Glycerin looks like a clear syrupy liquid. It has a sweet taste. Evenly distributed in any fluid medium of a living organism. Glycerol molecules act like a sponge, attract and retain water.
Glycerin in medicine is used in the complex treatment of many diseases and in the production of drugs. Pharmacists use glycerin as a solvent for many medicines. With its help, tablets are given the desired level of moisture, and liquid preparations, if necessary, are made more viscous.
Glycerin is included in the process of fermentation of liquids in order to prevent enzymatic changes in them. In the formulation of many therapeutic ointments, glycerin is present to protect them from drying out.
Glycerin in medicine is an effective solvent for chemicals such as iodine, phenol, thymol, bromine, tannin. With its help , mercury chloride is dissolved . Replacing water with glycerin, highly concentrated pharmaceutical solutions are prepared.
To prepare an antiseptic based on boric acid for the treatment of colpitis, diaper rash, pyoderma, and other skin lesions, 10 g of boric acid are dissolved in 100 ml of glycerol. Lubricate sore spots according to the doctor's recommendations.
Antiseptic properties allow targeted use of glycerin. The use in medicine to prevent infection of open wounds is due to the antiseptic and preservative effect of glycerin, which is based on its hygroscopicity. The water-absorbing effect provokes the dehydration and death of pathogenic bacteria.
Glycerin inclusions can cause side effects for the body in the form of bloating, nausea, vomiting, headaches and dizziness. Those people who suffer from diabetes or hypertension, in which impaired renal function is observed, is not recommended to use glycerin for treatment.
In the human body, glycerin is involved in the oxidation process with the formation of carbon dioxide and water molecules. Glycerin in medicine in undiluted state is not used, because it has a pronounced irritating effect on the mucous membrane of tissues. Irritation disappears if you add about 50% water, lanolin or petroleum jelly.
Suppositories or suppositories containing glycerol are widely used to treat constipation of various origins. This may be a consequence of a psychogenic nature, a functional disorder of the digestive system, age-related changes in the rectal area. Suppositories with glycerin for constipation are also prescribed for children, persons with reduced mobility, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
With rectal administration in the form of suppositories, glycerin has a slightly irritating effect directly on the mucous surface of the rectum. Thus, reflex stimulation of intestinal contractions occurs, which leads to a pronounced laxative effect. There is a softening of feces, and their rapid evacuation.
Medical glycerin known for its laxative, dehydrating, dermatoprotective effect. This substance is a significant increase in osmotic pressure, contributing to the transition of water molecules from the extravascular medium into plasma.
Intracranial pressure decreases if glycerin is introduced into the body in terms of 1-2 g per 1 kg of patient weight. Glycerin is administered orally or bypassing the digestive tract. The maximum effect is observed after 1.5 hours or after 1 hour.
Intraocular pressure begins to decrease after 10 minutes, the maximum effect is observed after 1.5 hours, the effect lasts about 5 hours.
Glycerin in medicine is used as dehydration therapy in the treatment of cerebral edema of various origins, before or after ophthalmic surgery, when it becomes necessary to reduce intraocular pressure. The introduction of glycerol arrests acute attacks of glaucoma.