Glycerite

A glycerite is a fluid extract of an herb or other medicinal substance made using glycerin as being integral to the fluid extraction medium.

According to King's American Dispensatory (1898)a glycerite is:

Glycerita.—Glycerites. By this class of preparations is generally understood solutions of medicinal substances in glycerin, although in certain instances the various Pharmacopoeias deviate to an extent. The term Glycerita as here applied to fluid glycerines, or solutions of agents in glycerin, is preferable to the ordinary names, "glyceroles," "glycerates," or "glycemates," etc., and includes all fluid preparations of the kind referred to, whether for internal administration or local application. .

It is now a well established fact that 'finished' glycerites that contain adequate glycerin concentration, especially approaching 70%, do not allow for microbial growth, and in fact are excellent microbial suppressants, even after opening. This is over two decades verified by a FDA Registered, cGMP compliant, Kosher certified commercial endeavor that produces 'true' alcohol-free herbal glycerites listing a 4 year expiration date on product labels for their product - with no refrigeration required after opening.

Glycerites are frequently used as a substitute for alcohol in tinctures, as a solvent that will create a therapeutic herbal extraction. When utilized in such a non-critical passive tincture methodology or in a simple hot water extraction methodology, both produce weak glycerites because glycerine is less extractive when utilized in these methodologies. Unlike alcohol, that has quick access to the liver, glycerine is approximately 30% slower absorbed by the digestive tract and is utilized through a secondary pathway in the liver (known as the 'gluconeogenic' pathway) resulting in a lower glycemic load on the body than happens with alcohol. Fluid extract manufacturers often extract herbs in alcohol and then remove the alcohol (called 'alcohol-removed') or hot water before adding glycerin to make glycerites to increase extraction potential.

When utilized in standard non-critical tincturing or simple hot water extraction methodologies, glycerin is not able to extract the same constituents from plants that alcohol does or if it does extract the same constituents as alcohol they will typically not be as strong in their concentrations. These weak extraction methodologies results is detailed From "Herbal Preparations and Natural Therapies" by Debra St. Claire:

• glycerin will extract the following - sugars, enzymes (dilute), glucosides, bitter compounds, saponins (dilute), and tannins
• absolute alcohol will extract the following - alkaloids (some), glycosides, volatile oils, waxes, resins, fats, some tannins, balsam, sugars, and vitamins.

However, when glycerin is utilized in a contemporary non-tincturing based innovative processing methodology it has been shown to not only extract a wide range of compounds, it is widely accepted, both in literature and innovative applications, to extract many cnstituents and compounds previously thought not able to do and to extract those constituents and compounds at high concentrations and potency. This includes most alkaloids, glycosides, volatile oils, waxes, resins, gums, balsam, sugars (especially as non-denatured linked and cross-linked polysaccharides), vitamins, and minerals, all with none of the denaturing and inert rendering effects alcohol possesses.

The high extractive potential for glycerin is due to 'HOW' glycerin is worked in the extraction process, an essential fact not realized and/or understood by early Eclectic medicine studies, and now lost on contemporary herbalists and the alcohol-based herbal products manufacturing industry. From Glycerin versus Alcohol, Concerning Herbal Liquid Extracts, a White Paper by LoR. Caarl Robinson, a Clinical & Formulary Herbalist:

• Another perquisite for the [xyz] process is that it must contain a high glycerin to water ratio (which varies from herb to herb) that is intended to be an intrinsic part of the proprietary [xyz] processing technology itself, as well as impart a distinctive stabilizing and ‘absolute’ preserving quality...

To preserve the biological viability and synergy of a botanical's extracted constituents glycerin is preferred for extraction of all aromatic-based compounds, including polysaccharides, as it does not denature or render inert these highly complex molecule structures, which though these compounds may retain their aroma/taste quality, any denaturing (as alcohol intrinsically does) will substantially reduce or nullify the therapeutic quality of aromatic-based compounds. The biological viability preserving and synergy sparing effects of glycerin also apply to proteins, vitamins, enzymes and other 'co-factor' constituents that are glycerin extracted from botanicals.

Whereas alcohol is intrinsically a denaturing and inert rendering agent to a botanical's extracted constituent and compounds, glycerin possesses no such denaturing and inert rendering effects on a botanical's extracted constituents and compounds. From both clinical and manufacturing perspectives, this is possibly the most important defining differentiator between alcohol-based made tinctures versus 'true' alcohol-free glycerin-based made Glycerites, that includes: 'actual' levels or degrees of efficacy relative to actual concentrations (i.e. percentages) of constituents and/or constituent group(s) present in a finished tincture and/or Glycerite, now given what has previously been unaddressed concerning the denaturing/inert-rendering weighted factor for alcohol-based tinctures (a Clinical consideration); and the QA/QC related physical properties inherent in and chemically intrinsic to a finished tincture and/or Glycerite as regards inverting, REDOX, precipitation, scaling, novel constituent complexing, etc. (a Manufacturing consideration).

In the herbal products industry, 'Glycerite' is often implied to be Alcohol-Free. This is not always the case. For clarification and 'truth in labeling' within the botanical products industry and to quell rising consumer confusion, an emerging standard has been proposed that defines that:

Only If alcohol is never used at any time in the making of a liquid botanical preparation, or added thereafter, and glycerin is used as the primary extractive solvent, then it is deemed an Alcohol-Free product (glycerite), whereas, if alcohol is used in making a liquid botanical preparation (whether with other solvents, such as glycerin, honey, etc.). at any time, and then the alcohol removed (i.e. post-process), then it is actually not 'Alcohol-Free' per se,' but should instead be designated as 'Alcohol-Removed.'

More ethically inclined liquid botanical products manufacturers who utilize alcohol in making their products are making this distinction in their literature and on product labels (some even not using the term 'Alcohol-Free' anywhere on their product labels to allay confusion) to better conform with this standard. (Consumers are encouraged to determine whether a product is 'true' alcohol-free or merely alcohol-removed before purchasing products that are listed as 'alcohol-free.')

Alcohol-Free (as opposed to alcohol-removed) glycerite products, in which alcohol is never used or added at any time, are highly sought for by those desiring and requiring that no alcohol be used in making products or added thereafter. Muslims (practicers of Islam) throughout the world represent the largest population requiring an 'Alcohol-Free' standard. Halal (def: 'Lawful' or 'Legal'), the Islamic Dietary Law, lists alcohol as one of the 'explicitly forbidden substances' (called Haram) in which anything made with and/or at any time containing alcohol is forbidden. USP Grade vegetable glycerin is acceptable for Halal certifying and in some instances a Halal standard may (but not always) accept Kosher certified USP Grade vegetable glycerin as meeting Halal standards (i.e. to be Halal 'compliant'). Where the issue of Halal Alcohol-Free versus Haram Alcohol-Removed glycerites is concerned, the Islamic community has taken the stance that products listed as alcohol-free does not always mean "Alcohol-Free" since many products listed as alcohol-free may in fact have been made using alcohol as an ingredient after which the alcohol is removed, which would still make any such products Haram by Islamic Dietary Law. The Islamic community is therefore encouraged to ascertain whether a botanical glycerite is actually Halal 'Alcohol-Free' or is Haram 'Alcohol-Removed' (with glycerin thereafter added).