Thanks for the replies all, and the warm welcome!
To run down my tek, such as it is (found before I discovered this site):
I'm using mimosa hostilis shredded root bark, which I sift for already powdered bark and use a nutribullet to grind up the larger pieces.
From this, I weigh 100g of powder and mix in 5% acidity white vinegar at a ration of 0.4ml per G, so 40ml to 100g of powder.
Then I add 90°C distilled water at a ratio of 3.6ml per G of powder, so 360ml.
I mix this well in a borosilicate flask, then place it on a low heat on a ceramic hob for 3 hours, stirring frequently. It stays below a simmer - heated but not bubbling.
After 3 hours, I take it off, and leave it on a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into another borosilicate flask.
Here's where I am unsure of ratio - to basify, I mix 5g of sodium hydroxide with 100ml of distilled water, checking the ph is above 12, then slowly stir this into the extraction. Is this 100ml the right amount to add for 100g of powder?
I then decant this to a glass clip-top food storage jar and leave it for 48 hours.
To defat the solution, I then add 100-130ml of naptha - Zippo lighter fluid (petroleum 1268). Is this a sufficient amount or too much/little?
I give this a stir and occasionally gently invert the jar to mix over the next 24 hours.
Next step, I use a large syringe to remove the naptha solution from the top layer and transfer it to a small borosilicate flask, catching the final bits with a glass pipette.
I cover the flask and put it in the fridge for an hour, and then move it to the freezer for the next 24 hours.
After 24 hours, I check for the formation of crystals, if I see them, I filter the solution through a paper coffee filter, place the crystals in a glass petri dish, and then mix the solvent back into the extraction solution jar for another 24 hours as above. I gather it's worth repeating this cycle 3 or 4 times until no crystals form.
I understand that if I add a small amount of naptha to the petri dish and dissolve the crystals I have, then run again through the fridge and freezer cycle, I can recrystallise and increase the purity - is this worthwhile?
Thanks in advance for any pointers! I should add I'm in the UK, so US brand names/products won't be familiar to me - we can usually find the same things but will need to know what the actual material is.
