Chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues
A crystal of the astringent
alum
The astringents and acids in fresh
blackthorn berries (sloes) give the fruit its sourness.
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". Astringency , the dry, puckering or numbing
mouthfeel caused by the
tannins
[1]
[2] in unripe fruits, lets the fruit mature by deterring eating. Tannins, being a kind of
polyphenol , bind salivary
proteins and make them precipitate and
aggregate ,
[3]
[4]
[5] producing a rough, "sandpapery", or dry sensation in the mouth.
Squirrels ,
wild boars , and
insects can eat astringent food as their mouths are developed to be resistant to its effects.
[6]
In
Ayurveda , astringent is the sixth taste (after
sweet ,
sour ,
salty ,
pungent ,
bitter ) represented by "air and earth".
[7]
[8]
Smoking tobacco is also reported to have an astringent effect.
[9]
In a scientific study, astringency was still detectable by subjects who had
local anesthesia applied to their taste nerves, but not when both these and the
trigeminal nerves were disabled.
[10]
Uses
In medicine, astringents cause constriction or contraction of
mucous membranes and exposed tissues and are often used internally to reduce discharge of
blood serum and mucous secretions.
[11] This can happen with a
sore throat ,
hemorrhages ,
diarrhea , and
peptic ulcers . Externally applied astringents, which cause mild coagulation of skin
proteins , dry, harden, and protect the
skin .
[12] People with
acne are often advised to use astringents if they have oily skin.
[13] Mild astringents relieve such minor skin irritations as those resulting from superficial cuts;
allergies ;
insect bites ;
[12]
anal hemorrhoids ;
[14] and
fungal infections such as
athlete's foot .
[15] Redness-reducing eye drops contain an astringent. Use of
Goulard's Extract has been discontinued due to
lead poisoning .[
citation needed ]
Examples
Some common astringents are
alum ,
acacia ,
sage ,
[16]
yarrow ,
[17]
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.
[18] Some metal
salts and acids have also been used as astringents.
[19]
Calamine lotion ,
witch hazel , and
yerba mansa , are astringents,
[20] as are the powdered leaves of the
myrtle .
[21] Ripe fruits and fruit parts including
blackthorn (sloe berries),
Aronia chokeberry,
chokecherry ,
bird cherry ,
rhubarb ,
quince ,
jabuticaba and
persimmon fruits (especially when unripe),
banana skins (or unripe bananas),
cashew fruits and acorns are astringent.
[22] Citrus fruits, like lemons, are somewhat astringent. The tannins in some
teas ,
coffee , and red grape
wines like
Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot produce mild astringency.[
citation needed ]
Astringency is used in classifications of
white wine .
References
^ Ray, P. K. (2002).
Breeding Tropical and Subtropical Fruits . Springer Science & Business Media.
ISBN
9783540428558 . Retrieved 2018-12-08 .
^ Joslyn, Maynard (2012-12-02).
Methods in Food Analysis: Applied to Plant Products . Elsevier.
ISBN
9780323146814 .
^ Fennema, Food Chemistry , 4th ed., p. 656.
^ Breslin, P.A.S.; Gilmore, M.M.; Beauchamp, G.K.; Green, B.G. (1993).
"Psychophysical evidence that oral astringency is a tactile sensation" . Chemical Senses . 18 (4): 405–417.
doi :
10.1093/chemse/18.4.405 .
^ Bertsch, Pascal; Bergfreund, Jotam; Windhab, Erich J.; Fischer, Peter (August 2021).
"Physiological fluid interfaces: Functional microenvironments, drug delivery targets, and first line of defense" . Acta Biomaterialia . 130 : 32–53.
doi :
10.1016/j.actbio.2021.05.051 .
hdl :
20.500.11850/498803 .
PMID
34077806 .
S2CID
235323337 .
^ Choi, Nak-Eon; Han, Jung H. (2014-12-03).
How Flavor Works: The Science of Taste and Aroma . John Wiley & Sons.
ISBN
9781118865453 .
^ Desai, Urmila (1990).
The Ayurvedic Cookbook: A Personalized Guide to Good Nutrition and Health . Lotus Press.
ISBN
9780914955061 .
^ Lad, Vasant (2002).
Textbook of Ayurveda . Ayurvedic Press.
ISBN
9781883725075 .
^ McBride, Nome.
"Herbal Smoking Mixes" (PDF) . Traditional Roots Institute . Retrieved 2022-07-20 .
^ Jiang, Yue; Gong, Naihua N.; Matsunami, Hiroaki (2014).
"Astringency: A More Stringent Definition" . Chemical Senses . 39 (6): 467–469.
doi :
10.1093/chemse/bju021 .
ISSN
0379-864X .
PMC
4064959 .
PMID
24860069 .
^ Brodin, Michael (1998).
The Over-The-Counter Drug Book . Simon and Schuster. p. 382.
ISBN
978-0-671-01380-6 . Retrieved 4 June 2014 .
^
a
b Peter A. Ciullo (31 December 1996).
Industrial Minerals and Their Uses: A Handbook and Formulary . William Andrew. p. 407.
ISBN
978-0-8155-1808-2 . Retrieved 4 June 2014 .
^
Acne from
http://www.brown.edu
^ Acheson, Austin; Scholefield, John (2008-02-16).
"Management of haemorrhoids" . BMJ . 336 (7640): 380–383.
doi :
10.1136/bmj.39465.674745.80 .
PMC
2244760 .
PMID
18276714 .
^ Dockery, Gary L.; Crawford, Mary Elizabeth (1999).
Color Atlas of Foot and Ankle Dermatology . Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 171.
ISBN
978-0-397-51519-6 . Retrieved 4 June 2014 .
^
Dorland, W. A. Newman (1907).
The American illustrated medical dictionary (4th ed.). Philadelphia and London: W.B. Saunders company. pp. 14, 39, 635. Retrieved 4 June 2014 .
^
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 . Dover Publications. pp. 863–864.
ISBN
978-0-486-22799-3 . Retrieved 4 June 2014 .
^
History of Science: Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences…
^ Gregory, James (1833).
Conspectus medicinae theoretic medicine; in two parts: Part I. Containing physiology and pathology. Part II. Containing therapeutics (2nd ed.). London: Stirling & Kenneg. pp.
255 –256. Retrieved 4 June 2014 .
^
Anemopsis californica from University of California, Irvine
^ Borg, John (1927).
"Descriptive flora of the Maltese Islands" .
^ Choi, Nak-Eon; Han, Jung H. (2014-12-03).
How Flavor Works: The Science of Taste and Aroma . John Wiley & Sons.
ISBN
9781118865453 .
External links
The dictionary definition of
astringent at Wiktionary