Mother Tincture & Crude Substance

[Ananda Ruchira]

>Hi, So what is the difference between M.T (Ø) and 1x - if the M.T. 9is already 1x? Rafy

Hi,

For computer nerds: The MT symbol - O with a line through - Ø - is found in your computer (PC's) by pressing ALT + 0216 on the number pad. If your still looking for it try going to the "character map" accessory in Windows.

Below quoted from the pharmacopoeia (Ref. Works) are some typical instructions (Abrotanum & Absinthium in these cases):

Example 1
Part used: Leaves and young shoots.
*Preparation*
(a) Mother Tincture Q
Drug Strength 1/10.
Abrotanum in moderately coarse powder 100 g
Purified Water 233 ml
Strong Alcohol 794 ml
(b) Potencies: 2x with dilute alcohol. 3x and higher with dispensing alcohol.
Old method: Class III, page 258.

Example 2
*Preparation*
(a) Mother Tincture Q
Drug strength 1/10
Absinthium in coarse powder 100g
Purified Water 333ml
Strong Alcohol 700ml
To make one thousand millilitres of the Mother Tincture.
(b) Potencies; 2x to contain one part Mother Tincture, two parts Purified Water and seven parts Strong Alcohol; 3x and higher with Dispensing Alcohol.

Strong Alcohol means not less than 94% v v ethyl alcohol
Dispensing Alcohol means not less than 70% v v ethyl alcohol
I could not find a proper definition of "dilute alcohol" (- could it be 40% v v? But that doesn't make sense to me in above context. It may be another term for "dispensing alcohol".)

Continuing from hard-copy Indian Pharmacopoeia in the appendix under "Liquid Preparations of Drugs"
"The first solution or tincture is made in the proportion of 1/10 in water or alcohol of suitable strength ....
"Solution of chemical substances are to be made on the decimal scale, that is, in proportion of 1 part weight .... to which is added sufficient solvent to make 10 parts in volume of solution and hence equal to the first decimal dilution to be marked 1x...."

The 2nd paragraph gives a clue that may help solve some confusion. A herbal MT would be marked as M.T (Ø or Q) and is, in fact, a 1x in ratio. A CHEMICAL (eg Sulph. Acid, Phos Acid) solution would not be marked as "Mother Tincture" but simply "1x". (And by the way, the inital trituration of an insoluble substance would also be marked as "1x")
NBs for those who want to know more:
1) the reason the alcohol + water menstruum is more than 1000ml yet the end product is 1000 is because a certain amount is absorbed by the herb itself during the maceration process.
2) As you see in the Absinthium example, the 2x has a particular menstruum of water:alcohol proportion instead of using Dispensing alcohol. In the pharmacop. there is a list giving the amount of alcohol each remedy should have.
3) there are a number of exceptions to the 1:10 rule in preparing MT's - depending on the solubility of the substance in water or alcohol.
Sincerely,
Didi Ananda Ruchira
Director, Abha Light
visit: http://home.pacific.net.sg/~rucira/alf
tel: +254 20 787310 / cell: 0733-895466