Does Dit Da Jow Expire?

Many customers have asked, does Dit Da Jow expire? Wondering does Dit Da Jow expire is a great question especially after investing the time and money in preparing it and wondering if it goes bad in the future. Well good news, it does not expire, just follow some simple guidelines and you will have a liniment that lasts as long as you want or until it runs out. We have had some of our first customers back 30 years ago, tell us they still have some of their first batch left.

Generally most customers use their Dit Da Jow frequently and it never lasts that long, others use it sparingly and they have it 30 years later or they make several batches and just store it for the future. We always say Dit Da Jow is like a fine wine that gets better with age.

Preventing Dit Da Jow From Expiring

The main factor in Dit Da Jows longevity is the use of alcohol like vodka for maceration. The liquid used for maceration is called the solvent, alcohol, water, and vinegar are the most commonly used solvents. Alcohol in the 40% percent range is the best for preventing Dit Da Jow from expiring, followed by vinegar. Customers who do not like alcohol for personal reasons like religion, use vinegar. It does not extract the constituents as well as vodka and it has a shorter shelf like possibly in the 5 to 10 year range but it can be used as long as you know it can expire in the future. Water has the shortest shelf life usually in the 7 to 14 day range when refrigerated. It is generally only used when something is needed quickly like a herbal soak then the herbs are discarded as they can become rancid if sitting too long. Think of it as a tea that you need to consume in a certain amount of time before it goes bad.

The other key factor is the glass jar used to macerate the herbs, it must have an airtight lid, having a lid or cap that does not fit securely will allow the alcohol to evaporate as alcohol evaporates faster than water and over time leave you with a water based liniment that will expire, alcohol and water will evaporate at different rates due to the physical properties of each compound and alcohol evaporates faster. You can check this out yourself with a Hydrometer, pour in your alcohol, ( this will only work with distilled alcohol, like vodka, gin grain alcohol and not wine) check the alcohol content and then leave it as is for a week and see what the alcohol level is.

Other important elements for fast evaporation with a poor sealing lid is room temperature, cool  air is always better than hot when storing the jar as alcohol evaporates faster than water this pure physics. So always store your Dit Da Jow in a cool place like in a cabinet or closet and out of direct sunlight. Storing away from a hot water heater or furnace is also recommended. Making sure you have a lid that seals airtight will go a long way in preventing Dit Da Jow from expiring.

One more important point is as you use your Dit Da Jow the level of the liniment goes down and will at some point be lower than the herbs themselves, this is fine as long as you keep the herbs inside moist from shaking your jar periodically, this will prevent any of the herbs drying out and possibly becoming rancid. When the level gets to low then it is time to start a new batch.

Does Dit Da Jow Expire with a Loose Lid?

Obviously it does, a loose lid can cause the loss of 1% of the alcohol content in a few days, so always make sure when you take out some of your liniment for use, that you make sure the lid or cap are tight when finished. If you have a jar that does not seal well, it would be advisable to transfer everything over to a new jar that does seal well. A Bormioli or Fido 5L jar seal very well (see below) as does some pickle jars.

Lets Review the Key Points To Prevent Dit Da Jow from Expiring

1. Use Vodka or other distilled alcohol that is at least 40% alcohol, this offers the best extraction and allows the Dit Da Jow to absorb into the skin.
2. Make sure  your lid or cap is airtight, if you shake the jar and you feel some liniment coming out then it is not airtight, so tighten the lid more or change jars.
3. Store in a cool location out of direct sunlight and away from any furnace or hot water heater.
4. When the level of liniment gets below the herbs, shake the jar periodically to keep the herbs moist with alcohol.

 

Following these tips, you will never need to worry does Dit Da Jow expire, as yours certainly will not.