Best Tincture Filtration System

[Kelleytoons]

Folks,

I know there is *some* interest in making Kratom tinctures and I wanted to report on at least one aspect of it I've nailed down. Warning: this will require spending some money. However, you will then end up with a PERFECT extract in terms of getting all the "crap" out of it.

First things first: what we're talking about is putting Kratom powder (or leaf) in alcohol for some period of time. I want to address the issue of time in a later separate post but for now let's say at least a week. After that you will want to remove the "junk" - the stuff that isn't alcohol infused with alkaloids. Otherwise you will have this sludge at the bottom and you don't need it (truly you don't - some folks say there is something "there" that doesn't translate into the alcohol but scientific studies say otherwise).

The most common methods are trying to strain the mixture through cheesecloth, but the problem is if you are using powder it will quickly clog up the cloth and little liquid will get through. To that end some folks take the cheesecloth, make it into a "bag" and then handsqueeze it. This is both an absolute mess as well as requiring superhuman strength to get all the moisture out. The best you will do is to get about half. You can also put it into a potato press and use the mechanical advantage there but this only gets another 1/4 or so.

Some folks also say use the Aeropress - nope and nope again. This is an equal mess and it will equally not get all of the good stuff. And it also needs Superman (or at least Thor) to do properly.

The absolute best way is the way scientists do it - science does this sort of thing ALL the time, because they have to separate particulates from a lot of solutions. What they do is use something called a Buckner flask and filter cup that holds filters of various porosity. The Buckner flask is attached to a vacuum so the liquid is then forced through this filter by the difference between the atmosphere and the vacuum made inside the flask.

You can look up on the web the component parts but the most expensive is a pump to create the vacuum. However, there is an inexpensive ($24 or so) water aspirator that can do the trick, as long as you are near a sink and don't mind getting the necessary adapters to hook to your faucet. With this approach you should be able to put together a totally scientific solution for less than $100.

This will allow you to do multiple passes on your solution, with various filters down to 1.5 microns (which I use). It gets out ALL the crap in just a few minutes, and you are left with crystal clear tincture (well, it will still be VERY dark because that coloration can't be filtered. But no other crap is there).

I've done this a number of times now and it's amazing how much better your tinctures will be - they will even taste better (but not great - I'm still working on that :>).

[BallzDeep9]

After that you will want to remove the "junk" - the stuff that isn't alcohol infused with alkaloids. Otherwise you will have this sludge at the bottom and you don't need it (truly you don't - some folks say there is something "there" that doesn't translate into the alcohol but scientific studies say otherwise).

I really WISH we had more studies... I'd really like to see, Tests done by the same Lab, using their Liquid chromatography -Mass spectrometry (LC-MS) study for Mitragynine, on TWO batches of Kratom Extract - One water based Aeropress Tea, and # Two a Ethanol Only tincture. That seems like a basic comparison and it's too bad that nobody's done that yet, side by side?

The most common methods are trying to strain the mixture through cheesecloth, but the problem is if you are using powder it will quickly clog up the cloth and little liquid will get through. To that end some folks take the cheesecloth, make it into a "bag" and then handsqueeze it. This is both an absolute mess as well as requiring superhuman strength to get all the moisture out. The best you will do is to get about half. You can also put it into a potato press ...

Yep, Philly uses a Cider Press, (sold on Amazon,) same idea - Mechanical device with advantage that it's a "Cold Press" method which, some of the leading Retail extracts -OPMS- ? supposedly is a cold press extraction using no chemicals ? Anyway - Yes the FIlter part is the most difficult... Many different "Nut Milk Bags" are on Amazon using cheesecloth, muslin, nylon, various...

The absolute best way is the way scientists do it - science does this sort of thing ALL the time, because they have to separate particulates from a lot of solutions. What they do is use something called a Buckner flask and filter cup that holds filters of various porosity.

I'll describe a basic Extract Tek, Filtration step here: This is a Kratom extract Tek developed by a herbalist who's done it for years this way. The overall concept, is to use Ethanol, followed by a Water based extraction so you're left with 2 liquids, both filtered in stages using Nut bag/ cheesecloth/ pantyhose... followed by filtration through a funnel & cotton ball. Here's a Readers Digest version, of ONLY the Step 1 and 2 filter part:

Get some clean pantyhose and cut a sock from it. Stretch this pantyhose over the mouth of a large wide mouth Mason Jar, and then pour your alcohol tincture through this and into the jar. The pantyhose will clog up very quickly. So, stretch it with the toe flat across the mouth of the jar you continue to feed more UN clogged pantyhose along, as the toe sinks into the jar... You must wring ALL of the alcohol out of the sock filled with wet kratom leaf - and get it as dry as your hands will let you. (without tearing the pantyhose anyway)! Then, Set that Alcohol tincture/ Mason Jar aside.

The next step, take your alcohol soaked Leaf/ sludge, and ( cook the alcohol off ) using a pot of boiled distilled water. This step is critical: it must be done VERY carefully, ONE spoonful at a time!! The alcohol will "gas off" when it hits the hot water... Again ONE spoonful at a time. The Result will be a pot of Tea, and to finish you strain the Tea sludge through a pantyhose or other filter as before. -- This is more time consuming, but MUCH safer than many Recipe's which call for slow cooking of alcohol in a pan on the stove! - Lots more to the Tek, final steps after all this filtering is to combine liquids, run 1 more through a funnel & cotton ball then, a Reduce step in pyrex or silicone baking dish, to make dry Extract powder.

[Kelleytoons]

Actually, I use the Source Turbo which "cooks off" the alcohol both much safer and easier than any other method. But here I was only addressing the filtration system - you can build the system I describe cheaply (unlike the ST) and get the cleanest possible tincture. What you do with it beyond that is up to you.

With my ST it takes about two hours to go down to as low as you want - right now I have it going down to around 30ml because beyond that it gets VERY sludgy and hard to deal with, even with the Teflon coated crucible in the ST. Most cannabis folks like this, however, as they want the "solids". I don't - I still want liquid and I want it able to easily combine with water (which at 30ml it does).

I will talk about this process more in another thread describing the Source Turbo and Kratom in more detail.

(And you're right about the studies - they make my head hurt because so many of them are using techniques beyond what we can do and, of course, aren't particularly concerned with the effects of Kratom but just the physical science. However, it makes a ton of sense that an alcohol tincture, particularly one using 100% ethanol or methanol (the two substances science has studied along with water extraction) would get out everything. They are pretty well both base and acid solvents that can remove almost anything from almost anything - it's really just a matter of time and what other methods you might be applying, like ASE. I think it's pretty firm ground to state that pure ethanol extraction gets out anything you want from the leaf - the problem is it also gets out things you don't necessary want, like chlorophyll, which I'm trying to work with now and may or may not report on later).