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By Root 878 0

Perrins, who concocted an herbal digestive blend using a vinegar base menstruum. When completed, this infusion of Tamarind bean and other highly flavorful herbs turned out quite disgusting to the senses. Frustrated by the venture, the two men decided to trash the whole thing, but instead for whatever reasons some of it sat forgotten in their lab cellar. During this unpremeditated aging period the vinegar’s inherent variables and inconsistencies, to the formulators’ eventual surprise and delight, evolved the juice to a succulent compound solution that is well known today as Worcestershire sauce (the men obviously kept good notes during preparation for possible future reference). Wine and vinegar menstrua will receive considerable attention in later chapters of this manual.

MIXTURE OF WATER AND ALCOHOL

The next menstruum we will discuss is simply a mixture (in infinitely varying proportions) of the big two, water and alcohol. These proportions are determined by the nature of the components of the particular herb being extracted. This type of menstruum is also referred to as an aqueous-alcoholic menstruum, or other terms to that effect.

OIL AND GLYCERIN

The final two menstrua we explore are oil and glycerin. They are to me the chemical jesters of the show, sort of like Bozo and his pet bear. They are sweet, slow, and warm and seem to function in their own peculiar world. They are fun to play with, both commanding patience, heightened concentration (especially by those active members of Virgos Anonymous), and a light-hearted tolerance from the medicine-maker while she or he is working with these performers. The nature of the ensuing products derived from the actions of these two solvents are also pleasant, playful, soft, and comfort-enhancing companions to one’s life, such as lip balms, body lotions, soothing therapeutic oils, pain-relieving, wax-removing ear oils, and balmy unguents.

Oil is a sensually unctuous solvent for the components of many herbs as well as itself, being a mild, protective component that carries herbal virtues to the skin quite comfortably. Oil carries these nutritional and therapeutic virtues to the outer skin of one’s body as medicinal oils, ear drops, salves, and lotions, and to the inner skins as nourishing foods when swallowed by the upper end of the digestive tube, and as mildly coaxing boluses and suppositories when deposited in the lower end. As we all know by common experience, oil refuses to mix with water, and in like fashion it won’t mix with alcohol. Fortunately, however, it does mix well with paper towels during and after spills, runovers, and other extemporaneously lubricious emergencies.

Glycerin is the sweet-tasting component of fats and oils. Most commercial vegetable glycerin is made available to us as a coconut oil by-product of the soap industry. After being initially derived from oil, glycerin will no longer mix with it; it’s one of those odd generation gap things. At the same time, glycerin is a chemical cousin to alcohol, and an eager playmate with water. In direct contrast to oil, glycerin will mix quite willingly with both water and alcohol. Glycerin is the major component in any menstruum used to form glycerites. Glycerites are alcohol-free, sugar-free, sweet-tasting extracts popular with children, parents, and those who refuse to taste anything herbal unless it is sweetened.

Glycerin is often included as a small portion of an aqueous alcohol menstruum to modify the magnetic relationship that exists in nature between alkaloids and tannins whenever these two meet up in a liquid solution. The presence of glycerin generates a sort of love triangle, the inevitable results of which the tannins and the alkaloids practice ignoring each other, while the glycerin and tannins go off by themselves to be alone. This liberates the alkaloids to do what they pharmacologically do best without being distracted and ultimately precipitated by the amorous action of unfettered tannins. Further details of this soap will be disclosed later.

So, throw any, all, or an appropriate combination