What is the best syrian rue recipe (without extraction)?

[Ambrosaure]

Here my classic recipe:

- smoke 10g of Syrian rue in a pan with a bit of oil
- boile gently for 30min in 500ml
- let it sit in a jar
- filter
- reduce to a drinkable amount

I would like to know if I can improve my recipe to make it stronger. For example, it is better to crush it? I read one day it doesn't change anything.
And also could it be better to froze it before?


(I precise that 10g is a BIG dose, not for everyone, I need unusual big dose)

Thanks!

 

[Transform]

Here my classic recipe:

- smoke 10g of Syrian rue in a pan with a bit of oil
- boile gently for 30min in 500ml
- let it sit in a jar
- filter
- reduce to a drinkable amount

I would like to know if I can improve my recipe to make it stronger. For example, it is better to crush it? I read one day it doesn't change anything.
And also could it be better to froze it before?


(I precise that 10g is a BIG dose, not for everyone, I need unusual big dose)

Thanks!

Why the oil? People have generally used a dry, preferably cast iron pan for toasting their seeds whenever I've encountered it.

Crushing - but not grinding - the seeds with a rolling pin before or after toasting may improve yields, as would multiple shorter boils with fresh water each time. For example, I generally boil whole seeds in at least three changes of water - and I've had a surprise trip from boiling up a combined week's worth pile of seeds for a fifth time, them having been boiled as individual dose four times already.

The seed coat holds on to some amount of alkaloids quite tenaciously in the whole seeds, so crushing will help free that up. By brewing in 4×125mL water ten minutes apiece, you'll extract more alkaloids and largely sidestep the need for reduction (and the broadly pointless steeping in a jar).

My lazy brewing method is to powder (yes, grind) the raw seeds (~5 - 7g*) finely in a rotary-blade coffee mill, then put them in a tea bag with a scoop of vitamin C powder. Brew like tea with boiling water, add a tiny smear of lemon oil to improve the flavour and drink hot. It still tastes like a dog bathed in it but it's very effective.
*(Higher figure for a quick single brew, alkaloids not completely recovered, brew a couple more times for another dose, or use to supplement first dose.)

Toasting the seeds reduces the potency quite significantly, and converts (or can convert) much of the harmaline to harmine. The flavour is better than a raw seed brew by some degree which depends on how long you toast them for - as does the potency loss.

Whether one likes harmaline or not is a matter of personal preference. I think it's pretty cool, but not really suitable for use in public.

 

[Ambrosaure]

Why the oil? People have generally used a dry, preferably cast iron pan for toasting their seeds whenever I've encountered it.

Crushing - but not grinding - the seeds with a rolling pin before or after toasting may improve yields, as would multiple shorter boils with fresh water each time. For example, I generally boil whole seeds in at least three changes of water - and I've had a surprise trip from boiling up a combined week's worth pile of seeds for a fifth time, them having been boiled as individual dose four times already.

The seed coat holds on to some amount of alkaloids quite tenaciously in the whole seeds, so crushing will help free that up. By brewing in 4×125mL water ten minutes apiece, you'll extract more alkaloids and largely sidestep the need for reduction (and the broadly pointless steeping in a jar).

My lazy brewing method is to powder (yes, grind) the raw seeds (~5 - 7g*) finely in a rotary-blade coffee mill, then put them in a tea bag with a scoop of vitamin C powder. Brew like tea with boiling water, add a tiny smear of lemon oil to improve the flavour and drink hot. It still tastes like a dog bathed in it but it's very effective.
*(Higher figure for a quick single brew, alkaloids not completely recovered, brew a couple more times for another dose, or use to supplement first dose.)

Toasting the seeds reduces the potency quite significantly, and converts (or can convert) much of the harmaline to harmine. The flavour is better than a raw seed brew by some degree which depends on how long you toast them for - as does the potency loss.

Whether one likes harmaline or not is a matter of personal preference. I think it's pretty cool, but not really suitable for use in public.

Thanks! so toasting is a bad idea, finally.
Thats maybe why I had to up my dose from 5 to 10...

Do you recommand to boil them high temperature or gently? I have seen couple of post saying it's better to boil not high otherwise it extract more tannins

 

[Transform]

Thanks! so toasting is a bad idea, finally.
Thats maybe why I had to up my dose from 5 to 10...

Do you recommand to boil them high temperature or gently? I have seen couple of post saying it's better to boil not high otherwise it extract more tannins

Toasting may have its place within personal preference - some of us do it, some of us don't, and some of us who did do it have since stopped for various reasons.

And, yes, I'd go for a gentle simmer. There's some kind of pectin that comes out the more you boil, not really much in the way of tannins.

Perhaps you've seen @Loveall's recent post? It explains the reasons for pressing out after boiling - those seeds do rather like clinging onto the water, which is natural for desert plants, I guess.

 

[Ambrosaure]

Toasting may have its place within personal preference - some of us do it, some of us don't, and some of us who did do it have since stopped for various reasons.

And, yes, I'd go for a gentle simmer. There's some kind of pectin that comes out the more you boil, not really much in the way of tannins.

Perhaps you've seen @Loveall's recent post? It explains the reasons for pressing out after boiling - those seeds do rather like clinging onto the water, which is natural for desert plants, I guess.

Thanks
I will try the 4xgentle boiling in 125ml of water, with crushed seeds!

Last questions, how much acid do you recommand to put in the water? Just enough to acidify the water? (I forgot to put this step in the post btw)

 

[Transform]

how much acid do you recommand to put in the water?

I add a scoop or two of pure vitamin C powder. According to the label, one level scoop is 120 mg. It definitely tastes less awful than when using vinegar.

 

[bezevo]

well depends on the size of scoop har ha ,,, am the devil

 

[Transform]

well depends on the size of scoop har ha ,,, am the devil

My tub of ascorbic acid powder came provided with a scoop, which it is claimed on the label to measure 120 mg. Tests have shown this claim to be accurate enough.

Those size scoops

But yes, there is such a thing as too much vitamin C.

 

[Ambrosaure]

Let me summarize:

Easy recipe for potency without extraction

1. crush 10g of Syrian rue gently (do not grind them)
2. boile gently for 10min in 125ml with ~200mg of vitamin C
3. pressing out the rue ina colander after boiling to a jar
4. repeat 2-3 step x4 in total
5. You can now filter and reduce to an amount of your choice!

And @Transform what about frozing the rue before? I saw it's improve a lot efficiency in extraction recipe

 

[TransistorBass]

And @Transform what about frozing the rue before? I saw it's improve a lot efficiency in extraction recipe

Adding in some Freeze-Thaw cycles does improve extraction (Obviously wet and soak your seeds before freezing)

 

[Transform]

Let me summarize:

Easy recipe for potency without extraction

1. crush 10g of Syrian rue gently (do not grind them)
2. boile gently for 10min in 125ml with ~200mg of vitamin C
3. pressing out the rue ina colander after boiling to a jar
4. repeat 2-3 step x4 in total
5. You can now filter and reduce to an amount of your choice!

And @Transform what about frozing the rue before? I saw it's improve a lot efficiency in extraction recipe

That's all good, but maybe keep the ascorbic down to 100mg per brew. Some decomposition to oxalate is inevitable. Or only add the ascorbic to the first and third brews, there's enough held over in the seeds for the second and fourth not to need it.

 

[Ambrosaure]

So I didi it today and wo, I never had such a beautiful color! It was always a good orange but not redish like that
So idk if It's because of the vitamin C or just the recipe but that clearly different than usual (and I did only 7grams finally)

Can't wait to try

That's all good, but maybe keep the ascorbic down to 100mg per brew. Some decomposition to oxalate is inevitable. Or only add the ascorbic to the first and third brews, there's enough held over in the seeds for the second and fourth not to need it.

Unfortunalty I only had vitamin C cap of 1000mg so I pute a quart each time :/ Will know for next time, I hope it's not harmful to the harmalas

 

[Transform]

So I didi it today and wo, I never had such a beautiful color! It was always a good orange but not redish like that
So idk if It's because of the vitamin C or just the recipe but that clearly different than usual (and I did only 7grams finally)

Can't wait to try
View attachment 108901

Unfortunalty I only had vitamin C cap of 1000mg so I pute a quart each time :/ Will know for next time, I hope it's not harmful to the harmalas

Don't worry, the vit C won't harm the harmalas - I use it in the hope that it's going to boost the THH content of the brew. Besides the oxalate thing, excessive acidity can be harder on the stomach and may make it (even) less palatable.

Oh, and try shining a UV light on your brew. This can be helpful in determining whether later brews are worthwhile. I use a kids' "spy pen" light. The beam from the single LED will penetrate the solution to a distance roughly and inversely proportional to the harmala concentration below a certain threshold.

Once the beam gets more than about 5-6 cm through the brew, the harmala concentration has become too low to be worthwhile for anything much other than recycling into the next fresh brew.