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). 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.

General method of preparation

• 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.

Examples of tinctures

• 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

External links

• How to make a tincture