GLYCERITES
We can get the healthful benefits from some plants and herbs by eating them directly-think of spinach, culinary herbs, or even zucchini flowers. For many plants and herbs, however, eating them can be unsafe or not at all palatable. Fortunately, we can still utilize the powerful constituents of these plants by extracting them. This is what we do when we drink tea-we use water to extract the healthy constituents of the plant into the water and then we drink that as tea. Water is not the only extraction method available to us. Herbal and plant constituents can be extracted in oil, alcohol, steam, carbon dioxide, apple cider vinegar, or glycerin. Each method has its pros and cons, and some methods are preferred for certain types of plants as the best way to get at a desired constituent.
Sometimes extraction is done over a long period of time in order to make a concentrated solution of the desired constituent. This is most often done with alcohol, which is a powerful solvent, and is called a tincture. There are some drawbacks to tinctures, though, so in some cases we turn to alternatives such as glycerin.
Glycerin is a clear, sweet, syrupy liquid that is derived from plant or animal fats (though glycerin itself is a carbohydrate). Glycerin has the ability to extract and preserve certain plant constituents, particularly water-soluble compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and some glycosides. While it is not as strong of a solvent as alcohol, it is effective at drawing out beneficial compounds over an extended period. Glycerin also has natural preservative properties, which help extend the shelf life of herbal preparations without the need for additional preservatives.
When making an herbal extraction with glycerin, herb or plant material is typically combined with a mixture of glycerin and water to optimize the extraction process (usually 75% glycerin to 25% distilled water). The plant matter is then left to macerate for several weeks, allowing the glycerin to draw out the therapeutic compounds. This gentle extraction method is particularly useful for delicate herbs that might lose potency when exposed to alcohol. After several weeks, the plant material is strained out and the remaining liquid will hold the therapeutic constituents of the plant. These liquid extracts are called glycerites.
Glycerites are usually not as potent as alcohol tinctures, but they can still be effective. They are particularly great for people who do not wish to use alcohol or for whom alcohol is too harsh on the stomach. Glycerites are gentler than tinctures and generally sweet and easier to take regularly. For people who don’t enjoy herbal teas or who do not have the ability to drink teas throughout the day, glycerites offer a simple way to incorporate the benefits of plant and herb medicine into their lives.