In medicine, a tincture is an alcoholic extract (e.g. of an herb) or solution of a nonvolatile substance (e.g. of iodine, mercurochrome.) Solutions of volatile substances were called spirits, although that name was also given to several other materials obtained by distillation, even when they did not include alcohol. Some examples that were formerly common in medicine include:
The phrase "Tincture of time" refers to the tendency of many things to resolve themselves if one simply waits.
Examples of spirits include:
In heraldry, the tinctures are the colors used in a coat of arms: see tincture (heraldry).
