I'm still alive. Cooking with Muira Puama

Mach .78

Mach .78

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Muira Puama. She sounds like a hot Brazilian huh? Ladies and Gentleman, I have finally gotten around to cooking up a batch of Muira Puama and I didn't blow up my kitchen in the process.:clap2: I started with one 5th of ABC 153 proof Grain alcohol and a lb of Muira Puama root powder. I used an xtra large pot adding both ingredients together and simmered it for 20 minutes. I have a 1/4 of a water bottle of grain left. If any experts on herbs could tell me my herbal extract ratio, it would be greatly appreciated. Oh, I also added a little over a 1/2 of a waterbottle of water. Cooking 153 proof alcohol just freaked me out. I had a fire extinguisher on hand. It's really strange to watch alcohol simmer, it has a spooky way of simmering, kind of like a witches couldron.

So here it is: 1 lb Muira Puama root powder
1 5th of 153 proof grain alcohol,1 gulp left:think:
a little water
20 minutes of Pucker Factor
I am not responsible for anyone's stupidity regarding this recipe or the process used to come to the finished product. Do not sip on grain while watching the boil! Simmer means low, a couple bubbles here and there but not boiling mad.

Why did I do it? Because I'm crazy, that's why. Oh, and my wife wasn't home either. Trust me kids, that makes a difference.

What now? Lose fat, stand erect, be in a great mood, build more muscle, the possibilities are endless.
 
Apowerz6

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Mach you are a nut, keep us posted, as I know I get away with alot when the wife is not home, LIBERATING AINT IT !!!
 
bioman

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lol, reminds me of when I was adding some, ah, "powders" to a bottle of penetrate on the stove. It tipped over in the water pot and caught the pot and stovetop on fire. Somehow, I saved the bottle of Penetrate from emptying out and did not burn myself in the process.

Keep us updated on your chemistry experiment Mach! I love herbs on the cheap.
 
Mach .78

Mach .78

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Well, I went with 20 drops first. I wasn't satisfied, so I put about 1/2 of a tsp. in hot water and drank it. I didn't notice anything right off the bat but I woke up twice with good wood and slept in past 7 this morning. Kind of unusual for me. Could all be placebo. I'm going to let it sit for a couple weeks, aggitating every day. Again, If anybody can figure out how much of my"Thank God I didn't burn down the kitchen recipe", I would appreciate it.

Bioman, It was freaky. I was catching alcohol vapors off this pot and I'm thinking, I hope I don't make the Darwin Awards with this one. I'm glad to see you saved your concoction. After all it's not third degrees burns that we're concerned about, its the final product.:head:
 
bioman

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Exactly! I will in fact, stick my hand in a fire to save product.
 
anabolicrhino

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Exactly! I will in fact, stick my hand in a fire to save product.
Bubble bubble toil and trouble...

"..reach into the fire, snatch it and make it yours!... else it will be lost for ever..."

Great is the gate and narrow is the path to enlightenment....If god did not want us to be chemists, then why did he give us stoves?..and wives who must go shopping?

Alcohol tintures have a short half-life. I would recommend a "chugging" protocol!!!
 
BodyWizard

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a 20-minute simmer?
man, you're lucky if you didn't cook off all the alcohol & alcohol-soluble fractions.... Since you seem to be getting some kind of result from it, I guess you didn't ruin it - good news!

If you're making a tea, hot water is the trick (duh...) & it's just like making tea;
if you're making an extraction, use alcohol instead of water & skip the heat!
keep it tightly stoppered @ a constant temp (in the range of 70-80F - warmer is better) for a month, agitating gently but thoroughly (to avoid oxidation) every day. (a 1L erlenmeyer flask would be perfect for a fifth and do the pound in halves)

when it's done, pour off as much as you can of the clear liquid (don't agitate the vessel when you pick it up), and put it in a bottle /whatever & close it up tight; it's important to keep extractions sealed because alcohol is volatile, and so are the extracted compounds - leave it uncovered or loosely stoppered, you'll lose "product" (well said, bioman!). Filter the remainder & add the liquid to the rest of the extract.

I'd say use an oral syringe or standard dropper for measuring / dosing.

Actually, this sounds like a fun project - I may try it myself.
 
Mach .78

Mach .78

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Everything I've read on extracting Muira Puama says to use heat. They actually say to boil it in alcohol. I had more of a low simmer going on. Everytime I ran the wooden spatula across the bottom of the pot, the alcohol would bubble madly and then stop. Strange. The guy who sold me the grain said that he read where actual alcohol cookoff? is longer than people realize. Hey I mean 153 proof? Even if I knocked down to 80 proof, I'm still golden, right? Thanks for your input Bodywizard, I'll be using this info in the creation of this extraction. If I do anymore extractions here in the future I promise I won't use heat. Normal extractions, no heat. Extractions are the best way to receive the benefits of the herbs people. I'm definitely doing Maca and Nettle root extracts in the future.
 

meowmeow

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Mach .78, BodyWizard, or whoever what is meant by extract ratio? I see like 4 to 1 on bottles. Can we achieve these concentrations by using simple tincture techniques?
 
Mach .78

Mach .78

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Mach .78, BodyWizard, or whoever what is meant by extract ratio? I see like 4 to 1 on bottles. Can we achieve these concentrations by using simple tincture techniques?
That's the extract ratio. An extract with 1:4 on it means that one part solvent was used with 4 parts of the herb. They use this ratio for dried herbs. A 1:1 ratio is used with fresh herbs. You can absolutely get these concentrations from making your own tinctures. Someone will come along and read this and say. Well you better make sure that you are getting quality herbs or your end product won't be effective. They are correct. So if you are concerned about the quality of the herbs, ask for quality analysis paperwork on them. If they can't provide you with any, well then move on. Making tinctures is perfect for people who don't have Mom and Dad's credit card burning a hole in their pocket. There is a little work involved but the end result can equal or surpass what you would buy at the store. If you want to get technical, send your final product to a lab for testing.
 
BigVrunga

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Mach you need to reflux that action for the best possible results!! Without investing in a 2000ml RB Flask and Reflux condenser, you can kind of half-ass it by placing a pyrex pot into a large metal pot, making a double boiler. Pour your EtOH into the glass pot, place your powdered herbs in there, and then turn the lid of the pyrex pot upside down and place it on top.

Then fill the metal pot with water until its half-way up the sides of the glass pot, and turn on the heat. When the alchohol starts to boil, place some ice cubes in the bowl of the upside-down lid. This will allow the alcohol to condense and return back to the extraction rather than evaporating away.

This way, the temp of the alcohol is never higher than the temp of the surrounding water, and using a regular cooking thermometer you can control at what temp the extraction is running at. You wont run the risk of the EtOH hitting its flash point by being in direct contact with the burner of the stove.

Ideally, you'd extract the herbs into fresh alchol 3x times, and then combine the resulting extractions, filter, and then simmer down (using the double boiler) to the necessary volume for one super-potent tincture.

Nice work!! Ive been wanting to make a mega-potent CissusQ tincture myself:D

BV
 
Mach .78

Mach .78

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Aw man, you just gave me the hookup. I love learning new techniques for my madness. Super potent, that's what I want. Thanks for the info BV. Mega potent CissusQ? Shhh! Don't get too excited. Some people around here get a little freaked when you start talking about Cissus extractions. Don't ask.
 
BigVrunga

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No, not yet. I do plan to get one in the future though. Imagine all the cool stuff you could make with it...just all the cool flavor extracts would be enough to warrant the price.

BV
 
Mach .78

Mach .78

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Very true. That is one cool little still. I have to look around my area for chem supplies or on the net. I think we could build it cheaper and use a hot plate for heat or even a bunson burner. What are your thoughts?
 
Grunt76

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Damn, that thing is awesome. My herbalist friend will drool at seeing it, for sure.
 
BigVrunga

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Very true. That is one cool little still. I have to look around my area for chem supplies or on the net. I think we could build it cheaper and use a hot plate for heat or even a bunson burner. What are your thoughts?
I think you definitely could rig it up, but at the price they're selling it for you might have a tough time beating it. Especially buying all the clamps, joints, etc.

The best site for labglass has to be good 'ol Ebay.com, and these guys always have good prices and selection too:

http://www.unitedglasstech.com/

this is a good site for some stuff too:

http://www.macnanbio.com/

For lab-grade reagents, check out:

www.postapplescientific.com

or if you live in a decent sized city, there's probably a lab supply shop - check the yellow pages.

BV
 
BigVrunga

BigVrunga

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What do you think? I'm going bigger but I don't have time to look, gotta pick up the wife, later....
Oh it says it can be used for extracts.
Its a cool unit, but honestly bro if you're going to invest in some labglass, especially for herbal extractions and whatnot, I'd go bigger. The 500mL flask will only be able to safely distll ~300mL at a time, and that's not much especially if you're trying to concentrate in bulk.

Also, although you can get adapter joints for any size glassware, 24/40 is pretty much the 'industry standard' for sizes up to ~2000mL so it will be easier to find pieces that match up easily when you're browsing Ebay for that Vigreux column:D

Check out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/24-40-complete-distillation-kit-with-stands-and-clamps_W0QQitemZ7600241793QQcategoryZ26406QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/LabGlass-24-40-COMPLETE-Distilling-Distillation-Kit_W0QQitemZ7599994577QQcategoryZ26406QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For $70 more you're getting a 1000ml and 500ml flask, all the necessary hardware, stands, and a vacuum adapter - which means with a cheap water aspirator you can distill stuff off at lower atmospheric pressures, reducing temperatures and increasing safety, and the likelihood that you'll damage any of the actives in your final product due to heat.

BV
 

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