Macerato

What is Macerate

The macerated is a liquid preparation obtained by prolonged immersion of a vegetable source, in water or other liquids strictly at room temperature. THE

In particular, the macerated is indicated above all to extract active principles of herbal or pharmaceutical interest, water-soluble but thermolabile (inactivated by heat) or volatile (which are lost by evaporation).

The effectiveness of maceration also depends on the degree of subdivision of the drug, which must be appropriately minced avoiding coarse cuts.

How to prepare

The macerated is therefore a rather simple extraction method, used on those medicinal plants whose active principles are soluble in cold water *. In this regard, it is sufficient to immerse the suitably chopped drug in water at room temperature and then let it rest in a covered container, for periods varying from a few hours to several days.

The aqueous macerate is known for its ability to effectively extract the mucilage from the roots of Altea (protective and emollient, laxative action), and the arbutin from the leaves of Uva Ursina reducing - compared to the infusion - the amount of extracted tannins (which have irritant action at gastric level, while arbutin carries out an antiseptic activity at urinary level, useful against cystitis).

Before intake, the macerate should generally be carefully filtered through a sieve or cloth; the insoluble residue of maceration is called scum.

Compared to the decoction and the infusion, the macerated therefore allows to preserve substances sensitive to heat, but has the disadvantage of requiring long preparation times.

* As a solvent for maceration, alcohol, ether, vinegar, wine, oil, etc. can be used instead of water.

By subjecting the drug to a whole series of successive macerations it is possible to obtain an almost total recovery of its soluble components, that is to say "the exhaustion" of the drug itself.