Tincture

“ Very active substances, soluble in alcohol, are those which are particularly adapted for tinctures, since they furnish preparations which are efficient in small doses, and very manageable in extemporaneous prescription, such are the tinctures of Opium, Digitalis, Hyoscyamus, Scilla, &c. and from the chemical analysis of Elaterium, there can be no doubt but that a very active and useful tincture of that substance might be introduced into practice ”

“ A medicinal tincture (H.) made from the entire plant with spirit of wine is at the present time held in high esteem by many physicians for overcoming torpid conditions of the liver. Eight or ten drops of this tincture, or of the fresh juice of the plant, may be given for a dose three times in the day in sweetened water when bilious yellowness of the skin is present, with itching, and with clayey stools, dark thick urine, constipation, and a pain in the right shoulder; also for neuralgia of the head and face on the right side. ”

“ Very uniform and reliable tinctures may be made of most indigenous plants, by procuring the part to be employed, at the proper season, while it is green and fresh, bruising it well, and covering it with good strong whiskey, or with alcohol diluted with one part of water to three of alcohol, corking tightly, and letting it stand about fourteen days, when the tincture may be filtered or poured off from the drugs, and will be ready for use. ”

“ Our druggists supply an officinal tincture of Colchicum (Meadow Saffron) made from the seeds, the dose of which is from ten to thirty drops, with a spoonful of water; also a wine infused from the bulb, of which the dose is the same as that of the tincture, twice or three times a day; and an acetous extract prepared from the thickened juice of the crushed bulbs, of which from half to two grains may be given in a pilule, or dissolved in water, twice or three times a day, until the active symptoms are subdued, and then less often for another day or two afterwards. ”

“ Without a word he dropped the tincture swiftly in a wine-glass of water, drank it off, shivered, drew himself up with a start, gave a sigh as if some huge struggle was over, and went in to where the old man was. Three hours after he told his wife that her father was safe. ”

“ The late M. C. Periera of Bandra, an Assistant in the Bombay Medical Stores, used to prepare a tincture of the bitter bark. In exhibiting a specimen of the Tincture at the Therapeutical Section of the International Medical Congress of Australasia, held in Melbourne in January 1889, Surgeon Major K. R. Kirtikar said thus:— " The tincture contains a volatile oil which is said to act as an antiseptic and stimulant to the mucous membrane of the bronchi. The dose of the tincture is a drachm and a half, thrice daily in water or honey." ”

“ A child of twelve months, may take of the tincture ten drops every fifteen or twenty minutes, till it acts as an emetic, or relieves by perspiration; one of two or three years may take twenty or thirty drops. The third preparation is of much greater strength than the tincture. ”

“ SOAPWORT. The Herb and Root.—The roots taste sweetish and somewhat pungent; and have a light smell like those of liquorice: digested in rectified spirit they yield a strong tincture, which loses nothing of its taste or flavour in being inspissated to the consistence of an extract. This elegant root has not come much into practice among us, though it promises, from its sensible qualities, to be a medicine of considerable utility: it is greatly esteemed by the German physicians as an aperient, corroborant, and sudorific ”

“ In diarrhœa give two-drachm doses of a mixture of equal parts of tincture of catechu and tincture of ginger. (6) Vomiting will frequently yield to bismuth in fifteen-grain doses; and in some cases a single dose of calomel has acted like a charm. Ice is of advantage in some cases. (7) Throughout the entire treatment it should be remembered that the patient is below par, and requires [129] tonics. Quinine and tincture of iron have a prominent place in our list. (8) The patient should expect to suffer more or less for the first three days, and should make himself a prisoner for that time. ”

“ Warburg a salary for overseeing its preparation. A little later a medical commission was appointed to examine the tincture and draw up a formula for it. The commissioners formed themselves into three sections, and each section made an independent analysis. All agreed that the tincture was an alcoholic preparation of quinine, aloes, camphor, and saffron; zedoary root and angelica were guessed at by two of the sections, and rhubarb by one. The formula adopted was Hepatic aloes, and zedoary root, of each 1 drachm; Angelica root, and camphor, of each 2 grains ”

“ The tincture, made by dissolving the extract in spirit, I consider the best form of the drug for use in tetanic cases—or the resin may be made into an emulsion, by trituration with a little flour, carbonate of soda, and mucilage. The soda tends to dissolve the resin, and its use is in accordance with the precepts of the ancient Eastern writers, who prescribed hemp with alkaline substances, and used acids in various forms (such as oxymel and sorrel wine) to counteract its effects when taken in overdoses. ”

“ This tincture is a popular remedy in diarrhœa and colic, and is an especial favourite with drunkards.—Dose, as a stomachic, 1 to 3 fl. dr.; as a purgative, 1⁄2 to 11⁄2 fl. oz. The tincture of rhubarb of the shops is mostly inferior, being generally deficient both in rhubarb and spirit. The following forms we have seen extensively employed in the wholesale trade:—East Indian rhubarb, 20 lbs.; boiling water, q. s. to cover it; infuse for 24 hours, then slice the rhubarb, and put it into a cask with moist sugar, 14 lbs.; ginger, bruised, 31⁄2 lbs.; hay saffron, 1 lb.; carbonate of potash, 1⁄2 lb. ”

“ Passiflora is in its place as a succedaneum for Morphia or other sedatives. The dose varies from ten drops to one dram of the tincture, according to the age of the patient. I do not hesitate, in the case of an adult, to give dram doses of the tincture every hour until the patient sleeps, and have seen it act in the happiest manner in restoring the rhythm of the heart's action, when that organ has been deranged in its movements by the combined effects of exhaustion and loss of sleep. ”

“ Parkinson speaks highly of the bruised herb, or of its expressed juice, for scrofulous swellings when applied outwardly in the form of an ointment. An officinal tincture is made from the plants collected in the spring, when two years old; also, in some villages the infusion is employed as a homely remedy to cure a cold, the herb being known as "Throttle Wort;" ”

“ Tinctura Aloes Composita. L.D. Elixir Proprietatis. P.L. 1720. Tincture of Myrrh is the menstruum of the Aloes in this preparation, to which Saffron is added. Dose, fʒj to fʒij. Form. 16, 97.
Tinctura Myrrhæ. L. The strength of the spirituous solvent has been very judiciously increased in the Editio Altera of the London Pharmacopœia, by which means a brighter tincture is obtained. It is rarely used except in astringent and detergent gargles, or as an external application to foul ulcers; diluted with water it presents us with an excellent lotion for spongy gums. [687]
3. ”

“ Under the most favourable circumstances evaporation to a greater or lesser extent will take place in hot climates; hence by long keeping, the tincture acquires increased strength, and in regulating the dose of the more active tinctures, as of Opium or Datura, the fact ought to be borne in mind, or serious consequences may ensue. ”

“ The best is to dissolve one ounce of castor oil in one quart of 95 alcohol, and add one ounce of tincture of cantharides, two ounces of tincture of catechu, two ounces of lemon juice, two ounces of tincture of cinchona; and to scent it, add oil of cinnamon, or oil of rosemary, or both.
To Make the Hair Soft and Glossy.—Put one ounce of castor oil in one pint of bay rum or alcohol, and color it with a little of the tincture of alkanet root. Apply a little every morning. ”

“ I fill'd with a pretty deep tincture of Aloes, drawn onely with fair Water, and then stopt the hole with a piece of Wax, then, by holding this Wedge against the Light, and looking through it, it was obvious enough to see the tincture of the liquor near the edge of the Wedge where it was but very thin, to be a pale but well colour'd Yellow, and further and further from the edge, as the liquor grew thicker and thicker, this tincture appear'd deeper and deeper, so that near the blunt end, which was seven Inches from the edge and three Inches and an half thick ”

“ At present an aqueous fluid extract is said to supply the desideratum. This is merely a modification of the watery extract of all the Pharmacopœias, and is no doubt as good, but no better preparation. The denarcotised tincture is superior to all of them, and the very small quantity of spirit contained in an ordinary dose, is scarcely an objection, and is only little more than is necessary to preserve the extract ”

“ Stahl's tooth-tincture.—Alcohol of best quality 5 quarts, peppermint oil 13⁄4 ozs., clove oil 51⁄2 drachms, French rose-geranium oil 81⁄4 drachms, vanilla-tincture 51⁄4 ozs., guaiacum-tincture 31⁄2 ozs., benzoin tincture 83⁄4 ozs., henna-tincture, as coloring matter, 83⁄4 ozs.
Bring all the ingredients into a glass bottle, shake thoroughly and protect the mixture from sunlight. The tincture, when mixed with water, gives an emulsion. ”

“ Fumigating vinegar.—Alcohol 2 quarts, orris-root tincture 1 quart, benzoin tincture 1 pint, tinctures of tolu balsam and storax each 1⁄2 pint, musk-root tincture 41⁄4 ozs., tinctures of vitivert and vanilla each 31⁄2 ozs., Peru balsam 13⁄4 ozs., lavender oil and clove oil each 81⁄4 drachms, Ceylon cinnamon oil and African rose-geranium oil each 51⁄2 drachms, acetic acid 41⁄4 ozs. ”

“ The best preparations for these purposes are, a strong infusion made from the dry leaves in water (which is much superior to one from the green herb) or rather a tincture or extract prepared with rectified spirit.
The essential oil, a simple and spirituous water, and a conserve, are kept in the shops: the Edinburgh College directs an infusion of the leaves in the distilled water. This herb is an ingredient also in the three alexitereal waters; and its essential oil in the stomach plaster and stomach pills.—Lewis's Mat. Med. ”

“ French rose geranium oil 121⁄2, oil of cloves 10, cassia oil 5, wintergreen oil 1, orris-root tincture 125, rose-oil tincture from Turkish rose oil 100, musk tincture 121⁄2, civet tincture 10, vitivert tincture 371⁄2, abelmosk tincture 25.
In compiling the abundant choice of receipts for Extraits d'Odeurs given above, the golden mean has been chosen in regard to the quality of these odors, they, when carefully prepared, giving, at a moderate cost of manufacture, a product which in most cases will satisfy the demands of lovers of perfumes. ”

“ Fatal Period.—The symptoms may come on immediately, or may be delayed for an hour or two. In the case mentioned in the British Medical Journal the patient walked about five miles after swallowing two ounces of the tincture, which he drank at 11 o‘clock, returning home at 2.30 P.M. An excise officer, who died in about four hours, was able to walk from the Custom House over London Bridge. Death has taken place in so short a time as one hour and a quarter.
Fatal Dose.—About two grains of the extract, and one drachm of the tincture. Much will depend upon the amount of the alkaloid present. ”

“ Whereas Vegetables of Tincture are either Herbs, or Woods, or Berries and other Fruits; to breed Insects out of Herbes, dry them, (for so they yield the best tincture;) otherwise stamp them, and let them dry, till they will suffer no more juyce to run from them, (this in the Sun or in a proportionable heat:) or if dryed, infuse them with water in a heat for 24 houres ”

“ The liquid extract acts as an admirable remedy in some forms (strumous) of longstanding indigestion. The roots contain starch; and the ashes of the plant burnt when green yield carbonate of potash abundantly, with nitre, and inulin.
The Yellow Curled Dock (Rumex crispus) , so called because its leaves are crisped at their edges, grows freely in our roadside ditches, and waste places, as a common plant; and a medicinal tincture which is very useful (H.) is made from it before it flowers. ”

“ L. E. D.—This drug has a strong fetid smell, somewhat like that of garlick; and a bitter, acrid, biting taste. It looses with age of its smell and strength, a circumstance to be particularly regarded in its exhibition. It consists of about one-third part pure resin, and two-thirds of gummy matter; the former soluble in rectified spirit, the other in water. Proof-spirit dissolves almost the whole into a turbid liquor; the tincture in rectified spirit is transparent. ”

“ Chemical Composition. Resin and an essential oil constitute its active ingredients. Solubility. Its virtues are extracted by water, as well as by alcohol. The tincture has a bright green colour, which is rendered turbid by water. It neither affects Tannin nor Gelatine, nor does it precipitate the salts of iron. Medicinal Uses. It has been regarded as serviceable in cases that required the combined powers of a diaphoretic and tonic, as in some of the stages of typhus and other low fevers; it has also been found to exalt the febrifuge powers of the bark in cases of protracted intermittents. ”

“ When the ingredients contain alkaloids, or consist of saline or mineral matter, an assay may be made for them.
Uses, &c. Tinctures, from the quantity of alcohol which they contain, are necessarily administered in small doses, unless in cases where stimulants are indicated. The most important and useful of them are those that contain very active ingredients, such as the tincture of opium, foxglove, hemlock, henbane, &c. In many instances the solvent, even in doses of a few fluid drachms, acts more powerfully on the living system than the principles it holds in solution ”