of herbal medicines and their protocols fresh extract 5 1 ratio solid extract 4 1 ratio fluid extract 1 1 ratio saturated tinctures 1 2 ratio herbal tinctures 1 3 1 5 1 8 1 10 and 1 20 ratios homeopathic mother tinctures 1 10 ratio in conjunction with the protocols and solvents mentioned above a preferred list of solvents for extracting is 25 alcohol 45 alcohol 60 alcohol and 90 alcohol the 25 value is useful where the active principles are mostly water soluble 45 alcohol is useful to collect tannins some glycosides and some alkaloids 60 alcohol is useful to collect some alkaloids some glycosides tannins and saponins the 90 alcohol is useful to collect resins and oils to produce an extract typically a protocol is established as a ratio of the dried starting material the weight in volume of the final product and the alcohol percentage in the final product for example polygonum bistorta or bistort root can have a protocol of 1 5 u00d7 45 this means that one dry weight of the herbal material makes five liquid volumes by weight of medicine of which is 45 alcohol the alcohol can come from 95 grain alcohol when alcohol is the named percentage in the protocol the remainder is distilled water to make up the whole distilled.