Tincture

/ˈtɪŋktʃər/ noun

Definition

A medicinal substance made by soaking an herb or plant in alcohol, or a slight trace of color or quality.

Etymology

From Latin 'tinctura' (a dyeing), from 'tingere' (to dip or dye). Medieval apothecaries made medicines by soaking plants, and the name refers to the staining process.

Kelly Says

Tinctures were medieval medicine's answer to extraction—putting plants in alcohol pulls out their active compounds and lets them be stored for years, making them the ancestor of modern pharmaceutical extraction.

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