Astringent

An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that

shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin
adstringere, which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel,
and yerba mansa, a Californian plant, are astringents.[1]

Astringency, the dry, puckering mouthfeel caused by the tannins in

unripe fruits, lets the fruit mature by deterring eating. Ripe fruits and
fruit parts including blackthorn (sloe berries), Aronia chokeberry,
chokecherry, bird cherry, rhubarb, quince and persimmon fruits, and
banana skins are very astringent; citrus fruits, like lemons, are A crystal of the astringent alum
somewhat astringent. Tannins, being a kind of polyphenol, bind
salivary proteins and make them precipitate and aggregate,[2]
producing a rough, "sandpapery", or dry sensation in the mouth. The
tannins in some teas, coffee, and red grape wines like Cabernet
Sauvignon and Merlot produce mild astringency.

Uses
In medicine, astringents cause constriction or contraction of mucous
membranes and exposed tissues and are often used internally to reduce The astringents and acids in
[3]
discharge of blood serum and mucous secretions. This can happen fresh blackthorn berries (sloes)
with a sore throat, hemorrhages, diarrhea, and peptic ulcers. Externally give the fruit its sourness.
applied astringents, which cause mild coagulation of skin proteins, dry,
harden, and protect the skin.[4] People with acne are often advised to
use astringents if they have oily skin.[5] Mild astringents relieve such minor skin irritations as those resulting
from superficial cuts; allergies; insect bites;[4] anal hemorrhoids;[6] and fungal infections such as athlete's
foot.[7]

Some common astringents are alum, acacia, sage,[8] yarrow,[9] witch hazel, bayberry, distilled vinegar,
very cold water, and rubbing alcohol. Astringent preparations include silver nitrate, potassium
permanganate, zinc oxide, zinc sulfate, Burow's solution, tincture of benzoin, and such vegetable
substances as tannic and gallic acids. Balaustines are the red rose-like flowers of the pomegranate, which
are very bitter to the taste. In medicine, their dried form has been used as an astringent.[10] Some metal salts
and acids have also been used as astringents.[11] Redness-reducing eye drops contain an astringent. Use of
Goulard's Extract has been discontinued, because of lead poisoning.

References
1. Anemopsis californica (http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Plants%20of%20Upper%20Newport%20
Bay%20%28Robert%20De%20Ruff%29/Saururaceae/Anemopsis%20californica.htm) from
University of California, Irvine
2. Fennema, Food Chemistry, 4th ed., p. 656.
3. Brodin, Michael (1998). The Over-The-Counter Drug Book (https://books.google.com/books?
id=xyJw_aLOM9sC&pg=PA382). Simon and Schuster. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-671-01380-6.
Retrieved 4 June 2014.
 4. Peter A. Ciullo (31 December 1996). Industrial Minerals and Their Uses: A Handbook and
Formulary (https://books.google.com/books?id=qQPozu9fWrIC&pg=PA407). William
Andrew. p. 407. ISBN 978-0-8155-1808-2. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
5. Acne (http://brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/common_colle
ge_health_issues/acne.php) from http://www.brown.edu
6. Acheson, Austin; Scholefield, John (2008-02-16). "Management of haemorrhoids" (https://w
ww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2244760). BMJ. 336 (7640): 380–383.
doi:10.1136/bmj.39465.674745.80 (https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.39465.674745.80).
PMC 2244760 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2244760). PMID 18276714
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18276714).
7. Dockery, Gary L.; Crawford, Mary Elizabeth (1999). Color Atlas of Foot and Ankle
Dermatology (https://books.google.com/books?id=wQkML9WQfXsC&pg=PA171). Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-397-51519-6. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
8. Dorland, W. A. Newman (1907). The American illustrated medical dictionary (https://books.g
oogle.com/books?id=6DG6AAAAIAAJ) (4th ed.). Philadelphia and London: W.B. Saunders
company. pp. 14, 39, 635. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
9. Grieve, Maud (1 June 1971). A Modern Herbal: The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and
Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs, & Trees
with All Their Modern Scientific Uses (https://books.google.com/books?id=REy8Yiyf2HEC&
pg=PA863). Dover Publications. pp. 863–864. ISBN 978-0-486-22799-3. Retrieved 4 June
2014.
10. History of Science: Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences… (http://digi
coll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&entity=HistSciTech0009
00240228&isize=L)
11. Gregory, James (1833). Conspectus medicinae theoreticae: a view of the theory of medicine;
in two parts: Part I. Containing physiology and pathology. Part II. Containing therapeutics (htt
ps://archive.org/details/conspectusmedic00greggoog) (2nd ed.). London: Stirling & Kenneg.
pp. 255 (https://archive.org/details/conspectusmedic00greggoog/page/n269)–256. Retrieved
4 June 2014.

External links
The dictionary definition of astringent at Wiktionary

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