Subject: Re: salvia solvents & extraction
From: myke@nym.lycaeum.org
Date: April 07, 1997 at 13:20:01
In Reply to: salvia solvents & extraction posted by jobu@nym.lycaeum.org on March 31, 1997 at 15:40:12:
> in making the salvia extract, acetone and denatured alcohol are always mentioned. > as a non-chemistry type, would isopropyl alcohol work as well? it's fairly > cheap and can be purchased rather cheaply in small amounts. > also, if salvia is boiled in water priop to extraction, would that remove > some of the water solubles without removing the salvinorin, making for a more > concentrated extract, or would this be wasteful? Salvinorin-a is definitely water soluble, so I wouldn't attempt a water extract to remove non-actives. I prefer denatured alcohol because it is very cheap, readily available as a paint-thinner (at such places as Home Depot), and produces an extract that is smooth and easy to smoke. I have found that acetone and/or isopropyl alcohol produce a harsher extract, which interferes with enjoyment of the ensueing experience. I once strained some scrambled eggs through a small strainer to remove a tiny piece of eggshell that I accidentally dropped into the mixture. Upon cooking, the resulting foodstuff was quiet weird in texture and taste (exactly like "Eggbeaters," which I am sure is treated similarly). The act of straining the eggs broke down some cellular consistency that is part of the experience of enjoying good scrambled eggs. Solvents can also be viewed as a type of "strainer" which produce structural changes in the materials "filtered" through them. I can easily dinstinguish unrefined plant products that were extracted with organic solvents such as acetone, isopropanol, ethanol and/or methanol. In terms of smoking, methanol/ethanol seem to give the smoothest extract, followed by isopropanol, with acetone bringing up the far rear. Myke