Alcohol in medicines

“If you have worries, you also have liqueur,” as the saying goes. You could also say: “If you  have medication  , you have alcohol”. Many medications, especially herbal supplements in liquid form, contain alcohol.  Colloquially, alcohol is understood to mean ethyl alcohol or ethanol. It can be found in the classic alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine or spirits, but also as a preservative and extractant for various medicines. Ethanol is the best-known representative of the large chemical group of alcohols.

Ethanol is an extractant…

Ethanol has always been used in the production of herbal medicines in order to achieve a high concentration of active ingredients in the medicine. For example, herbs or plant components are placed in alcohol over a longer period of time and then poured off. Ethanol is also a natural alcohol found wherever wet, sugary or starchy substances are fermented by ubiquitous yeast cells.

Alcohol is therefore a natural component of many  foods  such as  bread  or fruit juices. Human blood also contains alcohol in concentrations of 0.002-0.003 percent – without the consumption of alcohol.

…and preservative

At the same time, ethanol is a natural preservative, so that the use of alcohol in medicines means that other artificial preservatives can be dispensed with. Ethanol inactivates  enzymes : This has a beneficial effect on conversion and degradation reactions in the cells and thus promotes the effect of the drugs.

risks and side effects

The alcohol content of medicines is completely safe for most people, even if they are taking an herbal medicine for a long time. Alcohol in medicines is not considered a precursor to alcohol dependence among pharmacists  . However, this does not mean that alcoholics can take alcohol-based medicines. Here the requirement of absolute abstinence takes precedence. With children, however, spirits quarrel.

The preparations available today usually contain 30 to 50 percent by volume of alcohol, which is taken in single doses of around 2 ml or 2 g. From this, a current blood alcohol level of 0.01 to 0.02% can be derived, which is broken down again after just a few minutes.

Danger for children?

From a pharmaceutical point of view, there is therefore no danger for children from medicines containing alcohol. Rather, pharmacists and pharmacists point out what they believe to be a greater risk from the negligent handling of over-the-counter alcohol. In addition, parents and educators must ensure that all types of medicines – not just alcohol-based medicines – are kept out of the reach of children.

Alcohol substitution is problematic

For pharmacists, ethanol is an undisputed component of a wide variety of formulations. Their composition is precisely defined and regulated in the Medicines Act. According to this, a drug containing a fluid extract or tincture must always contain ethanol and must not be called “alcohol-free”. The physical, technological and antimicrobial properties of ethanol complement those of water, making ethanol-water blends easy to prepare and beneficial to consumers. Although there are substitutes, they are often only mixtures of higher alcohols.

This means that these preparations are by no means “alcohol-free” but only “ethanol-free”. The use of other solvents for the herbal  active ingredients  is therefore not recommended by pharmacists. What is clear is that alcoholics should not take any alcohol in medication.

For children, the intended use is considered completely harmless – a bottle of beer in the hands of children is more dangerous.