Why do we use alcohol, water, glycerine & vinegar as our solvents?

The plant sap is the living matrix. Each plant has a different “juice.” For example, a succulent like aloe vera has a skin over a gel while pine trees exude pine sap that can be picked from the tree. If you were to place the picked pine sap in a cup of water, you would find a little oil, a small amount of sugar & a lot of resin sitting on the bottom of the cup. If you take the water & drink it, you do not have the sap. If you add a sufficient amount of alcohol to dissolve the resin, you now have the complete pine sap represented in liquid form.

Scientists have calculated which amount of solvent dissolve & represent the full spectrum of plant sap matrix.