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Atincture is typically anextract of plant or animal materialdissolved inethanol (ethyl alcohol).Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.[1] Inchemistry, a tincture is asolution that has ethanol as its solvent. Inherbal medicine, alcoholic tinctures are made with various ethanol concentrations, which should be at least 20% alcohol for preservation purposes.[1][2]
Other solvents for producing tinctures includevinegar,glycerol (also called glycerine),diethyl ether andpropylene glycol, not all of which can be used for internal consumption. Ethanol has the advantage of being an excellent solvent for both acidic and basic (alkaline) constituents. A tincture using glycerine is called aglycerite. Glycerine is generally a poorer solvent than ethanol. Vinegar, being acidic, is a better solvent for obtaining alkaloids but a poorer solvent for acidic components. For individuals who choose not to ingest alcohol, non-alcoholic extracts offer an alternative for preparations meant to be taken internally.
Lowvolatility substances such asiodine andmercurochrome can also be turned into tinctures.
Tinctures are often made of a combination ofethyl alcohol and water as solvents, each dissolving constituents the other is unable to, or weaker at. Varying their proportions can also produce different levels of constituents in the final extraction. As anantimicrobial, alcohol also acts as a preservative.
A downside of using alcohol as a solvent is that ethanol has a tendency todenature some organic compounds, reducing or destroying their effectiveness. This tendency can also have undesirable effects when extracting botanical constituents, such aspolysaccharides. Certain other constituents, common among themproteins, can become irreversibly denatured, or "pickled" by the alcohol. Alcohol can also have damaging effects on some aromatic compounds.
Ether andpropylene glycol based tinctures are not suitable for internal consumption, although they are used in preparations for external use, such as personal care creams andointments.
Some examples that were formerly common in medicine[3] include:
Examples of spirits include:
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