• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1024 0

A milliliter is identical in volume to 1 cubic centimeter of distilled water; therefore, 1 Gm = 1 cc = 1 ml of distilled water (and for our practical purposes this holds for all other liquids we refer to in this manual).

This approximate 1:1 equality between the weight (the mass) of a solid substance and the volume of a liquid substance is very useful for determining weight to volume (w/v) proportions when calculating and formulating the strengths of liquid extracts. (See Chapter Twelve on making tinctures.)

APPROXIMATE (USER-FRIENDLY)

EQUIVALENT MEASUREMENTS

Liquid measures

1 drop* = 1 minim

15 minims = 1 ml = 1 cc

30 ml = 1 fluid ounce = 8 fluid drachms

1000 ml = 1 liter (approximately 1 quart)

500 ml = approximately 1 pint (480 ml = 1 pint)

1 teaspoonful = 5 ml = 5 cc

2 teaspoonsful = 10 ml = 10 cc

1 tablespoonful = 15 ml = 15 cc = 3 teaspoonsful

1 wineglassful = 60 ml (2 fluid ounces)

1 teacupful = 120 ml (4 fluid ounces)

1 glassful or cupful = 240 ml (8 fluid ounces)

1 gallon U.S. = 128 fluid ounces = 3.8 liters

1 British Imperial gallon =154 fluid ounces = 4.6 liters 1 liter =1.8 pints

Weights

30 Gm = 1 ounce (avoirdupois)

454 Gm = 1 pound (avoirdupois)

(This is based on the new 1959 international agreement of English speaking nations.)

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

Length

1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

1 meter = 39.37 inches

* A “drop.” A rose by any other name is still a rose, but is a drop always a drop? This is questionable. A drop of water is supposed to be equivalent to a minim and in pharmacy- speak is often referred to as a “minim.” But this is only true when applied to water, and then, only when the water is expelled from an “international standard dropper.” The shape and quality of the surface from which a drop descends influences its size. However, even when using a standard dropper these presumptions are seldom true when applied to liquids other than pure water. Thick, viscous liquids such as syrups produce a drop five times larger than a drop of a heavy, mobile liquid like chloroform and three times that of alcohol. If we use a fluid drachm as a liquid measure, we will find that it holds 250 drops of chloroform; or 146 drops of alcohol, or 130 to 150 drops of an aqueous-alcohol tincture or fluid extract. It will hold 105 to 140 drops of oil, but only 45 to 110 drops of syrup. So, since there are 8 fluid drachm in a fluid ounce, for all practical posological purposes we can assume that 1 U.S. fluid ounce of most commonly used tinctures holds approximately 960 to 1200 drops. But none of this is any big deal, unless of course one is administering highly intense or toxic extracts or when administering medicines to infants. In these situations, measuring doses by the milliliter (ml) or the cubic centimeter (cc) instead of by drops would be more reliable.

A “part” of an herbal formula. When putting together a formula, herbalists design the formula and communicate its composition by referring to the number of “parts.” Example: for treating and toning an irritated prostate gland, mix 2 parts Saw Palmetto, 1 part Echinacea, 1 part Damiana, 1 part Yarrow, 1/8 part Ginger. The question often arises, what is a part …? Is it a gram, an ounce, a cupful, a shovelful, a truckload, or a drop? Of course, the answer is it can be any of these measures. You retain the proper proportions as long as each measure used to make up a part is the same measure as each of the other measured parts in the mixture. It all comes down to how much mixture you ultimately want to make. If you chose shovelsful as a measure for each part in the sample formula, you’ll end up with enough mixture for all the prostates in the NFL. So a more reasonable measure to use is the oz. (avoirdupois = 16 oz. to the pound) when compounding bulk herbs or the fluid oz. for blending liquid extracts. Referring back to the sample formula, you would blend 2 oz. Saw Palmetto, 1 oz. Echinacea, 1 oz. Damiana, 1 oz. Yarrow, and 1/8 oz. Ginger, ending up with 5 1/8 oz. of the formula. If you want only half that amount, make each part 1/2 oz. It doesn