Friday, April 25, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
ECLECTIC TINCTURES
Eclectic Tinctures.
The eclectics have been most fortunate in having had identified with
them two such eminently scientific pharmaceutic chemists as Prof. J. Uri
Lloyd and Dr. William S. Merrell. Headed by these gentlemen, the school has developed the chemistry and pharmacy of plant
medicaments in a manner of vital interest and importance to all
physicians, whether employing them as the eclectics do or in other
manners. Two lines of their preparations are upon the market:
the so-called "specific medicines" of Lloyd and the "normal tinctures"
of Merrell. The former have more official eclectic recognition, although
the latter are identical with them except in a few instances.
The former have probably been a little more developed in detail, and especially as concerns a few drugs, but the two lines of preparations in most essential particulars are parallel. Because of their official standing we will discuss the former, although equally commending the "normal tinctures." The name "specific medicine" is rather unfortunate. The eclectics do not mean them as specific in disease, but as specifically representing the active medicinal content of the drug employed. Pharmaceutically they are high-grade tinctures, one minim of which represents one grain of the dry crude drug. They are largely used by regular physicians, who call them Lloyd's tinctures. Their labels bear the eclectic indications, and their so-called "usual prescription," but a table of minimum and maximum doses is issued by the manufacturers. Extensive use of them upon the part of the author suggests the caution that many of them should be administered in only half the dose of the usual grade of fluidextracts, when given for the full physiologic effect, until one has cautiously felt his way in each individual case. Their great activity is readily explained, since they are made usually of plants in their green or recent state: (some of the "specific medicines" are chemicals, however), and the few not worked fresh are subjected to special processes in drying. Also, it may be said that their high price justifies the makers in purchasing the cream of the available supply, just like a few of our fluidextract manufacturers do.
The process employed varies with the substance used, but is usually a combined maceration and percolation with the aid of ingenious concentrating apparatus in which heat is not employed. Strong grain alcohol is the menstruum, and individual processes are used with different drugs to get rid of inert resins, extractive matter, starches, coloring matter, and plant detritus. The result is a clean and highly active tincture. In administering remedies for their actions in small doses, these products present distinct advantages over ordinary tinctures and fluidextracts, and our rather conservative official standards could most advantageously incorporate some of these processes in the elaboration of official preparations. In practical use the "specific medicines," the "normal tinctures," and the "mother tinctures" do not present their claims so tangibly in the large as in the small dose. A really high-grade fluidextract is a tincture to all intents and purposes, only it is stronger than are the usual tinctures. The amount of inert substances in the fluidextract is relatively large or small according to the menstruum and the processes of extraction employed, and, in the large dose, they do not much interfere with the action of the active principles of the drug, but we should employ the green plant fluidextract or the assayed product in the instances already dwelt upon. In the small dose many of the high-grade fluidextracts do very well, but in general the special tinctures made from green drugs are distinctly preferable. One wants as little admixture of inert substances as is possible, since they interfere with the action of the small portion of active medicine present, and this is particularly true when they are added to water and the precipitated resins carry down and sometimes react upon the proximate principles of the plant. Again, the action in small doses is not always due to alkaloidal substances or the generally considered active principles.
These volatile or readily destroyed ingredients of the green plant are rarely found in any appreciable quantity at all in a fluidextract, as they are dissipated in the drying of the plant or in its manufacture into the fluid-extract. It is far from our purpose to appear pedantic or disloyal to the regular school of medicine, and it will probably be hard to convince the physician who knows that good fluidextracts do not fail him in the usual doses, that they are apt not to do so well in small doses; yet anyone practically conversant with the matters here discussed will bear out, in the main at least, our present contention. Most unfortunately, our fluidextracts are being altogether too much displaced by proprietary elixirs and by ineligible tablet forms of vegetable drugs. It impresses the writer that this is far more disloyal to our own school than it is to define the limitations of the fluidextract; and it is distinctly detrimental to scientific medicine to discard our own carefully worked out official formula in favor of the commercially prompted efforts of men who seldom know so much about drugs as do the able and distinguished gentlemen who go to in- finite pains to render accurate and efficient our own official standards. In the following pages ec. tr. will be used to specify all standard preparations of this kind.
The former have probably been a little more developed in detail, and especially as concerns a few drugs, but the two lines of preparations in most essential particulars are parallel. Because of their official standing we will discuss the former, although equally commending the "normal tinctures." The name "specific medicine" is rather unfortunate. The eclectics do not mean them as specific in disease, but as specifically representing the active medicinal content of the drug employed. Pharmaceutically they are high-grade tinctures, one minim of which represents one grain of the dry crude drug. They are largely used by regular physicians, who call them Lloyd's tinctures. Their labels bear the eclectic indications, and their so-called "usual prescription," but a table of minimum and maximum doses is issued by the manufacturers. Extensive use of them upon the part of the author suggests the caution that many of them should be administered in only half the dose of the usual grade of fluidextracts, when given for the full physiologic effect, until one has cautiously felt his way in each individual case. Their great activity is readily explained, since they are made usually of plants in their green or recent state: (some of the "specific medicines" are chemicals, however), and the few not worked fresh are subjected to special processes in drying. Also, it may be said that their high price justifies the makers in purchasing the cream of the available supply, just like a few of our fluidextract manufacturers do.
The process employed varies with the substance used, but is usually a combined maceration and percolation with the aid of ingenious concentrating apparatus in which heat is not employed. Strong grain alcohol is the menstruum, and individual processes are used with different drugs to get rid of inert resins, extractive matter, starches, coloring matter, and plant detritus. The result is a clean and highly active tincture. In administering remedies for their actions in small doses, these products present distinct advantages over ordinary tinctures and fluidextracts, and our rather conservative official standards could most advantageously incorporate some of these processes in the elaboration of official preparations. In practical use the "specific medicines," the "normal tinctures," and the "mother tinctures" do not present their claims so tangibly in the large as in the small dose. A really high-grade fluidextract is a tincture to all intents and purposes, only it is stronger than are the usual tinctures. The amount of inert substances in the fluidextract is relatively large or small according to the menstruum and the processes of extraction employed, and, in the large dose, they do not much interfere with the action of the active principles of the drug, but we should employ the green plant fluidextract or the assayed product in the instances already dwelt upon. In the small dose many of the high-grade fluidextracts do very well, but in general the special tinctures made from green drugs are distinctly preferable. One wants as little admixture of inert substances as is possible, since they interfere with the action of the small portion of active medicine present, and this is particularly true when they are added to water and the precipitated resins carry down and sometimes react upon the proximate principles of the plant. Again, the action in small doses is not always due to alkaloidal substances or the generally considered active principles.
These volatile or readily destroyed ingredients of the green plant are rarely found in any appreciable quantity at all in a fluidextract, as they are dissipated in the drying of the plant or in its manufacture into the fluid-extract. It is far from our purpose to appear pedantic or disloyal to the regular school of medicine, and it will probably be hard to convince the physician who knows that good fluidextracts do not fail him in the usual doses, that they are apt not to do so well in small doses; yet anyone practically conversant with the matters here discussed will bear out, in the main at least, our present contention. Most unfortunately, our fluidextracts are being altogether too much displaced by proprietary elixirs and by ineligible tablet forms of vegetable drugs. It impresses the writer that this is far more disloyal to our own school than it is to define the limitations of the fluidextract; and it is distinctly detrimental to scientific medicine to discard our own carefully worked out official formula in favor of the commercially prompted efforts of men who seldom know so much about drugs as do the able and distinguished gentlemen who go to in- finite pains to render accurate and efficient our own official standards. In the following pages ec. tr. will be used to specify all standard preparations of this kind.
HOMEOPATHIC MOTHER TINCTURES
Homeopathic Mother Tinctures are all designated by the
Greek letter theta (@). The strict homeopath insists upon the elaborate
rules of Hahnemann, as instanced in the "American Homeopathic
Pharmacopoeia," by which the expressed juice of the fresh plant is combined with alcohol wherever possible, although some of these tinctures are prepared by maceration similarly to our own official tinctures and commonly in the same or greater relative proportions of plant to alcohol, so that these homeopathic green plant mother tinctures are very active preparations. The weakest of them represent one part in eleven, belladonna being the principal one of this strength. A large number of poisonous substances, such as aconite, are one part in seven. Care must be taken to employ them in smaller doses than the U. S. P. tinctures. Many less active ones are made in greater concentration. A few, as instanced especially by ipecac and nux vomica, are not made from the green plant.
The homoeopathic profession in the United States is divided in sentiment over a good many matters pertaining to their own school, and a large number insist upon employing their own tinctures more or less for their physiologic actions. This has resulted in the "Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States." In this work the amount of moisture in the green plant is always estimated, and the tinctures are all made as representing one part in ten of the dried herb. The green plant and pure alcohol are used and the proportions of plant and alcohol vary, since some plants are more succulent than are others. The finished product, it is readily seen, is identical in drug value to our own tinctures, only made from the recent plant in nearly every instance. A high-class homoeopathic pharmacist is almost fanatical in his care in making mother tinctures; consequently, these tinctures are really of the very highest order of excellence and must be given in even smaller doses than our own one-in-ten tinctures because of their high physiologic activity due to using the green plant, most thorough exhaustion of the drug, and the employment of full strength alcohol in tincturing.
These latter one-in-ten tinctures are the strength always considered in this work when homoeopathic mother tinctures are spoken of in the Materia Medica section. Homoeopaths have a penchant for using highly poisonous substances, in dilutions of course, and the tinctures from which these dilutions are made are highly toxic. Some of them are not familiar to the regular school, such as Agaricus muscarius, .Ethusa, Ailanthus, etc. It is wise to try no experiments with these comparatively unknown substances, and the doses given in this book should not often be exceeded, so far as concerns these toxic agents.
The homoeopathic profession in the United States is divided in sentiment over a good many matters pertaining to their own school, and a large number insist upon employing their own tinctures more or less for their physiologic actions. This has resulted in the "Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States." In this work the amount of moisture in the green plant is always estimated, and the tinctures are all made as representing one part in ten of the dried herb. The green plant and pure alcohol are used and the proportions of plant and alcohol vary, since some plants are more succulent than are others. The finished product, it is readily seen, is identical in drug value to our own tinctures, only made from the recent plant in nearly every instance. A high-class homoeopathic pharmacist is almost fanatical in his care in making mother tinctures; consequently, these tinctures are really of the very highest order of excellence and must be given in even smaller doses than our own one-in-ten tinctures because of their high physiologic activity due to using the green plant, most thorough exhaustion of the drug, and the employment of full strength alcohol in tincturing.
These latter one-in-ten tinctures are the strength always considered in this work when homoeopathic mother tinctures are spoken of in the Materia Medica section. Homoeopaths have a penchant for using highly poisonous substances, in dilutions of course, and the tinctures from which these dilutions are made are highly toxic. Some of them are not familiar to the regular school, such as Agaricus muscarius, .Ethusa, Ailanthus, etc. It is wise to try no experiments with these comparatively unknown substances, and the doses given in this book should not often be exceeded, so far as concerns these toxic agents.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
GREEN PLANT TINCTURES
Green Plant Tinctures are official under the title
"Tinctura Herbarium Recentium," and are made of green or recent herbs,
cut into small portions, 500 grams, and alcohol
1000 c.c. The whole is digested for two weeks, run through a tincture
press, and filtered. The fact has been long since developed by English
chemists that narcotic herbs are much deteriorated in the process of
drying, and their medicinal value almost wholIy destroyed by careless
drying, by age, or by exposure. The Germans go still further, and some
of them contend that drugs other than narcotics are similarly
influenced, and they would have nearly all tinctures made of tire recent drug. Differences in physiologic actions have been observed as regards dried and fresh specimens of various plants. This has been studied in detail with belladonna, cimicifuga, gelsemium, hyoscyamus, and pulsatilla.
Many medicinal plants have no appreciable odor until a branch is broken off or they are otherwise crushed. Chlorophyll exists in all plants, and its change or degeneration is due to the oxidizing ferments contained in the cells of the fresh plants.
A ferment action is initiated so soon as there is any solution of continuity or the plant is separated from its stem, and then the chlorophyll is soon destroyed. Changes within root structure are usually due to resinous matters. When a plant is uprooted from the soil, is crushed or severed from the stem, the end of organic existence begins and the plant dies just as does an animal, only more slowly and in detail. Micro-organisms collect in the plant tissues and multiply with enormous rapidity. No amount of care in curing or drying can do more than merely modify the changes so produced.
Left alone, the plant rots; carefully handled, it ferments and destructive changes occur in it, destroying volatile and even alkaloidal constituents and developing the deleterious products of fermentation and decay. These changes have an important bearing upon the active principles and the medicinal value of a large number of our plant remedies. The argument of dollars and cents will not serve to minimize the importance of these considerations.
The tall crowfoot and other weeds are known to cause abortion in cows. Many weeds will injure the stock, and yet when the grass crop is cut, weeds and all, it is seldom that the hay does much damage in this direction. Animal instinct does not always serve to warn against injurious weeds in the field or in the manger. In Germany, wind-flower or pulsatilla is a weed of this character. It is dangerous only when in its green state. In the curing of the tobacco leaf infinite care is taken, and even cultures of certain bacteria are sprinkled upon the leaf in order to modify the kind of decomposition occurring during the drying process. We all know the differences between fresh and dried fruit, but we can enjoy dried apples or peaches, since their flavors are not so volatile and they do not decay too rapidly during the drying process; but we would not so much care for dried strawberries or pineapples. If the articles of food value are influenced by drying, and common experience testifies to the fact that most plants we eat are so influenced, why do we neglect this factor in the infinitely more complex relationships plants sustain to us as medicines? Many of the therapeutic actions in small doses cannot be obtained with fluidextracts and tinctures made in the usual manner, owing to the almost entire absence of certain volatile constituents. Quite naturally, this is purely a matter of chemistry, and does not apply to plants of more stable chemic structure. Persons practically conversant with the complexities of plant chemistry will not feel that it is drawing things to too fine a point to insist upon these matters even in our lack of ability to always define the exact nature and action of these elusive and not always well-defined substances. Several kinds of green plant tinctures are upon the market.
Many discriminating clinicians report much satisfaction from the use of "German tinctures." They cost about $2.50 per pound, and are of the highest grade therapeutically and pharmaceutically.
Many medicinal plants have no appreciable odor until a branch is broken off or they are otherwise crushed. Chlorophyll exists in all plants, and its change or degeneration is due to the oxidizing ferments contained in the cells of the fresh plants.
A ferment action is initiated so soon as there is any solution of continuity or the plant is separated from its stem, and then the chlorophyll is soon destroyed. Changes within root structure are usually due to resinous matters. When a plant is uprooted from the soil, is crushed or severed from the stem, the end of organic existence begins and the plant dies just as does an animal, only more slowly and in detail. Micro-organisms collect in the plant tissues and multiply with enormous rapidity. No amount of care in curing or drying can do more than merely modify the changes so produced.
Left alone, the plant rots; carefully handled, it ferments and destructive changes occur in it, destroying volatile and even alkaloidal constituents and developing the deleterious products of fermentation and decay. These changes have an important bearing upon the active principles and the medicinal value of a large number of our plant remedies. The argument of dollars and cents will not serve to minimize the importance of these considerations.
The tall crowfoot and other weeds are known to cause abortion in cows. Many weeds will injure the stock, and yet when the grass crop is cut, weeds and all, it is seldom that the hay does much damage in this direction. Animal instinct does not always serve to warn against injurious weeds in the field or in the manger. In Germany, wind-flower or pulsatilla is a weed of this character. It is dangerous only when in its green state. In the curing of the tobacco leaf infinite care is taken, and even cultures of certain bacteria are sprinkled upon the leaf in order to modify the kind of decomposition occurring during the drying process. We all know the differences between fresh and dried fruit, but we can enjoy dried apples or peaches, since their flavors are not so volatile and they do not decay too rapidly during the drying process; but we would not so much care for dried strawberries or pineapples. If the articles of food value are influenced by drying, and common experience testifies to the fact that most plants we eat are so influenced, why do we neglect this factor in the infinitely more complex relationships plants sustain to us as medicines? Many of the therapeutic actions in small doses cannot be obtained with fluidextracts and tinctures made in the usual manner, owing to the almost entire absence of certain volatile constituents. Quite naturally, this is purely a matter of chemistry, and does not apply to plants of more stable chemic structure. Persons practically conversant with the complexities of plant chemistry will not feel that it is drawing things to too fine a point to insist upon these matters even in our lack of ability to always define the exact nature and action of these elusive and not always well-defined substances. Several kinds of green plant tinctures are upon the market.
Many discriminating clinicians report much satisfaction from the use of "German tinctures." They cost about $2.50 per pound, and are of the highest grade therapeutically and pharmaceutically.
U. S. P. TINCTURES
U. S. P. Tinctures, by the recent revision, are much changed in strength. Potent tinctures are now made of 10 per cent strength, whereas the 1890 aconite was 35 per cent., belladonna I5 per cent., cannabis indica I5 per cent., cantharides 5 per cent., colchicum seed I5 per cent., digitalis I5 per cent., gelsemium I5 per cent., Hydrastis 20 per cent., hyoscyamus I5 per cent., lobelia 20 per cent., physostigma I5 per cent., sanguinaria I5 per cent., squill 15 per cent., stramonium 15 per cent., strophanthus 5 per cent., and veratrum 40 per cent.
Tinctures are frequently made by diluting a fluidextract, but the practice is not to be commended. The U. S. P. tinctures are to be preferred to the fluidextract in many instances, since they possess tire distinct advantage of an excess of solvent holding in solution the inert substances so liable to cause trouble with fluidextracts. Veratrum viride is an instance of this. Here we have a drug quite difficult to work. If the root is too recent, it forms with alcohol a slimy mess, while if it is tinctured in a perfectly dried state it does not possess the full drug value. To use the partially dried root in a fluidextract is not readily done to advantage, whereas a 10 per cent tincture carries the drug perfectly. The tendency of the U. S. P. Revision Committee is to eliminate tinctures so far as is possible, and where the tincture is retained there is usually very substantial data back of their decision.
Tinctures are frequently made by diluting a fluidextract, but the practice is not to be commended. The U. S. P. tinctures are to be preferred to the fluidextract in many instances, since they possess tire distinct advantage of an excess of solvent holding in solution the inert substances so liable to cause trouble with fluidextracts. Veratrum viride is an instance of this. Here we have a drug quite difficult to work. If the root is too recent, it forms with alcohol a slimy mess, while if it is tinctured in a perfectly dried state it does not possess the full drug value. To use the partially dried root in a fluidextract is not readily done to advantage, whereas a 10 per cent tincture carries the drug perfectly. The tendency of the U. S. P. Revision Committee is to eliminate tinctures so far as is possible, and where the tincture is retained there is usually very substantial data back of their decision.
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