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In medicine, a tincture is an alcoholic extract (e.g. of leaves or other plant material) or solution of a non-volatile substance; e.g. of iodine, mercurochrome). To qualify as a tincture, the alcoholic extract is to have a ethanol percentage of at least 40-60% (sometimes a 90% percent pure liquid is even achieved). [1] Solutions of volatile substances were called spirits, although that name was also given to several other materials obtained by distillation, even when they did not include alcohol.
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General method of preparation
A general method of preparation on how tinctures can be prepared is the following:[2]
- Herbs are put in a jar and a spirit of 40°C pure ethanol is added
- The jar is closed and left to stand for 2-3 weeks. It is shaken every once in a while.
To make a more precise tincture^, more extensive measuring can be done by combining 1 part herbs with a water-ethanol mixture of 2-10 parts, depending on the herb itself. With most tinctures, however, 1 part water at 5 parts ethanol is used.[3]
Examples of tinctures
Some examples that were formerly common in medicinecitation needed include:
- Tincture of Benzoin
- Tincture of cantharides
- Tincture of ferric citrochloride (a chelate of citric acid and Iron(III) chloride)
- Tincture of green soap (which also contains lavender)
- Tincture of guaiac
- Tincture of iodine
- Tincture of opium (laudanum)
- Camphorated opium tincture (paregoric)
- Tincture of Pennyroyal
Examples of spirits include:
- Spirit of ammonia (also called spirit of hartshorn)
- Spirit of box, or ethanol, which was derived from the destructive distillation of boxwood
- Spirit of camphor
- Spirit of ether, a solution of diethyl ether in alcohol
- "Spirit of Mindererus", ammonium acetate in alcohol
- "Spirit of nitre" is not a spirit in this sense, but an old name for nitric acid (but "sweet spirit of nitre" was ethyl nitrite)
- Similarly "spirit of salt" actually meant hydrochloric acid
- "Spirit of vinegar" was glacial acetic acid and
- "Spirit of vitriol" was sulfuric acid
- "Spirit of wine" or "spirits of wine" is an old name for alcohol (especially food grade alcohol derived from the distillation of wine)
- "Spirit of wood" means methanol, often derived from the destructive distillation of wood
See also
- Nalewka - a traditional Polish category of alcoholic tincture.
- infusion - a water or oil based extract with similar historical uses to a tincture.
- Elixir - A pharmaceutical preparation containing an active ingredient that is dissolved in a solution containing some percentage of ethyl alcohol.
- Extract
References
- ^ Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst
- ^ How to make a tincture
- ^ Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst
External links
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 27 August 2008, at 11:07.
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