Glycerite

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

Definition

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

Glycerites may consist of either vegetable source glycerin, animal source glycerin or a combination of the two. In the case of liquid herbal products (a segment of the dietary supplements industry), the general rule is to utilize vegetable glycerin only, while nutraceuticals (another segment of the dietary supplements industry) might use a combination of both vegetable and animal source derived glycerin.

Modern developments

A modern glycerite recently developed by a European research facility associated with aquaculture and fish bait preparations now includes botanical, fish and animal components (valued for its medicinal or therapeutic properties, flavor, and/or scent.) Such glycerites have a low glycemic load and are reputed to have antifreeze properties to -46.5 (°C) with an estimated shelf-life in excess of 20 years.