Glycerites vs. Tinctures: What's The Difference?

Liquid herbal extracts come in two main forms: glycerites and tinctures. They look similar — both are liquid extracts of plants, herbs, roots, and botanicals — but there are some meaningful differences between them.

At Dr. Green Life™, we’ve formulated several herbal glycerites and want to make sure you understand exactly what they are, how they compare to alcohol-based tinctures, and why we've chosen to offer them.

An herbal extract is a concentrated liquid made by soaking plant material — leaves, roots, flowers, bark, or botanicals — in a solvent until the solvent draws out the plant's active compounds. The result is a potent, shelf-stable liquid that delivers these compounds in a form your body can readily absorb. Both glycerites and tinctures are herbal extracts. The difference between them is the solvent used, and this difference may affect various aspects of the supplement, from how it tastes to who can take it.

You might like this article, too: A Dr. Green Life Herbal Tea Guide

Traditional herbal tinctures use alcohol — typically ethanol — as the solvent. Alcohol is highly effective at extracting a wide range of plant compounds and has been used in herbalism for centuries. Tinctures are shelf stable, potent, and time-tested.

However, alcohol-based tinctures aren't the right fit for everyone. Parents giving supplements to young children; individuals avoiding alcohol for personal, religious, or health reasons; and those who are sensitive to the taste of alcohol may find tinctures difficult to use consistently. And as we noted in our article on supplement delivery methods, the best supplement is the one you'll actually take.

You might like this article, too: How To Build A Thoughtful Daily Supplement Routine For Your Family

Herbal glycerites use vegetable glycerin — a plant-derived, naturally sweet liquid — as the solvent instead of alcohol. Glycerin has been used in herbalism since the mid-1800s, and a growing body of published research has examined how it performs as an extraction solvent. 

Vegetable glycerin is derived from plant oils through a process called hydrolysis, which separates the glycerin from the fatty acids. The result is a clear, odorless, viscous liquid with a naturally sweet taste. Vegetable glycerin is widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, and has a long history of safe use across many industries. At Dr. Green Life™, we only use USDA Organic vegetable glycerin in our formulations, so you can feel confident about what you're giving your family. 

A 2021 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Antioxidants found that glycerol-water extraction systems produced extracts with higher concentrations of polyphenols, flavonoids, and chlorophyll from peppermint and nettle leaves compared to classical solvents including water and ethanol (1). A separate 2023 metabolomics study published in Metabolites compared glycerol-based and ethanol-based plant extracts side by side and found no meaningful differences in the diversity of plant compounds captured between the two solvents and noted a growing scientific interest in glycerol as an extraction solvent specifically because of its non-toxic nature and high extraction efficiency (2).

Glycerol performs particularly well with polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins, and glycerites are generally considered gentler preparations than alcohol tinctures overall. 

You might like this article, too: Choosing A Supplement Delivery Method For Your Family

At Dr. Green Life™, we believe you deserve to know exactly what you are purchasing. We only source raw ingredients from superior sources that have been certified clean, and our final products are third-party tested. Our glycerites are third-party tested for heavy metals, glyphosate, and AMPA (a primary glyphosate breakdown product that many supplement companies don't test for). Microbial COAs are available upon request. 

To learn more about third-party testing at Dr. Green Life™, click here.

Glycerites are a thoughtfully formulated choice for the whole family — alcohol-free, naturally sweet, and backed by research on glycerol's ability to effectively capture plant compounds. Made with USDA Organic vegetable glycerin and verified by independent third-party testing, Dr. Green Life™ glycerites are designed to make consistent, high-quality herbal support accessible to everyone in your family.

1. Kowalska G, Baj T, Kowalski R, Szymańska J. Optimization of glycerol–water extraction of selected bioactive compounds from peppermint and common nettle. Antioxidants. 2021;10(5):817. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10050817 
2. Medina-Pérez G et al. Qualitative analysis of polyphenols in glycerol plant extracts using untargeted metabolomics. Metabolites. 2023;13(4):566. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13040566