Using alcohol is a most outstanding method to extract the alkaloids contained in kratom, even though they can also be easily extracted in water. While it is not known which and how many kratom alkaloids are extracted in alcohol, it seems clear that the effects of taking kratom extracted by alcohol are different to the effects of kratom extracted in boiling water. By making kratom extract with alcohol, if alcohol evaporates during the extraction process, kratom will lose part of its stimulating properties, while the relaxing, calming properties will increase.
The process of extracting using alcohol is not difficult at all and the elements that you will need to carry out the process are incredibly easy to find. In this article, we will show you how to perform kratom extraction with alcohol.
In case you intend to evaporate the alcohol, do it at a minimal temperature, monitor the whole process and make sure the room where you are developing the extraction is perfectly ventilated.
Tools
In order to make kratom extract with alcohol you will need the following tools:
- A kitchen scale
- A glass bottle or jar that can be closed and sealed
- A muslin cloth
- A big container (larger than the glass bottle or jar)
Ingredients
- Kratom powder or dried leaves
- Lemon or lime juice
- Alcohol (a drinkable alcohol, ideally about 40% volume, like vodka for instance. This is essential if you intend to drink the alcohol without having evaporated and reduced it to a powder format. There are some types of alcohol, like Isopropyl, that can never be drunk under any circumstances!)
Elaboration
First Steps
Weigh the amount of kratom you are using in the process.
Put the kratom in the glass bottle and pour some lemon or lime juice over it. The juice will help in the extraction process.
Add enough alcohol to make sure that, when shaken, it blends with the kratom to form a liquid paste. In case you want the extract to evaporate and turn into powder, you can add as much alcohol as you want. However, it is advisable to put only enough alcohol to cover up the powdered kratom plus another drop. If you think it is not runny enough, add a bit more of alcohol. If you intend to consume the extract with the alcohol, you will need to control the amount of alcohol you are using.
Seal the bottle and shake it ensuring everything blends properly. If you are using a cork, do not close it too tightly and make sure it allows the gasses out, or it will burst out due to pressure in the next steps.
Final preparations
Put the sealed bottle or jar inside the larger container. It needs to be a container that supports boiling water, like a cooking pot or a glass container.
Add boiling water to the container covering as much of the bottle glass as possible. The heat will warm up the alcohol and facilitate the extraction process. Keep an eye on the bottle, because alcohol will start to evaporate soon (alcohol boiling point is lower than water) and the steam will increase the pressure in the glass bottle.
Leave the bottle in the water for 20 – 30 minutes and shake it from time to time to keep the mix even and properly distributed. The water needs to be hot during this time, so if it colds down you can replace it with newly boiled water. In any case, remember that 20 – 30 minutes are enough to extract alkaloids.
Then you will need to strain the kratom material. Place a muslin cloth in a cup and pour all the contents of the bottle over it. If you do not have a muslin cloth, you can use other fabrics or materials that can act as a filter and allow the straining of this substance.
Take the kratom powder or leafs you used for this preparation and make a tea with it. Thus you will be able to notice if the there are any alkaloids in it.
The water and alcohol extracts will vanish in a powder format. You will notice a dark layer of alcohol has formed on top of the powder. This is the actual alcohol extract, which is an excellent substitute for kratom tea.
Kratom has different alkaloids (like mitragynine or 7-OHM); some dissolve better in alcohol, while others do it in water. Probably because of this, the effects of alcohol extracted and water extracted kratom water vary. If alcohol has evaporated during the extraction process, you will find it has a more sedative, relaxing effect.
I hate to be a downer, but I think this process is wack. Mitragynine and 7-OHM are both highly soluble in alcohol, no need for the lemon juice or the water. They I have tried the acid/ethanol/water method before and most of the steps are unnecessary and harm the final product in my opinion.
The alkaloids are highly nonpolar molecules, so they are more soluble in higher percent ethanol. Some sources claim its also soluble in some acids like acetic acid. I didn’t see anything specific about citric acid which is what would be in the lemon juice. I can buy that the alkaloid profile will probably be different whether extracted with water or alcohol, but if you extract with alcohol, and then boil off the alcohol so that only water is left, you are not going to lose the alkaloids you originally pulled out of the plant material when the ethanol was present. For example, if you extracted with 70% alcohol and you pull some mitragynine out of the plant material, and then you evaporate off the alcohol, the mitragynine will either stay dissolved in the water remaining or if its completely insoluble in water, may be present as a thin oil layer on the surface. The mitragynine will not evaporate with the ethanol, because its boiling point is over 200 degrees C. Ethanol boils around 70C and water at 100C, so you aren’t going to broach mitragynine’s boiling point.
Thanks for your feedback!
Make it just like you would make hash oil. Everything is the same. Same as cannabis oil you’ll get back about 25% of what you put in. 1 ounce of good kratom = 5-8 grams of concentrate. 99% isopropyl alcohol will create highest yields
Use grain alcohol. Everclear. Put desired amount in bottle, shake every now and then, in a day or 2 or even a few hours if you’re impatient, strain it, evaporate it.
Don’t use vodka, unless you want to end up having the extra step of boiling off the murky water left behind from the vodka. Everclear Will not leave any liquid.
Does anyone want to walk me through the process using eveclear and helping calculate how many grams I am getting per batch? I would be willing to pay a small fee, say $50 if the product is legit. I will have it tested.
Yes please!