The document discusses various extraction methods for medicinal plant preparations, including infusion, decoction, and tincture. It highlights the importance of these techniques in isolating active medicinal constituents while eliminating inert materials and describes the advantages and disadvantages of using water and alcohol as solvents. The text outlines the processes for creating infusions, decoctions, and tinctures, along with their applications in herbal medicine.

1. Extraction / Extracts
INFUSIONS / DECOCTIONS /
TINCTURES

2. • Although, the various classes of preparations
involving simple expression, aqueous hot and
cold extraction and evaporation were in vogue
since long time but, real and scientific rapid
progress in the extraction procedures for
medicinal plant's preparations was made after
19th century.

3. • Such extraction techniques and processes
were highly successful in the phyto chemical
field leading to isolation of single pure
molecules and standardized extracts for
therapeutic purposes. Simple traditional to
advanced technologies conforming to official
procedures are being used to manufacture
different types of preparations popularly
known as Galenicals

4. • The sole purpose of such basic extraction
procedures for crude drugs are to obtained
the therapeutically desirable portion and
eliminate the inert material by treatment with
a selective solvent known as the Menstruum.
• Medicinally active constituents are dissolved
and most of the inert matter remains
undissolved

5. • Solvent used is Menstrum
• While the insoluble material that remains after
extraction is called as “Marc”
• Methods includes in extraction is :
1) Infusion
2) Decoction
3) Maceration
4) Percolation
5) Digestion

6. Solvent used for extraction
• WATER : is used for proteins , coloring matter,
gums , glycosides sugar, enzymes and many
other organic salts
• Waxes , fats, fixed oils and most alkaloids are
insoluble in water
• ADVANTAGES OF WATER :
• It is cheap
• Wide solvent action

7. • Non-toxic
• Non inflammable
• DISADVANTAGES :
• It helps in growth of bacteria and mould
• Water causes hydrolysis of many substances
ALCOHOL :
It is solvent for alkaloids, glycosides , volatile oil
and resins

8. INFUSION
• Infusion is the process of extracting chemical
compounds or flavors from plant material in
a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol by
allowing the material to remain suspended in
the solvent over time (a process often
called steeping)

9. Infusion
• Infusion is a chemical process that
uses botanicals (typically dried herbs, flowers
or berries) that are volatile and release their
active ingredients readily in water, oil, or
alcohol. In this process, a liquid is typically
boiled and poured over the herb. After the
herb has been allowed to steep in the liquid for
an appropriate period of time, it is removed
(possibly by straining) leaving an infusion.

10. • Infusions are liable to fungus and bacterial
growth, and it is necessary to dispense them
within twelve hours of their preparation
• PROCESS OF INFUSION :
• It consists of pouring of the water over the drugs
• Then allowing it to keep in contact with water for
the stated period usually 15 mins with
occasionally stirring

11. • Finally the liquid is filtered off
• APPARATUS :
• Drug is placed at the bottom of the pot
• Water is added and it is well stirred 3 or 4
times
• Infusion can also be prepared by enclosing the
drug in a bag and then suspending it just
below the level of the water in a beaker

12. • Stirring is not required because water slowly
circulate around the drug
• When water comes in contact with the drug , it
dissolves API and become heavier
• Heavier layer comes down and the fresh water
takes it place
• Hence no stirring is required
• Special pots of infusion is known as INFUSION
POTS

13. TYPES
• There are two types of infusions ;
• FRESH INFUSION
• CONCENTRATED INFUSION
• A fresh infusion is an aqueous solution of active
constituents prepared by the process of infusion
• Example is Fresh infusion of Quassia
• Pharmacopeia states that fresh infusion should
be used within 12 hrs after its preparation

14. Because its get spoiled due to fungal and
bacterial growth
• Concentrated infusion is prepared by double
or triple maceration process
• Concentrated infusion is 8 times more
stronger than the fresh infusion
• Alcohol in the conc. of 20-25%is used as
menstrum

15. • Hence the preparation can be stored for
longer period due to preservative action of
alcohol
• Example concentrated infusion of Quassia and
concentrated compound infusion of Chirata

16. DECOCTION
• A decoction is an approach for extracting
water-soluble components that will not be
damaged by heat
• The decoction is a method of extracting active
chemicals from substances using water
• The liquid preparation is made by boiling the
components with water in this procedure.

17. Process
• In decoction, the powdered sample is boiled in
a closed vessel using an appropriate quantity
of water for half an hour or until half of the
water evaporates.
• After completion of boiling, the sample is
strained through the filter to remove solid
residue.

18. Applications
• Decoction is the most common form of
administration of herbal medicine
• Decoctions are usually taken orally.
• They can be absorbed quickly and have the
strongest action of all of the traditional types
of preparation
• The decoction method is used particularly for
serious and acute conditions.

19. Disadvantages
• They need a reasonable amount of time to
prepare
• They do not always taste pleasant
• They are not easy to transport or to store
• Term is no longer used in modern pharmacy.

20. Elaboration
• Decoctions are normally preferred for harder
herbs like roots, barks, and seeds. It is helpful
to grind or crush the whole root, bark, and
seeds before preparing the decoction
• This is prepared by heating the required
quantity of herbs with water for a period of
about 30 min, until about 50% of the water is
lost.

21. • The vessel must be closed during heating to
prevent any essential constituents from being
lost
• The extract is then removed from heat and
strained using a filter

22. TINCTURES
• Tinctures are alcoholic or hydro alcoholic
solutions prepared from vegetable materials
or from chemical substance
• To qualify an alcoholic tincture the extract
should have an ethanol percentage of atleast
25-60%
• Sometimes an alcohol concentration as high
as 90% is used in such a tincture

23. Selection of solvent
• There are three basic menstruum or solvents used
to extract the chemical compounds of herbs in
tinctures ( alcohol, glycerin, vinegar)
• ALCOHOLS acts as a preservative
• Most common solvent because it can extract :
• Fats
• Resins
• Most alkaloids
• Many other plant compounds

24. • Alcohol can be used orally as well as topically
• Orally ---Orange peel tincture
• Topically ---Iodine tincture
• Most drugs are soluble in Alcohol but not in
water
• Tinctures can be classified on the basis of
presence of active 1) Medicated 2) Non
medicated

25. • Methods of Application 1) Oral 2) topical
• Tinctures can be prepared by Three methods
• Maceration : by this we can prepare
o Tincture of orange
o Tincture of Opium
• Percolation: by this we can prepare :
o Tincture of ginger
o Tincture of Belladonna

26. • By simple solution : we can prepare simply
tincture of iodine
• Some important Pharmaceutical tinctures are:
• TINCTURE OF ORANGE :
Sweet orange peel tincture is prepared from
sweet orange peel which is non-artificially
colored , fresh riped fruit

27. • PREPARATION :
• Take fresh peel of orange use 90% alcohol as
menstruum
• Macerate for 7 days
• Press the marc
• Filter the impurities
• USES : used exclusively as a flavoring agent

28. • TINCTURE OF IODINE : It is usually 2-7% iodine
along with potassium iodide or sodium iodide
dissolved in mixture of alcohol and water
• Preparation :
• Dissolve 20g of iodine and 24g of sodium iodide
in 500 ml of Alcohol
• Mix it properly
• Add purified water to make it 1000ml

29. • Uses: as a disinfectant for water, wounds
• Storage :
• Store at cool dry place
• Keep it away from sunlight
• Store in air tight containers
• Labelling contains information regarding active
ingredients
• Warnings , storage , dosage, method of application