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A tincture prepared from white willow bark and ethanol

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 an ethanol percentage of at least 40-60% (80-120 proof) (sometimes a 90% (180 proof) pure liquid is even achieved).^[1] In herbal medicine, alcoholic tinctures are often made with various concentrations of ethanol, 25% being the most common. Other concentrations include 45% and 90%. Herbal tinctures do not always use ethanol as a solvent, though this is the most frequent. Other solvents include vinegar, glycerol, ether and propylene glycol, not all of which are used for internal consumption. However, the advantage of ethanol is that being close to neutral pH, it is a good compromise as a solvent of both acidic and alkaline constituents. Glycerine, when utilized in a tincture methodology manner, is a poorer solvent generally and vinegar, being acidic, is a better solvent of alkaloids but a poorer solvent of acids, which would result in the alkaloids being more active in the preparation than otherwise. However, for people who do not imbibe alcohol for medical, religious or moral reasons, non-alcoholic (glycerite) tinctures are a possible alternative.

Alcohol tinctures cannot be subjected to high temperatures and are thus considered a passive methodology regarding this factor. This is one of the primary reasons why glycerol is typically seen as inferior to alcohol, when utilized in tincture methodology fashion, since it does not exhibit the extractive potential of alcohol when used in the low temperature tincturing setting. Glycerol used only in this fashion, as is typically done in the herbal products industry for instance, will result in a weak solution, whereas if subjected to one of the contemporary innovative methodology currently in the industry, the extractive potential of glycerol is quite astounding. Therefore, glycerite products made using such innovative extraction technologies are showing great promise, some even rivaling alcohol tinctures on many points.

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. In chemistry, a tincture is a solution that has alcohol as the solvent.

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^{[citation needed]} pure ethanol is added
The jar is left to stand for 2–3 weeks, shaken occasionally, in order to maximise the concentration of the solution.

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.^[1]

Examples of tinctures

Some examples that were formerly common in medicine^[3] include:

Tincture of Cannabis sativa
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
Warburg's Tincture (aka Tinctura Antiperiodica aka Antiperiodic Tincture), an antipyretic medicine of the 19th-century.

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(s) of salt" actually meant hydrochloric acid. The concentrated, fuming, 35% acid is still sold under this name in the UK, for use as a drain-cleaning fluid.
"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

Advantages of tinctures

Ethanol is able to dissolve substances which are less soluble in water, while at the same time the water content can dissolve the substances less soluble in ethanol. It is possible to vary the proportion of ethanol and water to produce tinctures with different qualities because of different substances. One example of this is tincture of Calendula officinalis, which is frequently used either at 25% ethanol or 90% ethanol. The solvent also acts as a preservative.

Disadvantages of tinctures

Chemically speaking, ethanol possesses a profound intrinsic denaturing and inert rendering quality. This quality accounts for a large part of ethanol's anti-microbial properties. This denaturing and inert rendering quality also has an unintended effect on many extracted constituents. For instance, alcohol intrinsically fractures and denatures many highly complex aromatic compounds and denatures many extracted for polysaccharides. Other constituents are likewise subjected to denaturing and being rendered inert. The basic tenants of chemistry teach that anytime a biologically viable component is denatured or rendered inert, it will reduce or negate anticipated for outcomes. This factor needs to be seriously considered and weighed by the clinician or consumer when determining the hoped for biological viability of an ethanol-based botanical tincture both as to sought for efficacy and dosage considerations.

Ether and propylene glycol tinctures are not suitable for internal consumption and are instead used in such preparations as creams or ointments.

References

^ ^a ^b Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst
^ How to make a tincture
^ The Pharmacopoeia of the United States, 1850 ed.

External links

How to make a tincture

[ReferenceA-1] Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst

[2] How to make a tincture

[3] The Pharmacopoeia of the United States, 1850 ed.

[1]

[2]

[3]

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 [[Image:Whitewillowtincture.jpg|thumb|right|110px|A tincture prepared from [[Salix alba|white willow]] bark and ethanol]]
-In [[medicine]], a '''tincture''' is an [[alcohol]]ic [[extract]] (e.g. of leaves or other plant material) or [[solution]] of a non-[[Volatility (chemistry)|volatile]] substance; (e.g. of [[iodine]], [[mercurochrome]]). To qualify as a tincture, the alcoholic extract is to have an [[ethanol]] percentage of at least 40-60% (80-120 proof) (sometimes a 90% (180 proof) pure liquid is even achieved).<ref name="ReferenceA">Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst</ref>  In herbal medicine, alcoholic tinctures are often made with various concentrations of ethanol, 25% being the most common. Other concentrations include 45% and 90%.  Herbal tinctures do not always use ethanol as a solvent, though this is the most frequent. Other solvents include [[vinegar]], [[glycerol]], [[ether]] and [[propylene glycol]], not all of which are used for internal consumption.  However, the advantage of ethanol is that being close to neutral [[pH]], it is a good compromise as a solvent of both acidic and alkaline constituents.  Glycerine, when utilized in a tincture methodology manner, is a poorer solvent generally and vinegar, being acidic, is a better solvent of alkaloids but a poorer solvent of acids, which would result in the alkaloids being more active in the preparation than otherwise.  However, for people who do not imbibe alcohol for medical, religious or moral reasons, non-alcoholic (i.e. glycerol processed) tinctures are a possible alternative.
+In [[medicine]], a '''tincture''' is an [[alcohol]]ic [[extract]] (e.g. of leaves or other plant material) or [[solution]] of a non-[[Volatility (chemistry)|volatile]] substance; (e.g. of [[iodine]], [[mercurochrome]]). To qualify as a tincture, the alcoholic extract is to have an [[ethanol]] percentage of at least 40-60% (80-120 proof) (sometimes a 90% (180 proof) pure liquid is even achieved).<ref name="ReferenceA">Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst</ref>  In herbal medicine, alcoholic tinctures are often made with various concentrations of ethanol, 25% being the most common. Other concentrations include 45% and 90%.  Herbal tinctures do not always use ethanol as a solvent, though this is the most frequent. Other solvents include [[vinegar]], [[glycerol]], [[ether]] and [[propylene glycol]], not all of which are used for internal consumption.  However, the advantage of ethanol is that being close to neutral [[pH]], it is a good compromise as a solvent of both acidic and alkaline constituents.  Glycerine, when utilized in a tincture methodology manner, is a poorer solvent generally and vinegar, being acidic, is a better solvent of alkaloids but a poorer solvent of acids, which would result in the alkaloids being more active in the preparation than otherwise.  However, for people who do not imbibe alcohol for medical, religious or moral reasons, non-alcoholic ([[glycerite]]) tinctures are a possible alternative.
 Alcohol tinctures cannot be subjected to high temperatures and are thus considered a passive methodology regarding this factor.  This is one of the primary reasons why glycerol is typically seen as inferior to alcohol, when utilized in tincture methodology fashion, since it does not exhibit the extractive potential of alcohol when used in the low temperature tincturing setting. Glycerol used only in this fashion, as is typically done in the herbal products industry for instance, will result in a weak solution, whereas if subjected to one of the contemporary innovative methodology currently in the industry, the extractive potential of glycerol is quite astounding. Therefore, [[glycerite]] products made using such innovative extraction technologies are showing great promise, some even rivaling alcohol tinctures on many points.