physical, raw material used to create that remedy left in the final tincture. We’re talking healing life force vibes here guys, strengthened each time the source is diluted and shaken. As with many energetic medicines, this also makes things tricky to align scientifically.
A quick lesson in creating tinctures: The homoeopathic process of multiple succussions (potentisation) of the ingredient is a method which dilutes the original ingredient to the point where only its energy or vibration is imprinted in the carrying medium (in our case, ethanol).
How does it work, then?
The homeopathic principle of ‘like cures like’ means a substance (be it animal, vegetable or mineral) which causes specific symptoms in a healthy body will - in itty bitty energetic doses - alleviate those same feels in an unhealthy body. It’s believed that each stage of the dilution process potentised healing abilities unique to that product, triggering your body to self-regulate in the ways that are specific to the remedy.
As an example, take our Deep Sleep Drops - a wildly popular and effective heavenly slumber tool. We see Coffea Cruda in the mix, which is the fancy Latin way of saying essence of caffeine. Of course, caffeine does not immediately lend itself to thoughts of sleep… and yet. According to the Materia Medica of homeopathy, when overdosed, ‘raw’ (AKA espresso) Coffea Cruda will induce sleeplessness “on account of mental activity; flow of ideas, with nervous excitability.” Um yeah, WE KNOW *eye twitches uncontrollably*. However, when used to create an energetic medicine, the vibration aligns specifically to an overactive mind at bedtime.
What are the different types for?
There are two types of Homeopathy: traditional and complex. There’s pros and cons to both.
Just the one remedy gets prescribed at a time in Traditional Homeopathy. This makes seeing a qualified practitioner with solid knowledge really important. They’ll ask all the right questions to find the one and only remedy to fit your profile at that moment. Choose the remedy correctly, and you may resolve constitutional ailments across physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries (Hooray! You’re cured!). Select wrongly and your remedy will either not work or create the issue it’s designed to resolve with something called a proving (uh-oh.) The bottom line of this is, tread with care and always see a professional.
In Complex Homeopathy – which is what we use at The Goodnight Co. - a broad, generalised approach applies multiple remedies in the one tincture. If you’re starting out, this is where it’s at. Since many remedies can be good for the one issue, it’s hard to say which will be best for all the individual nuances we see person to person, so the benefit here comes in the options. It’s important to add the most suitable remedies to a blend for best results. Rest assured, all tinctures at The Goodnight Co. are blended by qualified practitioners with all natural ingredients, cause safety first (you’re welcome.)
Err… What’s with the booze?
There is usually some alcohol in a homeopathic remedy, which may seem odd. It’s added to extend the shelf life of your product: creating a super portable, easy to use and long lasting helper. The amount of alcohol in your remedy is veeeery small for tinctures (especially considering dropper dosage) and non-existent for tablets as it evaporates off at the processing stage.
If you’re after an alcohol-free tincture, we do have a trick: leave that baby in a safe space with the lid off for a couple of days to allow for evaporation. FYI this will generally reduce your expiry date along with the alcohol content as that’s what it’s there for, so store in the fridge away from light once you do this.
Which The Goodnight Co. blend is for me?
If you’re not sure which snooze maker is best for your needs, we first recommend reading the Sleep Series. This will help suss out which category of sleep struggle you’re in.
- If you hail from the can’t get to sleep due to worry or stress camp, maybe Calm is your weapon of choice.
- If you wake unrefreshed, often or just get poor quality sleep? Load up on Deep Sleep Drops, this is not a drill.
- Are you all of the above? We’d say Calm by day and Deep Sleep by night is the jam that’s for you. And also a hug.
Our final tips
Homeopathy is a sensitive soul. It’s easy to neutralise, so for best effect should be taken at least 30 minutes away from eating or drinking, especially any of the following:
- Peppermint, menthol (this includes toothpaste)
- Tea or coffee
- Strongly flavoured foods like garlic or spices.
To take them, place 6-8 drops (about a full dropper) under your tongue after dinner or before getting into bed. Hold the liquid under your tongue for 10 to 15 seconds before swallowing - this helps the sublingual glands absorb the remedy. Repeat each evening or if waking during the night.
For best results, do not eat, drink or brush your teeth for 30 minutes before or after consuming the Drops as the remedy's effect may be reduced.
Store the remedies in a cool, dark place, as far away from EMF (electro-magnetic fields, like phones, TV, alarm clocks) as possible.
Top tip: We recommend juggling your night time schedule to allow 30 mins of space between brushing your teeth and snuggling down to pop those drops. With a delightful dose of wind down time between the two, we think there’s room for both.
Ready to start experiencing this gentle supplement? Shop our Drops here.
