Home › Elixirs › Physic's Bitter Wine of Iron

Physic's Bitter Wine of Iron

Take of iron filings, 3 ounces; ginger, bruised, gentian, bruised, each, 1 ounce; orangepeel, bruised, 1/2 ounce; strong old cider, 1 pint. Macerate in a bottle loosely corked, for 2 weeks or longer, then express and filter for use. A reaction occurs between the iron filings and the acid of the cider, resulting in the formation of malate, and perhaps some acetate of protoxide of iron, with the evolution of hydrogen gas, which swells up the influid ounces lemon juice; add + ounce each bruised gentian and cinnamon, and 16 ounces Rhenish (or sherry) wine. After 24 hours decant and filter. Gentian contains no tannin, and will not blacken the iron in the solution. 4709. Το Prevent Sediment in Preparations of Peruvian Bark. The formation of a sediment in this and other simple preparations of Peruvian bark may be avoided by displacing or digesting its powder first with a solution of soda which will extract the tannin, kinovin, &c.; after washing off the last traces of the alkali by means of water. the alcoholic or vinous tincture may then be prepared as usual, and will remain clear, because free from the principles extracted by the alkaline solution. The alkaloids of the bark do not dissolve in weak mineral alkalies. 4710. Cottereau's Wine of Cinchonia gredients, and requires that the maceration is made as follows: Dissolve 24 grains sulshould be conducted in a bottle of twice the capacity of the ingredients. This preparation has a dark, almost black color, very bitter aromatic taste, and is a good, though not an elegant chalybeate, in the dose of a teaspoonful. phate of cinchonia in 2 pints Madeira wine, and filter. Dose, 1 to 4 ounces.