For Herb Presses, bigger is not necessarily better!! There are several important considerations in selecting herbal tincture press and canister size: Each of us can only apply so much twisting force or torque to the herb press handle, therefore the smaller the piston size the more pressure you apply to the herbs. You are only putting the pulp or mark in the herbal tincture press canister. You have filtered the liquid through the supplied cotton herb press bag; therefore you are putting only about 1/4th of the total batch into the herbal tincture press canister. Regardless of which tincture press canister you select you will be putting many times more pressure on your herbs than you could ever hope for by ringing it out with a sock, towel, potato ricer, hops press or coffee press. The herb press will pay for itself very quickly in increased production if you have been using any of the above methods.

Most Frequently Asked Question

What size press do I need?

It all comes down to time and quantity. Which has the most value for you, time or quantity? It only takes a very few minutes to fill and press the canister out. But if you are paying someone, say $20.00 an hour, to do the pressing for you and the tincture you are pressing is only worth, say $8.00 an ounce, you might be better off with a larger press and loosing some of the tincture rather that using a smaller press and getting all you can out of the herb. I make my own tinctures, just for my family and I want all of the tincture. I think that the last little bits are the strongest and I want them. I always use the "A Press", even when I'm doing a 5 gallon batch of black walnut for the dogs. Remember the liquid just pours through the bag all you press is the mark.

Comments About Our Model A Press


i have had the chance to use the herbal press that i purchased recently and i am very pleased! it is easy to use, easy to clean, and it was amazing how much more tincture or oil that it delivered that would have been lost otherwise. it is not bulky and is easy to store out of the way on a shelf. i highly recommend it to anyone wanting a press---you have an excellant product and im delighted to have found it. i bought the delux model and it is worth every penny, it will long outlast me and i plan on handing it down with my raggedy herbal book of notes and recipes to my daughter--its that good!
thank you,
k.f.,taos, nm
quote any part you want-its all true and i want others to learn of a terrific product that will last them all their life. if you dont mind, i will post your web link on some herbal forums i go to. youd be surprized how many people dont know you can even get such an item--i belong to 3 different herbal forums and not one person (and many are very knowledgable) has ever mentioned such a thing that im aware of or i would have bought one a few years ago. you have a great little product and i love it!
so THANK YOU for putting it out there.
best wishes,
k.

I love my press. I use it to press herbal tinctures. It works really well. I have had no problems with it. I will eventually need to move to a larger press, however this is great for the amount I am pressing now and you certainly can't beat the price!
Thanks, J.R.,Poway, CA

Hi. I ordered a WONDERFUL tincture press from you about a year ago. I'm extremely happy with it- it has saved me countless hours toiling away at squeezing out every last drop by hand, and I have no doubt that it has indeed paid for itself with the extra liquid I get out of each batch. Thank you so much for the tincture press. I think I have to say that product has actually changed my life more than anything else I've purchased. I have lots of health problems and I just don't have the energy to strain those tinctures off any other way, and I really need to take my herbs regularly.
Thanks, D.W.


I was waiting until I used the press before replying. I made an infusion of slippery elm bark and am happy that it squeezed the snot out of it. I will be using it to make all kinds of herbal remedies both leaf and bark/root. I like the press because it is small and I can pick it up and dump the liquid into whatever I want. No siphoning or hoses to worry about. Over all I think it's a very handy press and have already recommended it to friends.
the above comments by L.N., OH regarding the Model A press
I tried the press out for the first time today. The moon is full and like Dr. Christopher did, I press my tinctures when the moon is full - makes them stronger. I was extremely pleased with it. It was very easy to use and I measured the extra tincture I got with it - almost 8 ounces over what I would normally get from a quart size jar of tincture squeezing by hand and letting it drain. (I make very concentrated tinctures, filling the jar 1/2 to 3/4 full of herb before adding the menstruum.) When I emptied the bag into the compost, the remaining herbs looked almost as dry as when I put them in the jar.

I am an herbalist and ND. I teach herbology/aromatherapy classes at a local college here. I don't have an actual formal practice, just make things for people in need and teach others to make their own products. You can use this in your website if you wish.
SAC,ND, Pisgah Forest, NC

I want to order one Model A Press. I also want three additional canisters and lids. I have an herbalist friend who has one of your presses and she likes it very much. I have seen her use it. J.O., a Master Herbalist, Utah

Hi Charley --
I was the first to buy one of Charley Mathre's tincture presses in the mid 1990s. In my life as an herbalist, it is my most precious piece of hardware. I've heard that Charley makes a "better" version than the one that I own, but I would be hard-pressed (tee-hee!) to give up mine. It has been there for me through thick and thin -- to squeeze out that last drop of Black Cohosh tincture or press out the best of my beautiful, scarlet St. John's Wort oil. Mine may not be pretty, but it's worth its weight in gold!! Thanks Charley, you're the best! L. J. H., Jackson, California, Herbalist in Ayurveda


Using an herb tincture press is a very effective method to get the most St. John's Wort tincture out of your herbs, and with the price of alcohol, pays for itself in only a few herb tincture batches! For a variety of presses, see http://www.mathrespresses.com/ Above copy from http://Altnature.com/index.html,K.B.,Tennessee Ridge, TN


Hi there, I received the press today and have already used it and I must say I am VERY happy with it. I have already produced 2 different tinctures-one for sleep aid and one for my mother who is suffering from osteoarthritis...I will be testing the sleep tincture this evening. I would recommend this press to others who are looking to make herbal tinctures for healthy, natural remedies. thanks again for the great item. I will definitely be buying from you in the future
J.J., Memphis, AR


It arrived today, and just in time, because I was clearing some yard and weeded up a bunch of dandelions--so I had a good test run as I chopped my weeds up with the menstrum-easy. I do wish I had read your cleaning tip before tonight, but will try it next time. It is a powerful machine, for sure. Thank you for your great tips, and your prompt service.


I'm thrilled with the press I got, I really put the squeeze on that Symphytum root. Thank you. Now I have a hankering for that used Vita Mix blender, if you still have it.
E.Z.,Midway, Ky.


I just used my press for the first time today and I really like it. I am using it to make herbal tinctures. It is very easy to use.
S.G., Sebastopol, CA


Hi, I just received your press. I pressed a few cups of Ashwaghandha tincture. The marc was almost completely dry at the end. So far so good, I can be really hard on equipment so if you contact me in a few months and its still in one piece you will know you have a hell of a product.
F.M., Oakland, CA


Hello. I love my tincture press. I purchased the Model A, and it is just right for my needs. I can get the very last drop of medicine from my tinctures, it is easy to use, easy to clean. Thank you for inventing something affordable for the home tincture maker. I give it a 10.
T.A.W., Days Creek, Or.


I was waiting until I used the press before replying. I made an infusion of slippery elm bark and am happy that it squeezed the snot out of it. I will be using it to make all kinds of herbal remedies both leaf and bark/root. I like the press because it is small and I can pick it up and dump the liquid into whatever I want. No siphoning or hoses to worry about. Over all I think it's a very handy press and have already recommended it to friends.
The above comments by L.N., OH are about her Model A press

Questions? Need more help?

Thank you for visiting our Web Site (http://www.mathrespresses.com), if you would like more information you can email us (due to the amount of spam we receive each day please be sure to put "press or presses" in the subject box so that we do not mistakenly delete it for spam) at charley@goldrush.com or call us at 209-286-1232. If you do decide to purchase a press from us Rich Gulch Products will not sell, lease, lend or give away any information about you or the products you purchase to anyone at anytime.



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Experienced Equipment    


We Think You Might Enjoy Visiting These Web Sites:


Why Make Tinctures
and
How To Make Your Own Tinctures
by Herbalist Mary Satchell


Tincture Recipes
by Michael Moore
online Materia Medica by Michael Moore
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Herbal Remedies From Wild Plants
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Alternative Nature Online Herbal has articles about herbal remedies from wild plants, alternative medicine, growing herbs, and hundreds of photographs of medicinal plants.

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by Christopher Hobbs

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H.E.A.L. Marketplace
Interesting and informative site.
H.E.A.L. (Health Education Association for Life) Marketplace is dedicated to providing our Members with the highest quality Herbal Extracts, Teas and Nature's SuperFood. We use the highest quality herbs available in all our herbal formulae.

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Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
History and Comminution with pictures of antique methods. Must have Acrobat Reader to see.

Copyright & copy; 1998 Charley Mathre
all rights reserved
this page was updated January 23, 2006