Medicinal Wines (Enolites)

  Dear readers and friends,

Today I present to you a herbalist article concerning a really interesting topic: medicinal wines (Enolites). How to prepare herbal products with wine.

The word enolita, today absolutely in disuse despite being the most correct term to define any vino-sa-based preparation, derives from the Greek, precisely from the term eno which means wine and lytos which means loose. Enolyte can therefore be defined as a wine in which active principles of vegetable origin have been dissolved. In vinous tinctures, in addition to being used as a solvent for active ingredients, wine itself can be endowed with beneficial properties, as we will see later on. In turn, wine can be defined as the product of the alcoholic fermentation of musts obtained from fresh or slightly dried grapes, with or without the presence of marc.

 

PREPARATION OF AN ENOLITA

Enoliths, also called vinous tinctures or medicinal wines, are hydroalcoholic solutions of phytocomplexes of medicinal plants, obtained by the solvent action of a suitable wine on the generally dry drug.

Simple medicinal wines are defined as those in which, in addition to the wine, only one drug is present, defined by the Pharmacopoeia as "remedium cardinale", while compound enoliths are those in which several drugs are associated.

There are two methods for the preparation of enoliths: the one by maceration and the one by dilution of a fluid extract, but of the two, the first is certainly to be preferred, for reasons that we will analyze later. The solvent properties of wine are generally superior to those of water both for the quantity of alcohol, albeit modest, which it contains, and for the acidity and for the presence of other compounds such as glycerine.

It is important to underline that the same compounds that make up wine contribute to determining its solvent capacity. Using wine as a solvent, the alcoholic part dissolves the non-polar active principles (essential oils, glucosides, resins, alkaloids, bitter principles, etc...), water the polar ones (mineral salts, sugars, anthocyanins, gums, tannins, etc...).

DRUG CHOICE

For the preparation of enoliths, drugs in the dry state are usually preferred, i.e. with a quantity of water not exceeding 15%. The fresh plant is almost never used to prevent the water present in the plant from diluting the solution, decreasing its extractive power. However, knowing that many plants, once dry, are depleted of their phytocomplex, it is necessary to extract them fresh. For example substances containing: vitamin C, sulfur principles and glucosides, which, following enzymatic degradation, could be poorly soluble or insoluble in wine. In the event that the drug chosen contains pa or substances with an unpleasant taste, small quantities of other vegetable substances can be associated, to correct the taste.

CHOICE OF WINE

The choice of wine to be used must be dictated by the type of drug to be used. The wines used in the extraction operations are generally:

Reds : for astringent and tannic drugs, the action of which is enhanced by the tannin of the wine, Barolo, Nebbiolo, Gattinara, etc. are indicated...

Whites: when you want to run out of diuretic drugs, whose action will be enhanced by the analogous properties of these wines, or drugs that contain active ingredients which, when combined with tannic acid, give rise to insoluble compounds (alkaloids, enzymes, etc.…). Among the most used we mention Soave, Vermentino and Verdicchio.

Liquorous: with over 15% ethyl alcohol, to deplete drugs containing resins, essential oils or easily alterable substances. If tonic or stomachic drugs are used, their action will be enhanced by the properties of the wine itself. These wines contain a greater quantity of sugar, which is why they are indicated when the drug to be extracted does not have a very pleasant taste. Vinsanto, Pantelleria, Marsala and Sardinian Vernaccia perform this role well.

In general, red wines are not recommended, as being very rich in tannins, they are incompatible with several active ingredients (alkaloids, heavy metals, resins).

Sometimes it is advisable to increase the percentage of alcohol to increase the solvent capacity. This operation is usually carried out on white wines that have a lower alcohol content, by adding ethyl alcohol until 15% alcohol is reached. In these cases it is good practice to mix the alcohol with half the wine, prepare the medicine and add the remaining wine.

METHOD

1st method (maceration)

Before being macerated, the drug must be hulled, i.e. cleaned of foreign elements, then it must be weighed and finely chopped (for example with the use of a mortar) in order to increase the contact surface between the drug and the solvent. Maceration must take place in special macerators or in closed containers and placed away from light; it is important that the containers are filled to the brim, making sure that the quantity of air inside the container is minimal, to avoid oxidation processes that are too marked and harmful. The maceration continues for 10-15 days, and the macerator should be shaken vigorously 2-3 times a day, in order to facilitate contact between the drug and the solvent. Once the maceration time has elapsed, the plant material must be poured and pressed at a not too high pressure, to avoid the leakage of mucilage which would cloud the enolyte. Subsequently the preparation is filtered on cloth or more simply with filter paper, it must then remain in a container to decant for a couple of days, after this time, if a deposit is visible, it is advisable to proceed with a second filtration. Finally, the enolyte is topped up with the same type of wine used for the extraction and brought up to volume. it must then remain in a container to decant for a couple of days, after this time, if a deposit is visible, it is advisable to proceed with a second filtration. Finally, the enolyte is topped up with the same type of wine used for the extraction and brought up to volume. it must then remain in a container to decant for a couple of days, after this time, if a deposit is visible, it is advisable to proceed with a second filtration. Finally, the enolyte is topped up with the same type of wine used for the extraction and brought up to volume.

2nd method (dilution of EF)

To obtain enolyths more quickly, their titrated fluid extracts can be used instead of drugs; this preparation will no longer be an extraction, but a simple dilution. Characteristics of this procedure are speed and safety, due to the ascertained compliance of the fluid extracts with a specific composition of active ingredients. Also the FUI VI ed. foresaw the dilution of the fluid extracts in the chosen wine, this procedure should however be discarded, since the dilution of a fluid extract, generally of 60-70° alcohol in a wine of 10-20°, very often causes the precipitation of various pa contained in the fluid extract. This phenomenon is easily explained, remembering that the higher the percentage of alcohol, the more the apolars go into solution.

STORAGE

Once ready, the enolyte must be stored in dark glass bottles or containers with hermetic closure, well filled, protected from light, in a cool and dry place. The shelf life of an enolyte depends primarily on that of the wine used, which varies above all in relation to the alcohol content and then on the basis of various factors such as the grape variety, the cultivation soil, the climate, the vintage... "The pa contained in an enolyte modify this shelf life, and the only ones that operate in a positive way are some essential oils" which can lengthen the "life" of the preparation. Wine is a complex and variable liquid, the components of which can react with plant nutrients, both during the extraction phase and after extraction. If the optimal storage conditions are not respected, medicated wines ferment and acidify easily like all wines. Even if prepared with good quality wines and with a high alcohol content, enoliths often give rise first to cloudiness and then to sedimentation. These alterations, which are linked to the presence of tannins and coloring substances, can involve a certain quantity of active ingredients and it is therefore advisable to try to avoid their formation. In general it can be said that the larger the deposit, the milder the activity of the extract. To reduce the amount of precipitates it is possible to add a few cg of gum arabic per litre, after having solubilized and heated it to free it from oxidase. 2% solution per litre) or with a dried egg white (about one dg per litre). Enoliths have some incompatibilities, for example their acidity makes them incompatible with the salts of weak acids and with the alkaline substances which modify their colour. In fact, in an alkaline environment the wine takes on a brownish colour, just as it becomes brownish with the iron salts due to the formation of the corresponding tannate.

CONCLUSIONS

Enoliths, although currently in disuse, are interesting phytotherapeutic preparations, since wine, used as a solvent for suitable treatments, can itself be endowed with beneficial properties. In the making of enoliths, the observance of maceration times and the right proportions between the wine and the drugs used play an essential role. These indications do not allow for exceptions, on pain of failure. All operations require patience and precision, since it is an extemporaneous medicine; in its preparation we try to maximize the beneficial effects of the wine used, of the drugs dissolved in it, and of the time, which in its passage harmonizes the various ingredients. It is necessary to underline the clearly empirical character of enoliths compared to other herbal preparations, in fact, only after many trials, and selectively changing the preparation parameters, is it possible to obtain a quality enolita. Considering the great regional variety of wines, after appropriate tests, it is possible to arrive at enoliths that are not only curative, but also pleasant and original. For the purposes of the intake, the fact that an enolith can be more pleasant and better accepted by the patient compared to other extracts is not secondary.

After so much theory, I leave you a ready-made "recipe" of a medicinal wine indicated  for the beauty and health of oily and acne-prone skin.

BURDOCK WINE

Leave to macerate for 10 days in a liter of good quality white wine  50 g of burdock root. After the indicated time  , filter the wine and store it in a dark glass bottle  and in a cool place. Take 2 shots a day. A  remedy with the same properties, but quick to implement, is  prepared by adding 50 g of burdock tincture to 150 g of Vermouth  . Take 3 tablespoons a day.