ABSTRACT
Most oral liquid dosage forms are flavored with synthetic flavors or naturally occurring products such as vanilla, raspberry, orange oil, anise oil, or lemon oil. Three traditional liquid dosage forms are used to administer pharmacological agents via the oral route. They are solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. Solutions used for the delivery of oral medications commonly fall into two subcategories, based on the solution components: elixirs and syrups. The chapter discusses several alternative routes of administration for oral solutions. From a historical perspective, pharmacologic agents were frequently obtained from plants by using extraction techniques into potable solvents such as water and alcohol. The solubilizing properties of glycerin are comparable to alcohol, but the increased viscosity imparted to the final product may be an undesired outcome of the use of this solvent. Glycerin USP is a clear, colorless, viscous liquid. It is miscible with water, alcohol, propylene glycol, and polyethylene glycol 400.
