Hello friends, Heidi here from Rain Country. God is good all the time, and in this video I’m answering a question I get all the time: what solvents can you use for medicinal extracts, and which ones do I personally prefer? You’ll hear a lot of strong opinions out there, but it really comes down to what works best for you and what you’re trying to extract from the herb. I talk through the common options—homemade wine, vinegar, vodka and other spirits, and even glycerin—and why I put them in the order I do. Most of the time, my go-to is homemade wine because I know exactly what’s in it, it’s incredibly inexpensive, and it extracts and preserves very well. Vinegar is a great alcohol-free option, and if you want it more tolerable, I like doing a 1:1 vinegar-to-raw-honey blend. I also explain why vodka isn’t the only “right” answer, why I’m not interested in Everclear, and how woody ingredients (like cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, dried ginger, and certain mushrooms) tend to do better with a stronger spirit. And when it comes to shelf life, I’m not worried—stored properly, these extracts don’t go bad for me; they just get stronger with time.