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img width="436" src="">Although herbal extracts come in many forms, they have one common feature. Extracts represent naturally occurring phytochemicals (plant-derived compounds) that have been removed from the inert structural material of the plants that produce them. The main advantage of using extracts rather than raw herbs is that once extracted from the plant matrix, the phytochemicals do not need to be digested and are more easily absorbed. Liquid extracts are also more convenient than consuming herbs in their raw form.Extracts are often classified by the solvent used to make them and/or by their form. Some of the more common solvents used include water, alcohol, glycerine and vinegar. The inherent properties of each of these solvents attract the different phytochemicals found in herbs. Aqueous extracts made by infusion or decoction are used as bases for teas and mouthwashes as well as syrups and other products.Tinctures are liquid extracts made from alcohol and may include other food-grade solvents. Alcohol extracts a variety of phytochemicals and is an excellent preservative. It can also be diluted with water to adjust the alcoholic strength and the addition of glycerine inhibits excessive settling of the finished leachate.Food grade glycerine is a low glycemic index sweetener and is commonly used as a solvent in the manufacture of non-alcoholic liquid extracts. Although most glycerine esters lack significant alcohol, intermediate extracts may sometimes be made with alcohol. In this case, alcohol is used to form the initial extract, which is then removed from the finished product and glycerine added in its place.Vinegars are not common, but are becoming popular. These are made by extracting herbs directly in the vinegar. In this case, apple cider or other vegetable vinegars are ideal.Oils are fatty oils infused with herbs for topical use and may be called herbal oils or macerated oils. The fatty oils used as a base usually come from olives, sesame or coconut, Herb to extract ratioThe herb to solvent ratio describes how much herb is used to make a specific amount of extract, which is the same as the amount of starting material represented in the final extract. As already discussed, fluidextracts represent a 1:1 herb-to-extract ratio, which is typically 1:5 or 1:10 for traditional tinctures. liquid extraction rate is usually a measure of dilution. Partial or complete removal of solvent from a liquid extract concentrates the extract into a semi-solid or dried form, where the extract ratio now represents a concentration of herb to extract ratio greater than 1:1. For example, if the solvent in a liquid extract is 80% of the extract, removing the solvent will concentrate the extract five times, resulting in a final herb-to-extract ratio of 5:1. There are practical limits to how concentrated an extract can be because the botanicals occupy space in solid form. Therefore, higher herb-to-extract ratios do not necessarily mean higher concentrations of extracts. More likely, they indicate semi-purified extracts or less potent extracts.Degree of extract purificationAHPA defines full-spectrum extracts as "containing the full range of soluble components native to the plant." Fluidextracts and tinctures are designed to carry, or dissolve in a solvent, all the soluble components found in the plant. That's the idea. As mentioned earlier, for practical purposes, it is usually best to store and use plant extracts rather than crude plants. This "improvement" of the plant material makes perfect sense when you pursue the activity of the whole plant rather than isolated ingredients. Isolated ingredients, and arguably a narrow range of ingredients to choose from, are sometimes best thought of as extracts from the plant, rather than extracts of the plant.If the specific chemical or ingredient in the plant is the only item of interest, then the plant source may be irrelevant. For example, if all you want is the alkaloid caffeine, it can be extracted from coffee, tea, maté tea, guarana, or even synthesized. Once purified, caffeine is pharmacologically equivalent, regardless of where it comes from. Plants and their full spectrum extracts are not single ingredients. They are complex mixtures that cannot be adequately defined by a single compound. Their composition is a direct result of the raw material, the extraction solvent and the extraction conditions used to make them.For extracts that fall between full-spectrum extracts and single purified components, a middle ground exists. The extracts that occupy this space cannot be simply classified because they represent a continuum based on their chemical complexity. https://www.openlearning.com/u/lerchefog-r7ojy9/blog/WhatAreCannabinoids Broad-spectrum or broad-spectrum extracts contain a large number of extracted components, while narrow-spectrum extracts have a much simpler chemical composition. A narrow chemical spectrum extract can be a semi-purified extract that initially has multiple components, or it can be an extract made with a solvent that is relatively selective for the substances extracted from the starting material.