PHARMACY. 



CLASS XVI. Tincture. TINCTURES. 



The term tincture has often been em- 

 ployed in a very vague sense. It is now 

 commonly applied to coloured solutions, 

 made by digestion, in alcohol, or diluted 

 alcohol. But it is also, though pei haps 

 incorrectly, extended to solutions in ether, 

 ethereal spirits, and spirit of ammonia. 



Alcohol is capable of dissolving resins, 

 gum resins, extractive, tannin, sugar, vo- 

 latile oils, soaps, camphor, adipoceie, co- 

 louring mailers, acids, alkalies, and some 

 compound salts. Many of these, as the 

 gum resins, soaps, extractive, tannin, su- 

 gar, and saline substances, are also solu- 

 ble in water, while water is capable of dis- 

 solving substances, such as gum, gelatine, 

 and most of the compound salts, which 

 are insoluble in alcohol. But the insolu- 

 bility of these substances, in the different 

 menstrua, is not absolute, but merely re- 

 lative ; for a certain proportion of alcohol 

 may be added to a solution of gum in wa- 

 ter without decomposing it ; and a solu- 

 tion of resin in alcohol will bear a certain 

 admixture of water without becoming tur- 

 bid. Therefore, diluted alcohol, which is 

 a mixture of these two menstrua, some- 

 times extracts the virtues of heterogene- 

 ous compounds more completely than ei- 

 ther of them separately. 



Alcohol is used as a menstruum. 



1. When the solvend is not soluble, or 

 sparingly soluble, in water. 



2. When a watery solulion of the sol- 

 vend is extremely perishable. 



3L When the use of alcohol is indicated 

 as well as that of the solvend. 



In making alcoholic tinctures, we must 

 observe, that the virtues of recent vegeta- 

 ble matters are very imperfectly extracted 

 by spirituous menstrua. They must, 

 therefore, be previously carefully dried, 

 and as we cannot assist the solution by 

 means of heat, we must facilitate it by re- 

 ducing the solvend to a state of as minute 

 mechanical division as possible. To pre- 

 vent loss, the solution is commonly made 

 in a close vessel, and the heat applied 

 must be very gentle, lest it be broken by 

 the expansion of vapour 



The action of tinctures on the living 

 system is always compounded of the ac- 

 tion of the menstruum, and of the matters 

 dissolved in it. Now, these actions may 

 either coincide with, or oppose, each 

 other ; and as alcohol is at all times a 

 powerful agent, it is evident that no sub- 

 stance should be exhibited in the form of 

 a tincture, whose action is different from 

 that of alcoholi unless it be capable of 



operating in so small a dose, that the 

 quantity of alcohol taken along with it is 

 inconsiderable. 



Tinctures are not liable to spoil, as it is 

 called, but they must nevertheless be 

 kepi in well closed phials, especially when 

 they contain active ingredients, to prevent 

 the evaporation of the mentruum. 



They generally operate in doses so small, 

 that they are rarely exhibited by them- 

 selves, but commonly combined with some 

 vehicle. In choosing the Litter, we must 

 select some substance which does not de- 

 compose the tincture, cr at least separates 

 nothing 1 from it in a palpable form. 



The London college direct all tinctures, 

 except that of muriate of iron, to be pre- 

 pared in closed phials. 



The Dublin college explain, that, when 

 they order substances to be digested, 

 they mean it to be done with a low degree 

 of heat ; and when they are to be mace- 

 ratedi it is to be done with a degree of 

 heat between 60 and 90. 



Tinctura aloes, Lond. tinctura succoto- 

 rinae, Edin. tincture of aloes 



Tinctura aloes composita, Lond. tinc- 

 tura aloes cum myrrha, Edin. tincture of 

 aloes with myrrh. 



Tinctura cardemomi, Lond. tinctura 

 amomi repeutis, Edin. tincture of carda- 

 moms. 



Tinctura serpentariae, Lond. tinctura 

 aristolochiae serpentarix, Edin. tincture of 

 snake-root. 



Tinctura assae faetidx, Lond.Dubl. tinc- 

 ture of assafcetida. 



Tinciura aurantii corticis, Lond. Dubl. 

 tincture of orange-peel. 



Tinctura balsami peruviani, Lond. tine- 

 ture of balsam of Peru. 



Tinctura benzoes composita, Lond. 

 Edin. tincture of benjamin, compound. 



Tinctura camphorae, Edin. spiritus cam- 

 phoratus, Lond. Dub. tincture of camphor, 

 camphorated spirit. 



In this the Edinburgh title is grossly 

 inaccurate; the preparation being quite 

 colourless instead of tinctured. 



Tinctura cascarillae, Lond. Dubl. tinc- 

 ture of cascarilla. 



Tinctura sennae, Lond. Dubl. tincture of 

 senna. 



Tinctura cassias sennse composita, Edin. 

 tincture of senna compound; elixir of 

 health. 



Tinctura castorei, Lond. Dub. tincture 

 of castor. 



Tinctura cinchonae, Lond. Edin. tinc- 

 ture of Peruvian bark. 



Tinctura cinchona composita, Lond. 



