The Herbal Percolator (THP) extraction method

[Xt]

Yes Mycokris. The pharmacology does not change. The THP is just a method of extracting the DMT. The DMT itself does not change in properties.

 

[Mycokris]

Thanks, thats what I was thinking

 

[Spatial Dementia]

I'm planning an aya session soon, and was planning the traditional 3x3 method, but this method looks a lot more appealing to me. Isn't this basically the same as a French coffee press though? So couldn't you just use one of those instead?

And if not, any advice on where I should go looking for cotton? Or any substitute?

Thx

 

[Madcap]

cottonballs or gauze from a pharmacy or a t-shirt.

 

[Psilocin Dreams]

Ok anyone out there around 150 pounds have a dose on Caapi they could tell me. Made a brew using the 3x3 method with 25g caapi and 3.5g MHRB. I vommited 30 mins after ingestion not sure if i kept it down long enough or not but all i gained was a slight lift in mood. Used acidified water maybe i messed up somewhere along the way. not sure but i only have 30g yellow caapi left so not too much to experiment with but ill be getting more soon hopfully.

 

[defunkt]

A couple of quick questions about the THC tek. It's difficult to get a good perspective from the images on how large the 'large soda bottle' needs to be. Will a 2 gallon Coca-cola bottle and a large gallon size pickle jar do the job?

It appears that running at least 200ML water for each gram of vine will need fairly large container to kepp the tek workable. By my calculation, that's around 11 liter of waters for 50g of vine. Luckily, I have a 12 quart All-Clad in the kitchen to hold and evaporates 11 liters of brew.

There's also mention of adding Coca-cola to the water to help break down the alkaloids. Has anyone tried this and at what ratio?

Thanks!

 

[ragabr]

Ok anyone out there around 150 pounds have a dose on Caapi they could tell me. Made a brew using the 3x3 method with 25g caapi and 3.5g MHRB. I vommited 30 mins after ingestion not sure if i kept it down long enough or not but all i gained was a slight lift in mood. Used acidified water maybe i messed up somewhere along the way. not sure but i only have 30g yellow caapi left so not too much to experiment with but ill be getting more soon hopfully.

Usually 50g caapi is minimum to get a good brew going.

 

[SnozzleBerry]

A couple of quick questions about the THC tek. It's difficult to get a good perspective from the images on how large the 'large soda bottle' needs to be. Will a 2 gallon Coca-cola bottle and a large gallon size pickle jar do the job?

It appears that running at least 200ML water for each gram of vine will need fairly large container to kepp the tek workable. By my calculation, that's around 11 liter of waters for 50g of vine. Luckily, I have a 12 quart All-Clad in the kitchen to hold and evaporates 11 liters of brew.

There's also mention of adding Coca-cola to the water to help break down the alkaloids. Has anyone tried this and at what ratio?

Thanks!

I wouldn't use a coke bottle...that plastic will lose its integrity if exposed to hot water repeatedly, imo. I've been using liter HDPE bottles from things like ipa or H2O2. You can set up multiple percolators side by side and just do 1 liter through each of them (at boiling hot temperatures if you so choose) if you want a faster extraction.

As for the large pot, I use a 6qt pot and turn it on high from the time my first liter comes through. I put that first liter in the pot, turn it on med-high to start reducing and start the percolator on its second liter while heating up more fresh water. Following this method I can usually get 9-10 liters into the pot before I have to wait for the brew level to reduce. I should imagine if/when you choose to brew larger amounts of bark, that 12L pot will be AMAZING.

Coca-cola contains citric and phosphoric acids. You should be able to use acetic acid (vinegar) to the same effect without adding the taste/ingredients of coke to your brew and you can boil off vinegar at least somewhat. Adding acid does seem to increase the efficiency of THP extractions, take a look.

 

[defunkt]

Awesome, Snozzleberry! Thanks for the detailed response. I should be all set now and will look for a couple of HDPE bottles to get started. It sounds like a dash of vinegar per liter of water should will do the trick to help break down the alkaloids.

I'll let you guys know how it goes and will post a detailed update of the TEK.

 

[behindthelight]

Just curios, how does this actually work? I mean when you boil the caapi, it works because the heat from the water release the harmalas into the water right? How does this thing work since there is no boiling water?

 

[staresatwalls]

it seems to me like the lower than boiling temperature is to avoid getting tannins and other chems that irritate the stomach in the brew. in doing so you can reduce the liquid and get the end product with much less stomach irritation.

 

[behindthelight]

it seems to me like the lower than boiling temperature is to avoid getting tannins and other chems that irritate the stomach in the brew. in doing so you can reduce the liquid and get the end product with much less stomach irritation.

Interesting

 

[dragonaut000]

So if I followed this tek with 100 grams of caapi would I boil down to find a gram or more of straight caapi alkaloids? Or a more full spectrum product? If I am left with an impure product could I just throw my goo or powder on top of a new cotton filter and repeat the process or would I be better off using some other purification method?

Maybe ice water would assist in pulling more/ more pure product? I'm getting this idea from bubble hash. Is there any scientific reason that a bubble hash style pull would yield the same results as found with mj?

 

[trancenut]

Unexpected way of looking at things - brilliant!

Just wondered if some sort of water cooled distillation apparatus can't be adapted - put it in the reflux position, with the cotton wool at the bottom of the inner tube to stop the chosen solids falling out when liquid (water, etc) is poured in the top. Then, instead of cold water in the outside jacket, hot water could be pumped to keep the temp. up for better extraction. Getting the inner dimensions large enough might be a bit of a prob, but basically i see it as column chromatography with a surrounding heat jacket.

 

[MachineElf88]

Could we not achieve the same thing with a french press coffee percolator?

Add water, leave for 10 mins then press, replace water and repeat.

 

[Ilex]

You can make a nice homemade percolation cone out of old glass bottles that are wide at the base and narrow at the top. You just need to cut the bottom off the bottle - draw a circular guide line around the base where you want to cut it off, then use a glass etching tool to etch all the way around. With some gentle taps and a little luck, the bottom comes right off. Or you can use a diamond saw (eg a tile cutter) if you have access to one. Then all it needs is a little polishing with a belt sander to smooth the rough glass edges.

If the bottle has a screw-top cap on it, you can vary the rate of flow through the bottom filter by keeping the cap screwed on, but loose. If you have a glass bottle with a cork (eg a cognac bottle) you can incise two small, vertical lines part way down the cork, then how fast the liquid flows out depends on how far the cork is pushed in. For best extraction results, you want it to drip only once every couple seconds.

Sifting your herb to remove any larger particles helps the percolation, as does pre-moistening whatever herb you are putting in the cone, by soaking some of it overnight in whatever liquid you plan to use - not so much liquid that the herb is dripping wet, but just enough that it swells up and is evenly moist. That way, when you add more liquid to the cone, it is less likely to just run through quickly.

 

[Terrence_Mechanic]

Dagger,

Isn't 10g of caapi on considered to be a super low dose? I'm super sensitive so maybe that is the right dose for me as well. I just don't know what is the best way of shredding a vine and measuring low doses, I wonder if some parts of the vine contain more alkaloids than other parts etc.

I'm using THP this weekend with Toddy Coffee Maker, can't wait!

 

[Nathanial.Dread]

Here's an idea: a friend of mine got an old fashioned glass coca-cola bottle, and used shop equipment to take off the the bottom, and used that as the tube.

It's small, so you have to do more pulls, but since the bottle itself is glass, you can make your water as hot as you want. He used all glass containers, plus cotton and an old (but well-washed) t-shirt and it worked beautifully.

I know not everyone has access to toys that can safely cut glass, but if you do, this seems like a great way to go.

Blessings
~ND

 

[Parshvik Chintan]

I know not everyone has access to toys that can safely cut glass, but if you do, this seems like a great way to go.

not necessarily. all you need is string and a flammable solvent (and something to sand the cut with to get rid of any sharp edges)

basically this:
- tie string around bottle (wrap it around a coupe times, especially if it is thin string)
- slide the string off the bottle, soak it it in flammable solvent (isopropyl and acetone are commonly used)
- slide the string back on the bottle, around where you want the cut.
- light the string on fire, while rotating the bottle. when the flame goes out, dunk the bottle in cold water (goggles aren't a terrible idea).

then you just sand the cut.

 

[Nathanial.Dread]

I know not everyone has access to toys that can safely cut glass, but if you do, this seems like a great way to go.

not necessarily. all you need is string and a flammable solvent (and something to sand the cut with to get rid of any sharp edges)

basically this:
- tie string around bottle (wrap it around a coupe times, especially if it is thin string)
- slide the string off the bottle, soak it it in flammable solvent (isopropyl and acetone are commonly used)
- slide the string back on the bottle, around where you want the cut.
- light the string on fire, while rotating the bottle. when the flame goes out, dunk the bottle in cold water (goggles aren't a terrible idea).

then you just sand the cut.

Thanks, that's a fantastic way of cutting glass.

Incidentally, does anyone have a rough estimate of how much more powerful actives extracted with THP are compared to actives extracted with a traditional simmer? 2x as strong? 1.5x?