Brave return of plant wisdom: Origin Story of Brave Tinctures

For most of human history, wellness wasn’t a cupboard of supplements - it was found in Mother Nature. It thrived in the garden. The hedgerow. It was knowledge and intuition passed down through generations, most often from women, the healers. It was wild, ritualistic, and deeply rooted in a relationship with nature, the seasons, and the body’s subtle rhythms.

For thousands of years, tinctures were the original wellness ritual, extracts of life, steeped in sunlight and distilled into liquid form, preserved in reverence. Passed down through generations, these potent extracts carried not just an essence of well-being, but cultural memory, handed from generation to generation.  And then, as time moved on, we quietly forgot their power.

What is a tincture?

A tincture is a concentrated liquid herbal extract made by infusing plants, mushrooms, and other botanicals in ethanol, a method that draws out their most powerful compounds, preserves their potency and unlocks their bioactivity. Quite simply, it’s a concentrated dose of nature in its most bioavailable form -  fast-absorbing, long-lasting, and steeped in both science and tradition. A way to work with your body, not against it.

Why tinctures faded from modern life

In the last 150 years, wellness rituals shifted, and health became industrialised. In the pursuit of speed and scale, many traditional practices were left behind. We moved away from whole-plant support and toward the chase of a quick fix.

In a world of fast fixes, ultra-processed everything, and endless output, our systems aren’t failing - they’re overstimulated and undernourished. We’ve drifted from the slow, cyclical rhythms that once guided us - those sacred ways of living that kept us attuned to the natural world and ourselves.

But today, a new movement is emerging, one that looks to bravely move forward, while carrying the wisdom of the past. Modern life demands proactive, nature-led, science-based ways to support mind, body, and skin. 

Rediscovering the tincture 

Tinctures aren’t just an effective way to deliver nature’s potent compounds - they’re an invitation to reconnect. With plants. With intuition. With the simple act of slowing down long enough to ask: What does my body need right now?

Each drop carries not only concentrated compounds but a whisper from a lineage of herbal wisdom long overlooked. With our Brave Tinctures, we honour this knowledge - and the truth that deep support is never a quick fix. It’s a conscious way of living in harmony with nature’s intelligence.

At Ancient + Brave, we’ve always believed in the intelligence of nature and the body’s innate capacity to thrive when given the right support. So it felt only natural to bring tinctures back. Not as a nostalgic trend, but as a purposeful evolution: a modern ritual rooted in ancestral wisdom and crafted for today.

Introducing our Trio of Brave Tinctures.

Born out of a desire to unite modern formulation expertise with the legacy of plant wisdom, our tinctures offer highly concentrated, synergistic blends to support mental clarity, radiance, and immunity.

For thousands of years, humans turned to plants not just for support, but to remember something innate: that we are not separate from nature, but part of it.  There is a shared biological language between our bodies and the botanical world. One that speaks in synergy, not force. 

Brave Tinctures honour this connection. They are not a fleeting wellness trend, but a modern ritual - grounded in rhythm, in nature’s wisdom, and in working with your body, not against it.

Inspired by the feminine archetypes of three timeless goddesses - guardians of vitality, clarity and resilience - these blends invite us to trust our intuition, honour our rhythms, and nourish ourselves well. Each formula harvests a unique combination of functional mushrooms, botanicals and adaptogens and supportive micronutrients. Consider them a modern tool grounded in ancient knowing - here to help you reconnect with what already lives within you.

This is not about looking back - it’s about moving forward with what was always wise.

Crafted by us, Inspired by the Feminine, Designed for Today

As an immunologist, I’ve spent my career studying the body’s most intelligent system - our immune system, or as I like to call it, our wellness system. It thrives best when supported consistently, not reactively. Our immune system is not just a defence fortress waiting for attack; it is a sensitive, adaptive network shaped by the world around us - and shaping our holistic health in return.

When I set out to create these tinctures, I didn’t start with what was trending. I started with what I know - what I see in my own life and hear from the people I work with: a desire to feel more resilient, more focused, and more vibrant. 

These aren’t just aesthetic or seasonal concerns - they’re signals of how well our inner systems are coping with the outer challenges of modern life.

Meet the tinctures: Immunity. Clarity. Glow.

Clarity isn’t just about focus; it’s about calming the stress response that disrupts immune regulation. Glow isn’t just about skin; it’s a reflection of inflammation, nutrient sufficiency, and inner harmony. And immune health isn’t just about fighting off infections - it’s the foundation of how we feel, function, and flourish every day.

Each tincture in this trio is a modern ritual, crafted to meet these deep, interconnected needs. A physiological invitation to come back into balance, using tools that have supported humans for millennia.

Three Goddesses. Three Rituals. One Bold Return.

Our new Brave Tincture Collection centres around three goddesses, each reflecting a different aspect of well-being. Together, they form a trilogy of modern rituals, crafted from biodynamic, organic ingredients and steeped in the synergy of nature and science.

Selene: Brave Immunity

Selene is the goddess who reminds us that health is rhythmic. Like the moon that governs tides and sap, our immune system flows with the seasons, cycles, and quiet signals of the body. This tincture is your daily invitation to honour those rhythms.

Formulated with:

• Shiitake + Maitake mushrooms to prime and train immune defences

• Elderberry + Thyme to respond to viral threats and cleanse
  

• Ginger + Vitamin C to stimulate, shield, and circulate

True immunity isn’t triggered - it’s trained. It's not about fighting, it's about flowing.

Sulis: Brave Clarity 

Sulis watched over the mineral-rich springs of ancient Bath, where women once came to heal both womb and mind. Clarity isn’t a destination - it’s a state we cultivate daily, by tending to the internal waters of the nervous system and the brain.

Blended with:

• Gotu Kola + Lion's Mane to support calm cognition and neuroplasticity
  

• Cordyceps + Rosemary + Sage for cognitive stamina, memory, and mental resilience
  

• Vitamin C for brain energy and psychological protection
  
  

This is clarity that doesn’t crackle with caffeine - but flows like water, steady and bright.

Sirona: Brave Glow 

Sirona, the ancient goddess of transformation and radiance, reminds us that beauty isn’t something to chase - it’s something we reclaim. Rooted in herbal tradition, this blend supports skin, hair, and nails from the inside out, recognising beauty as a mirror of internal balance.

Infused with:

• Tremella + Chaga to hydrate and shield
  

• Bilberry + Nettle to purify, oxygenate, and nourish
  

• Vitamin C to brighten, protect, and restore collagen integrity
  
  

How to use them

Each tincture can be taken sublingually (under the tongue for fast absorption) or mixed into your daily rituals - coffee, tea, or tonics. Their alcohol base ensures stability and potency, just as traditional herbalists once intended.

This is not a trend. It’s a reconnection.

Brave tinctures are not about biohacking. They are about re-rooting - in biology. In ritual. In what was once sacred and still is.

We’ve crafted them with a curated blend of organic and biodynamic ingredients, carefully sourced for purity, potency, and sustainability. Some of the botanicals are grown and extracted on the same certified organic land a short distance from soil to bottle. Every detail, from the sourcing to the extraction, reflects our commitment to honouring traditional methods while meeting modern standards.

This is plant wisdom that works with your body, not against it. Made for modern life, drawn from ancient knowing.

Welcome back to tinctures.
Welcome home to the wild intelligence within you.