Shredded vs powdered.

[stoneybalogna]

Please remove if not allowed, note, this is not a sourcing post.


Now, I've heard shredded is fine to use 9/10 times, and that there might be some minimal loss in potency(i.e. sitting around in a warehouse too long, drying out kinda deal. Might be completely wrong here). However, I've heard powdered can be risky as they can put just about whatever in there while still having the appearance of powdered bark, and I've also heard there's more of a potential for loss of potency.

Are these concerns valid? Has anyone noticed less alkaloids being present in their shredded/powdered bark compared to shredding and powdering on your own? Mostly hoping that the potency loss is something I made up, and if it isn't, that it would be inconsequential. Thanks for putting up with a newbie

 

[roninsina]

[Edit: removed superfluous paragraph]

Yeah, my trust levels for not getting adulterated powder have caused me to have to deal with trying to process whole bark into powder, which is a total pain. I’m a pretty handy guy, and it still requires more effort than than I’d prefer. My usual way of compensating for sorta shredded and powdered is to base the heck out of it and leave it sit in there lysing for a few days. And, of course most folks do a few freeze/thaw cycles to break down plant cell walls, and microwaving assists as well. I’m thinking I should get past my trust issues with the vendors and save myself some time with powdered.

As far as loss of potency, my understanding is the molecule is pretty stable, bound up as a natural salt (can’t remember whether tannate or malate or what) and still in the plant matter and really doesn’t require any special storage other than the standard dark/dry/cool, and can be kept for years without any significant loss of potency.

 

[stoneybalogna]

I completely agree, as did Void, have edited the post. Hope it's better now.

I’m a pretty handy guy, and it still requires more effort than than I’d prefer.

I feel that, I'm thinking I'll do the freeze/thaw method, blend it, then run whatever comes out of the blender through a coffee grinder. Can't remember exactly what consistency I ended up with last time, but the more surface area, the better lol.

As far as loss of potency, my understanding is the molecule is pretty stable, bound up as a natural salt

And 10-4! I can't remember now where I'd seen someone mention potential potency problems, but I had a feeling I was pulling it out of my ass lmao! Thank you very much!

 

[Voidmatrix]

Molecule is generally stable within the confines of the plant matter. For longer lasting storage, keep in chunks, vacuum seal, and store in the freezer.

I think you'd have more concerns about potency and overall percentage of molecule is in the plant matter relative to when the plant was harvested.

And yes, much better

One love

 

[stoneybalogna]

I think you'd have more concerns about potency and overall percentage of molecule is in the plant matter relative to when the plant was harvested

That's completely valid. I guess most of it inevitably comes down to luck of the draw :lol: I'll just need to wait and see! Gonna try and keep a journal of my extractions this time around to aid with seeing where I went wrong and where I can improve. Curious to see how yields are affected. Honestly, I can see a similar problem with extractions that I had with dosing psilocybin. You really don't know how much will be in whatever you're extracting/dosing! Thank you for the reply though Void!