yes you can take the stuff straight from an STB.. but if it has a bit of lye contamination, it might hurt on its way down the throat or cause some stomach upset.  Recrystalizing is recommended (or/and washing with sodium carbonate while still dissolved in the non polar solvent).

SWIM already ate straight STB stuff mixed with some mashed banana for easy swallowing. It was ok but stomach didnt like so much.

Or just dissolve in any acidic water. SWIM already used a bit of warm lemon tea to dissolve freebase (it took a while to dissolve and even was still one piece of suspended freebase which was a somehow dense little rock so didnt dissolve, SWIM just swallowed as it was and had no problem.

One can also take it in a capsule if one can get some. Or dissolve in some other dilute food grade acid such as a bit of vinegar.