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DMT salts for e-juice

Research DMT salts for e-juice

Research done by (or for) the DMT-Nexus community
Hi, having read this thread a lot, and currently experimenting, here some anectdotal findings and infos on my side.

suggestion: When experimenting, I suggest people to use rebuildable "dripper" atomizers: those ones have usually a lower-capacity tank, and the coil is easily accessible from the top. It enables you to manually soak the cotton wick with the liquid each time you use it (saving you from filling a tank, facing leaks, losing juice, etc.)

context:
I'm vaping nicotine since ~5-10 years and i'm pretty used to "rebuildable" atomizers
I'm quite interested with microdosing/therapeuthic/low-doses uses of DMT (after several years of psilocybin/LSD microdosing). Due to the potential higher frequency of use, I'm a bit attentive about health issues.

- I did my first successful extractions last week. Classic STB NaOH + naphta + freeze precipitation tek. No water wash (I'll do this on the next). My first 2 pulls gave me 1.27g of white, pale yellow material (the first pull was almost full white).
- I then made my own liquide to test: ~400mg DMT freebase (386 to be precise), diluted in 10mL of PG/VG (50%-50%). It's quite low, I know, it was intentional, as I'm sensitive to psychedelics (tryptamines, lysergamides, weed). I don't intent to go for the breakthrought for now.
- I used a 1 Ohm resistance, at 8-10W, with a decent box. The atomizer was a Brunehilde MTL (but I set a quite open airflow, to be able to do a semi-"direct to lung" vaping)
- first bioassays (self-test :) ) were very successful. I even managed to have OEV when pushed a bit. Wow, that stuff is strong! :)
- very nice aftereffects, slightly different from my experience with psilocybin/LSD microdosing. I found them **very** promising for my topic of interest.


But:
I found the vapor very very harsh and hurting for the lungs and the throath. I felt a specific hit point at the back of the throath just after consuming and overall chest-lung thighness / slight pain/discomfort lasting to the next day.

I'm experienced with nicotine vaping, and I'm quite careful with the technical setup (no overheating, cotton wick inspection). For what I read here, it seems be caused by the very high pH of the vaping liquid made from DMT freebase, that literally harm the lungs.

Yesterday, I even tried adding some citric acid (99.9% purity) to the proportion suggested here (1:0.3 DMT:Citric Acid), correctly dissolved but felt no relly significant improvements (specific pain point at back to throath, chest discomfort after).

I may (very unfortunately) stop my experiment until my airways feels better / has healed. I'll also look into buying a proper phMeter as I'm disappointed by my attempt with citric acid addition.

Hope it adds some info to this collaborative effort and I'll look into ideas and suggestions.
Hi ! Here are some thoughts about your post :

I'm not sure a MTL device is the best option, they are not the most suitable for long continuous puffs and usually deliver poor amount of aerosol. Maybe try a higher VG ratio (like 70 or 80%) with a sub-ohm device as PG is more aggressive on throat/lungs and is largely responsible for the throat hit ex smokers are seeking.
Also, not really related to harshness but I want to point out that 1g/25ml PG/VG is very very very weak, even for microdosing purpose or for someone sensible to psychedelics. It's 10 times more diluted than what people usually practice in mean, and most of the time this isn't even concentrated enough to allow those users to breakthrough with a long 10 seconds puff from a subohm device. You could easily make a more concentrated juice, from the like of 1g DMT/4ml PG/VG, which will require shorter puffs, which in return will less strain your device/coil while still letting you able to microdose and while giving you more room for higher doses. I mean, instead of having a 10 seconds puff for a microdose, you could deliver the same dose with a 1 or 2 seconds puff. Once you'll be used to the technique (including your inhalation speed/intensity), you'll be able to modulate the dose according to your needs (micro/mini/normal). I don't see the point for microdosing with long puffs when you can achieve the same thing with shorter puffs.
For the moment, except the MTL device I find unsuitable, and maybe the setting, I don't see what could have gone wrong. If you want to stick with RDTA maybe try with a sub-ohm one, like Wotofo for example. If you're not sticked to RDTA, I'd advise the 2ml Vaporesso Veco clearomizer, which I have used for DMT administration for years and is perfectly reliable, convenient and efficient while staying versatile with a large coils selection. Top airflow prevents leaks and I never encountered any failure with it. I love it so much that I also use the 4ml version for nicotine vape (among others...), for years too.
Hope this will help.

I'm experienced with nicotine vaping, and I'm quite careful with the technical setup (no overheating, cotton wick inspection). For what I read here, it seems be caused by the very high pH of the vaping liquid made from DMT freebase, that literally harm the lungs.

My thoughts about that (but I might be wrong) : the DMT/PG-VG ratio you used seems to weak to me to affect largely the overall pH of the juice. A puff from this barely contains DMT compared to the PG/VG amount. I'd definitely try with another clearomizer/RDTA sub-ohm oriented device. First with the same juice and later, if not satisfied, with higher VG ratio (70 to 80%). I have the feeling that part of your problem comes from the device you use.
Wrong setting could also be a cause for harshness/burning, so I'd anyway try lowering the power. Maybe you are burning the juice/spice. E-cig setting for DMT vape is usually ways below standard setting for nicotine vape.

As you probably have read, I recently crash-tested the DMT citrate method with a friend who has very sensitive bronchi/lungs and it was absoltely successfull while all previous attempts with freebase DMT and 50%+ PG failed with him. Don't give up, I'm sure you'll get success soon !

Peace.
 
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Hi ! Here are some thoughts about your post :

I'm not sure a MTL device is the best option, they are not the most suitable for long continuous puffs and usually deliver poor amount of aerosol. Maybe try a higher VG ratio (like 70 or 80%) with a sub-ohm device as PG is more aggressive on throat/lungs and is largely responsible for the throat hit ex smokers are seeking.
I've found that this "MTL" label is a bit problematic and a bit marketing driven (I nicotine vap on reconstructible since 8 years, I've tried a lot of things/setups). It boils down to airflow + amount of watts of the box + resistance value. All of this depending on the wanted vapor volume and nicotine concentration of the juice.
In reality, the different atomizers I have are adapted to an usage from 0.6 Ohm to 1.5 Ohm, depending on the watts and airflow settings. They're "MTL-capable", but on the "airy" side (can go subohm if I want, and have a decent vapor production).
Also, not really related to harshness but I want to point out that 1g/25ml PG/VG is very very very weak, even for microdosing purpose or for someone sensible to psychedelics. It's 10 times more diluted than what people usually practice in mean, and most of the time this isn't even concentrated enough to allow those users to breakthrough with a long 10 seconds puff from a subohm device.
Yes, I'm used to this comment :) I had my fair share on the microdosing subreddit few years ago. Now it was taken into account in the subreddit public wiki. For example, my microdose dosages are 0.05g for dried mushrooms and 5micrograms for LSD. At the time a lot of people said it was only placebo... until a significant number of people started to report the same. It's fairly low, but I can still discern/feel a bit the effect if I concentrate a little.

Psychedelic sensitivity (like caffeine sensitivity, btw) is highly genetics-dependent (will probably post here a set of science papers soon, as it's a bit more complex thant most people think). It seems that I'm in the "pretty sensitive" population: I usually need half the recommended dose. Some people also say that previous psychedelic experience could also increase the sensivity / lower the threshold (I'm a bit more doubtful on this hypothesis, but don't reject it).

So I exerted caution with my dosage: 1/10th the recommended dose (the "microdose" reco), + took a lower side (~400mg-ish instead of ~500mg)

FWIW, on my tries, with the setup described above (1 Ohm, 8-10W):
- 1 5sec toke + holding 10s: feel the body load quite distinctively - placebo effect totally excluded.
- 2 5sec tokes (+holding): body load + slight shift is visual perception: colors, more details ("HD effect")
- 3 5sec tokes: previous effect + visible hallucinations starting if looking at appropriate material (clouds, persian rug, etc.) You could easily make a more concentrated juice, from the like of 1g DMT/4ml PG/VG, which will require shorter puffs, which in return will less strain your device/coil while still letting you able to microdose and while giving you more room for higher doses. I mean, instead of having a 10 seconds puff for a microdose, you could deliver the same dose with a 1 or 2 seconds puff. Once you'll be used to the technique (including your inhalation speed/intensity), you'll be able to modulate the dose for your needs (micro/mini/normal). I don't see the point for microdosing with long puffs when you can achieve the same thing with shorter puffs.
For the moment, except the MTL device I find unsuitable, and maybe the setting, I don't see what could have gone wrong. If you want to stick with RDTA maybe try with a sub-ohm one, like Wotofo for example. If you're not sticked to RDTA, I'd advise the 2ml Vaporesso Veco clearomizer, which I have used for DMT administration for years and is perfectly reliable, convenient and efficient while staying versatile with a large coils selection. Top airflow prevents leaks and I never encountered any failure with it. I love it so much that I also use the 4ml version for nicotine vape (among others...), for years too.
Hope this will help.
I'll try making a lower-resistant coil and use it with a higher wattage (probably 0.6 ohm, ~20W),
My thoughts about that (but I might be wrong) : the DMT/PG-VG ratio you used seems to weak to me to affect largely the overall pH of the juice.
pH may be a complex beast and can be not linear. The only way will be to measure. ph-meter is the way, I'll get one.
A puff from this barely contains DMT compared to the PG/VG amount. I'd definitely try with another clearomizer/RDTA sub-ohm oriented device. First with the same juice and later, if not satisfied, with higher VG ratio (70 to 80%). I have the feeling that part of your problem comes from the device you use.
I tend to slighlty disagree on the device part, but will do some tries however.
On PG/VG: I tried 70/30 some years ago, but wasn't convinced a lot. I tolerate PG pretty well, and PG is also more temperature stable than VG.
Wrong setting could also be a cause for harshness/burning, so I'd anyway try lowering the power. Maybe you are burning the juice/spice. E-cig setting for DMT vape is usually ways below standard setting for nicotine vape.
Like said above, I choose very conservative setting (high resistance, low wattage) to minimize the temperatures, especially with citric acid in the mix, as it generates harmful substances (citraconic and itaconic anhydrides and derivatives) at relatively low temps (175-203°C).

The use of citric acid may be a subtle compromise, between lower the pH and not adding too much citric acid in order to prevent harmful substances generation (hope a competent chemist could chime in and help us more).
As you probably have read, I recently crash-tested the DMT citrate method with a friend who has very sensitive bronchi/lungs and it was absoltely successfull while all previous attempts with freebase DMT and 50%+ PG failed with him. Don't give up, I'm sure you'll get success soon !

Peace.
Yes, many thanks. Indeed, it was your post that inspired me to try the citric acid! 🙏
I tend to slightly disagree on some of your hypothesis but don't mistake that: I'm warmfully grateful and think it's very useful (and hopefully not only for us). Again, many thanks for your feedbacks, will post updates when available.

On my side, main hypothesis/things to try for now:
- make a water wash of my next extraction (I'm qui doubtful that some lye have been present in solvent, but extra precaution won't harm)
- will get a phMeter
- will slightly increase the citric acid proportion. I used 0.3, maybe go to 0.35 and let the juice step several days.
- will try some things suggested by The Sofa Traveler (I may need some time to think about it). Either a change in concentration or resistance/wattage (but again I used very low and conservative settings).
 
Just wanted to report in that @q21q21 suggestion to first (carefully) heat up the PG/citric acid under a candle seemed to work well.

I easily dissolved 220mg in 1.6g of PG, strip indicate between 4 and 5 PH.

I'm waiting for new clearomizer/coils and will dissolve 660 mg white crystal. Then add 0.4g VG, and test if PH is good. I may also run the warm PG with acid/spice trough a 5um filter needle before adding VG and loading.

Currently backsalting and growing crystals to get as pure product as possible to use for the E-juice
 
I tend to slightly disagree on some of your hypothesis but don't mistake that: I'm warmfully grateful and think it's very useful (and hopefully not only for us). Again, many thanks for your feedbacks, will post updates when available.
No problem, just trying to help and sharing my thoughts :) What still makes me think that there is a heat problem is that normally, at least from my feelings (I have been vaping nicotine for 8 years too and DMT with e-cig for 6+), the DMT + PG/VG aerosol is smoother on the throat/lungs than nicotine + PG/VG aerosol when the DMT + PG/VG is aerosolized at proper setting/temperature. It becomes harsh(er) when it's overheated. If your throat/lungs can afford freebase nicotine + PG/VG I think it's strange they can't afford freebase DMT + PG/VG. Well, maybe you vape nicotine salts but I still think DMT + PG/VG shouldn't be a problem for you if you're accustomed to PG. To me, the harshest ingredient in the mix is the PG, the DMT only comes second. That's why in the mix I did for my friend I used 70% VG, to decrease PG harshness, in addition to expected smoothness from freebase->citrate conversion. I might be wrong that this is specifically the problem you encounter currently though. I try to help you find leads. Spice wash is a good idea indeed, this lead deserves to be explored too. If after that the problem persists, maybe give (anyway) a chance to a more sub-ohmish device, with larger airflow. Maybe be the airflow from your MTL device is too restricted for such long puffs (who vapes 5 seconds long nicotine puffs ?) which as consequence might overheat the coil. Or maybe you inhale too slowly compared to you setting. You could burn your juice at 5w if there is no or not enough air circulation to cool down the coil. The inhalation dynamics are important too. As important as the setting, they are complementary.

Edit : other lead that came in mind, maybe the wick doesn't soak completely quickly enough (again, 5 seconds puffs is not a common use) / amount of juice absorbable by the wick - "wick capacity" - is lower than what long aerosolization requires. Just another lead...

Peace.
 
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Has anyone tried using an aqueous solution of DMT citrate with a nebulizer? Is the water solubility high enough to make that work?
Yes, there was a bit of experimentation that went on with this a while ago. The problem with aqueous solutions is that they are prone to microbiological contamination so you have to be more careful about preparation, storage and use.
The title of the thread was rather user-unfriendly, but here it is:
 
A quick update:

I did some "tongue tests" on my crystallised DMT: put a very small amount on tongue and wait. I feel a distinct small burn, and a numbness at the location. => conclusion: I have too much lye remaining in my extraction (It was a pretty "standard" STB). From what I've read DMT-freebase is a mild base, and the sensation I got was not mild at all ! It also matches with my feelings after my first test (throat irritation, chest pain that felt quite like chemical burn).

I just did: redissolved my crystals in fresh NPS, water + sodium carbonate wash, 2 water wash, and one last wash with pure salt (4 in total). Everything is now in the freezer.
pH paper is coming soon.

As soon it's ready, I will:
- do the "tongue test" again
- maybe try the pH paper on the new crystals (won't be easy as they're not really water-soluble)
- if the tongue test is better: prepare 2x10mL of ejuice, same concentration. One with citric acid, and one without, and try those. (maybe the pH paper will work on the juice?)

I hope it will be ok 🤞:
- when I did the washes there was quite "dirty" layers between the NPS and the aqueous phase (i.e. it seemed effective)
- I tried to work with a more hot solvent and even hotter water: to accelerate the cleaning, and to prevent DMT crashing because of water colder than the NPS... (I did the mistake once, already)
 
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From what I read DMT-freebase is a mild base, and the sensation I got is not mild at all !
With its resemblance to trimethylamine, DMT freebase is a moderately strong base. Snorting it in powder form isn't all that different from getting a whiff of ammonia, except that it's far less volatile. I'd say it's quite possible to get alkali burns on sensitive mucosa from the stuff. It's mostly the lack of water solubility that prevents DMT from being more corrosive (see: mescaline).

I did some "tongue tests" on my crystallised DMT: put a very small amount on tongue and wait. I feel a distinct small burn, and a numbness at the location. => conclusion: I have too much lye remaining in my extraction.
In light of my above comments, you may want to reconsider how you think lye would have made its way into your final product.
maybe try the pH paper on the new crystals (won't be easy as they're not really water-soluble)
Dissolve a speck of the DMT in a small amount of vodka, then place a drop of that onto a scrap of your pH paper.
 
Thanks for the insights !

In light of my above comments, you may want to reconsider how you think lye would have made its way into your final product.

What motivated to try to mitigate the lye is partly this post of norolinda on reddit: and some replies in this one
I think my separations were clean (I leave some NPS behind each time to prevent pipetting the bottom layer), but who knows, I'm not a pro, and my last lab manipulations were more than 20 years ago.

I'll do more tries and experiments (it's a bit of fun indeed, I'm relearning so chemistry along the way. A bit frustrating too. "Type II fun" as people says ).

Dissolve a speck of the DMT in a small amount of vodka, then place a drop of that onto a scrap of your pH paper.

Many thanks for the vodka tip! I'll also try with isopropyl alcohol (I bought a bunch for electronics and bike cleaning).
 
Many thanks for the vodka tip! I'll also try with isopropyl alcohol (I bought a bunch for electronics and bike cleaning).
Freebase DMT is freely soluble in vodka, and the presence of water helps with the pH determination. You might need to add a dash of water to the IPA.

If you redissolve your DMT into naphtha or heptane, you can then wash it with brine and repeat the freeze precipitation, or simply evaporate the solvent if the tiny remnant of product that stays in the solvent is too great of a loss for you (even though it provides pre-saturated solvent for further freeze precips).
 
Just wanted to report in that @q21q21 suggestion to first (carefully) heat up the PG/citric acid under a candle seemed to work well.

I easily dissolved 220mg in 1.6g of PG, strip indicate between 4 and 5 PH.

I'm waiting for new clearomizer/coils and will dissolve 660 mg white crystal. Then add 0.4g VG, and test if PH is good. I may also run the warm PG with acid/spice trough a 5um filter needle before adding VG and loading.

Currently backsalting and growing crystals to get as pure product as possible to use for the E-juice

Just to quickly update that this was successful. Very smooth in a Zeus with 0.15ohm coil. I used about 80:20 PG:VG. With overall 1:3 DMT ratio. Only did some light sub breakthrough tests to test the juice. Definitely still tasted like DMT, but could barely feel it going down my lungs. No harsh lip feel afterwords etc. Very impressed by this method. Almost feels like "cheating"
 
Please excuse my ignorance, but would you guys say we've landed on a universal recipe for the ideal mix? I was reading through the thread, but it was difficult to pick out what I should go with.

Would this statement from Loveall still apply? "As a reminder, a working ratio by mass is: DMT:Citric Acid (using monohydrate from Milliard's): PG:VG 1:0.35:2:0.6"

Also, I'm curious if you could simply swap 5-MeO-DMT into the equation in place of DMT. I'm weak in chemistry, so I'm not sure if there's some kind of hidden gotcha.
 
Please excuse my ignorance, but would you guys say we've landed on a universal recipe for the ideal mix? I was reading through the thread, but it was difficult to pick out what I should go with.

Would this statement from Loveall still apply? "As a reminder, a working ratio by mass is: DMT:Citric Acid (using monohydrate from Milliard's): PG:VG 1:0.35:2:0.6"

Also, I'm curious if you could simply swap 5-MeO-DMT into the equation in place of DMT. I'm weak in chemistry, so I'm not sure if there's some kind of hidden gotcha.
WE actually have another thread for that variation:
 
Please excuse my ignorance, but would you guys say we've landed on a universal recipe for the ideal mix? I was reading through the thread, but it was difficult to pick out what I should go with.

Would this statement from Loveall still apply? "As a reminder, a working ratio by mass is: DMT:Citric Acid (using monohydrate from Milliard's): PG:VG 1:0.35:2:0.6"

Also, I'm curious if you could simply swap 5-MeO-DMT into the equation in place of DMT. I'm weak in chemistry, so I'm not sure if there's some kind of hidden gotcha.
After experimenting and sharing with more folks, at some point the "ideal" recipe begins to become subjective once the DMT alkalinity is reduced enough.

Side note: when not fully neutral, increased higher temperature will highlight alkalinity, so the feel of different DMT:Citric ratios changes with the device used. Also, people using lower DMT density may increase the power to get desired effects, that increases the temperature, which can highlight residual alkalinity - so everything is connected!

The original ratio is a decent starting guideline for each person to change and dial in their preference.

After some time dialing things in, here are the ratio and setup I currently prefer.

1) DMT:Citric = 1:0.3, reason is that this is when alkalinity feel is essentially gone. Taste can be used as an alternative/complement to pH paper. Once alkalinity is reduced enough, I prefer no more citric to have a more active cloud by mass. Less mass requires less power, which is good for smootheness.

1) Power and device: Lower power is smoother. I have found that vape pens that use quartz/ceramic cells are great. The cells are typically of ~1.5 ohms. These run with cheap vape pens at ~3.5V. Therefore, power is only P=V^2/R ~ 8W. Using a device with a screw on cell (also called a cart), the cell weight after a 10s hit (standard device turn off) can be meausred on a mg scale. Using plain PG , my 10s vape cloud is measured to be ~ 22mg. The cell (carts) are very cheap ($3). The pens to screw the on are cheap too (~$20).

2) PG:VG ratio. I have dropped VG entirely! I think the PG "throat hit" claims are vastly overstated. Especially for lower power devices. PG vaporizes at much lower temperature 188C vs 287 for VG, making the vapor smoother for 30% conentration DMT salts. Situation may be different for 0.5% nicotine juices.

3) Final DMT:Citric: PG ratio. I like the 3 hits breakthroug rule. Vape pen standard is to shut down after 10s, a very convenient way to define a "standard hit". So we want ~ 20mg of freebase DMT after 3x10s hits. I also know that ~ 22mg of vapor are produced per hit . Then, one calculates the final ratio. In my setup case it becomes:

DMT:Citric: PG = 1:0.3:2

For more accurate dosing, remember to meausre the 10s mass drop again, it may change a little for the DMT juice vs the first pure PG measurement. Some vape pens have adjustable voltage to dial-in the dose.

The final result is a cheap (sub $30) low power device that gives many hits. No cotton that can burn. Very smooth low temperature neutral vapor. Also, relatively accurate dosing.

Important: this information is for personal use only. DO NOT use this information to make a product for profit. That would go against all the good intentions and good will of the collaborative harm reduction efforts in our community. Finally, DMT salt juices where researched and developed by our community in an open source environment and NOT patentable.
 
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@Loveall Wow, thanks so much! This is above and beyond the level of answer I was hoping for. It's a super helpful report on your current thoughts based on experience. I was previously considering this as a simplistic recipe, but it makes a lot more sense when you figure in the different variables affecting everyone's experience. Awesome tips!
 
Was time for an update after months of experimentin and tuning ☺️

One thing I forgot to mention: when measuring the vape cloud the battery charge matters. Towards the end of the battery life, the mass drop per hit goes down, especially for the cheaper devices. This can be experimentally measured with a mg scale.

So one more thing to keep in mind. Keeping the vape well charged will keep things consistent. Cheers.
 
Does anyone know if it makes a difference whether you use anhydrous or monohydrate citric acid? I noticed in the thread that both types have been used, so I'm thinking perhaps it doesn't matter. Though it did sound like it was difficult to get anhydrous to dissolve in PG.
 
Does anyone know if it makes a difference whether you use anhydrous or monohydrate citric acid? I noticed in the thread that both types have been used, so I'm thinking perhaps it doesn't matter. Though it did sound like it was difficult to get anhydrous to dissolve in PG.

I had a really hard time dissolving citric acid in PG. I will see if I can work out which one I have, I just bought it from supermarket.
 
I use anhydrous citric acid for great results. I think the monohydrate should be OK, but have not tested it.

The DMT citrate salt is seems more soluble than the acid by, so I add citric acid with the DMT (currently I add 300mg of citric and 2 grams of PG per gram of DMT - no VG).
 
I use anhydrous citric acid for great results. I think the monohydrate should be OK, but have not tested it.

The DMT citrate salt is seems more soluble than the acid by, so I add citric acid with the DMT (currently I add 300mg of citric and 2 grams of PG per gram of DMT - no VG).
I used monohydrate and worked nicely
 
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