Tanning agents

Substances which result in tanning (conversion of the hide removed from the animal into leather) of the hide. Tanning agents have their original meaning in the leather industry.

Basically, a distinction is made among tanning agents between:

• inorganic tanning agents(alum, chromium salts) and
• organic tanning agents.

Inorganic tanning agents play a major role in the leather industry (tanning with chromium salts), but not in medicine.

Organic tanning agents can basically be divided into:

• vegetable tanningagents (these also include the tanning drugs, vegetable tanning agents used medicinally)
• synthetic t anning agents, some of which have also been used medicinally for years.

Inorganic (mineral tanning agents) tanning agents have no medical significance. The importance and use of organic, mostly vegetable tanning agents in medicine is manifold.