The "evaporating off the alcohol" -myth.

Problems: 
Myths
Preparations: 
Tinctures

To: herb.franklin.oit.unc.edu
Subject: Alcohol (Was Re: Sage)
From: "Graham White" <hendongreen.gn.apc.org>
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 15:26:18 -0000

>Do you know if a glycerite of the white sage works as well? Yeah, I know about the alcohol evaporating in hot water, and all that, but I'm a recovering alcoholic, and I prefer not to go there.

Perhaps this is a good time to scotch that myth. A colleague of mine did this as his final year project. He took tinctures of varying alcohol concentrations and added water of differing temperatures for varying lengths of time and found the MAXIMUM reduction in alcohol concentration was of the order of 10%. I believe he's in the process of writing this up for publication.

Logical when you think about it or how could you get drunk on irish coffee?

Cheers

Graham White B.Sc. (Herb. Med.), MNIMH.
Medical Herbalist