Paste

Also paste preparation. Any semi-liquid or virtually solid pharmaceutical preparation. Distinction is made between rich pastes, which are taken orally, and medicinal pastes, which are applied topically. Rich pastes are made by reducing decoctions of agents to a thick consistency and then adding honey or rock candy. Medicinal pastes are made by adding powdered agents to heated mixtures of vegetable oil and wax. A plaster is a kind of topically applied medicinal paste that has to be softened by heating before being applied.