Pharmacy equipment – Tincture presses
Tinctures are extracts that are made from plant material -wood, bark, roots, seeds, stems and leaves- prepared by boiling or soaking in water, alcohol or other liquids to release the medicinal chemicals they contain. This stage of the process is called maceration.
The screw presses are used to crush the macerated source plant to get as much of the active ingredients as possible, which trickle from the spout. A variety of sizes allow different quantities to be made or to press more difficult material.
The tinctures are used in all sorts of medicines, often mixed together to make medicines like cough mixtures.
The Museum’s pharmacy displays two presses.