My Tincture Workflow

[Kelleytoons]

Since it came up twice in two days after some thought I decided to outline what I'm doing to make my tinctures, even though I might be altering the process in the future. At least this will be a core dump of all I've found out in my considerable research in the last month or so.

The usual disclaimers: might be many ways to do the same thing, others might do it better, it might work for you differently, etc. etc. Like with everything about Kratom it's all down to what your body reacts to (unless you're trying to prepare for others - I also have to take into account my DW's tastes :>)

1. Gather your materials.

A) You'll need good powder/leaf (I will write this as if you are using the usual dry powder most of us have, but you can also do this with leaf and/or combos. I'll try and annotate what differences there are). Obviously garbage in, garbage out, so you want the best.

B) You will also need a solvent. If you don't want alcohol you can use glycerin but the preferred method is alcohol. It should be at least 80 proof but if you are using powder then you don't need a higher proof (if you are using leaf you should use something like Everclear - the difference is that the leaf will add water to the mix and we'd like to keep the percentage of alcohol around 30% or more, and 80 proof is more than enough for dry powder but not enough for leaf. For mixtures you'll have to use your own judgement). Any alcohol of 80 proof or more will do, including gin or rum, but most folks use vodka due to the lack of flavor (obviously don't waste your money on flavored vodkas). Plus it's usually the cheapest you can buy. I buy the house brand of CostCo, Kirkland's vodka, which actually tastes to many as good as Grey Goose (I use both in my drinking and even straight I really can't tell them apart).

C) Containers to store your mixture while it "cooks". Mason jars are ideal because they come with a very good seal (and are used for canning purposes so they will withstand the test of time). I have both 1 pint and 1 quart versions I use (they are also pretty cheap and available anywhere). I use the pint for my 50 gram tinctures, and the quart for 100 gram ones. You need enough room in your container so you have at least 1/3 empty - I made the mistake one time of trying around 150 grams in my quart jar and it ended up a giant sludge.

D) Something to strain out your mixture. I use the AeroPress (and more in a moment) but you can also use cloth strainers. However, they are VERY difficult to manage PLUS you really need to throw them away each time (while you can wash and dry them that's more trouble than it's worth).

2. Put the powder, measured, into your container. I use a scale I can zero out with the Mason jar already on it, and then I just spoon the mixture into it until it reads the proper amount. The ratio we want is 5ml to 1gram, so for 50 grams of powder we're going to use 250ml of liquid (a touch over 8 ounces - no need to be really precise here) which works nicely in the 1 pint Mason jar. For 100 grams of powder you use 16 ounces which the 1 quart jar holds. Easy peasy.

3. Measure out the liquid, put in, and shake vigorously. You can't overshake. Note that some folks will also add citric acid at this stage but I do NOT believe in doing this. Citric acid breaks down our beloved leaf quickly, and thus when you make tea or use the powder straight it helps to get out the essential goodness your body can not do otherwise. But ALL the checking I've done on this indicates that a long term alcohol process will get out all of the same stuff - you just need to make sure you let it cook long enough. And if you put acid in then you run the risk of the acid hurting the things we need the most (so most folks then try and balance it out at some point with a base, like baking soda). I've tried it with the acid and it wasn't nearly as good as without. I say you don't need it and I stand by it but YMMV.

4. Let it cook. Place in a cool, dark room if possible. Shake the jar vigorously every day if you can. And wait.

The waiting is the key. For most herbal tinctures they recommend 4-6 weeks. I've talked to pharmacists who make this stuff for a living (some in person - at my old age I have a lot of pharmacist friends :>) and even THEY go back and forth on this but one thing is for certain: you cannot overcook it. At the very least I'd give it two weeks and my tests so far show that it does indeed increase in power from one week to two (my longest tinctures are at around four weeks now and I'm *just* about ready to decant and test, so I may have other opinions after this. I have around eight I'm going to cook from between four and six weeks and then compare).

5. Decant (or strain). I use the Aeropress for this with a stainless steel filter. This last is important - if you use the paper filters some say it strains out essential oils, whereas the SS filters allow some of the "dirt" through while still making the liquid almost completely smooth and easy to swallow. I have not tested this theory out because it works so well with the stainless but I have heard some people report their tinctures as not feeling "full" (or lacking in something the raw powder provides). Whether this is due to not cooking the tincture long enough or straining it improperly I don't know. I do know that the tinctures I've made so far are as "full" as the powder I make them from. The AeroPress is pretty straightforward but I'll note you need to press pretty hard to get all the goodness out, so it works best if you position it lower than a countertop (so you can lean all your weight into it). You want slow but steady pressure and patience.

6. (Optional step 1) Flavor the tincture. The tincture itself, assuming you used vodka, won't have any alcohol flavor to it (and at 80 proof won't burn your mouth like Everclear can) but it will still taste some like Kratom (which I can't stand) or at least bitter. I flavor with a simple sugar syrup (recipe found everywhere on the web - takes about five minutes to make) AND some black cherry flavoring I got from Amazon. Tastes then like cough syrup which isn't bad. Some folks use honey but it won't hold in the solution so you'll need to shake vigorously (again :>) every time you take your tincture. Or you can use Stevia and/or other artificial sweeteners. Just don't use anything acidic (again, we don't want the good stuff to break down).

Since your dose will be relatively small (remember that at the 5/1 ratio an ounce will be around 6 grams and many folks will only need a tablespoon full) you might not even bother with flavoring. You can also dump the tincture into OJ where it will completely disappear (I like doing it this way as the OJ seems to supercharge it).

7. (Optional step 2) Reduce the liquid. I do not do this, nor do I particularly recommend this, but some folks reduce the tincture, by as much as one half. This is tricky because, using alcohol, you are dealing with something that can easily catch on fire. So for goodness sake do NOT do this indoors. But you can look up how on the web (I just don't find I need it that concentrated).

8. Store your tincture. I bought dark glass bottles for this that look like the kind prescribed cough syrup is sold in. I use a funnel to pour the liquid in and then flavor it inside the bottle because each one is slightly different. If you are doing this be careful how you sample things to flavor, as you are taking Kratom each time (the first time I tried this I was flat on my back for a couple of hours, not realizing just how much I was consuming). As for storage - with the alcohol most authorities say that any tincture should last many years (some say indefinitely but I kind of doubt that). At the very least I'd be confident that this will be just as potent three years from now (however it won't last that long in my household <g>).

The tincture to me, about a tablespoon, works within 10 minutes and is AMAZING. It's also great combined with capsules (which is how I normally consume my Kratom). I cut my dose of capsules in half, take a bit of tincture in OJ, and not only am I ready to go right away but it lasts for many, many hours (one time I tried it and it lasted for over eight hours, which for me is unheard of. I was still feeling strong effects at 7 hours and by four I am normally done with the dose).

If anyone still has any interest in this at all after two weeks I'll post my follow ups about four, five and six week cooking.

[Roofdog]

Since it came up twice in two days after some thought I decided to outline what I'm doing to make my tinctures, even though I might be altering the process in the future. At least this will be a core dump of all I've found out in my considerable research in the last month or so.

The usual disclaimers: might be many ways to do the same thing, others might do it better, it might work for you differently, etc. etc. Like with everything about Kratom it's all down to what your body reacts to (unless you're trying to prepare for others - I also have to take into account my DW's tastes :>)

1. Gather your materials.

A) You'll need good powder/leaf (I will write this as if you are using the usual dry powder most of us have, but you can also do this with leaf and/or combos. I'll try and annotate what differences there are). Obviously garbage in, garbage out, so you want the best.

B) You will also need a solvent. If you don't want alcohol you can use glycerin but the preferred method is alcohol. It should be at least 80 proof but if you are using powder then you don't need a higher proof (if you are using leaf you should use something like Everclear - the difference is that the leaf will add water to the mix and we'd like to keep the percentage of alcohol around 30% or more, and 80 proof is more than enough for dry powder but not enough for leaf. For mixtures you'll have to use your own judgement). Any alcohol of 80 proof or more will do, including gin or rum, but most folks use vodka due to the lack of flavor (obviously don't waste your money on flavored vodkas). Plus it's usually the cheapest you can buy. I buy the house brand of CostCo, Kirkland's vodka, which actually tastes to many as good as Grey Goose (I use both in my drinking and even straight I really can't tell them apart).

C) Containers to store your mixture while it "cooks". Mason jars are ideal because they come with a very good seal (and are used for canning purposes so they will withstand the test of time). I have both 1 pint and 1 quart versions I use (they are also pretty cheap and available anywhere). I use the pint for my 50 gram tinctures, and the quart for 100 gram ones. You need enough room in your container so you have at least 1/3 empty - I made the mistake one time of trying around 150 grams in my quart jar and it ended up a giant sludge.

D) Something to strain out your mixture. I use the AeroPress (and more in a moment) but you can also use cloth strainers. However, they are VERY difficult to manage PLUS you really need to throw them away each time (while you can wash and dry them that's more trouble than it's worth).

2. Put the powder, measured, into your container. I use a scale I can zero out with the Mason jar already on it, and then I just spoon the mixture into it until it reads the proper amount. The ratio we want is 5ml to 1gram, so for 50 grams of powder we're going to use 250ml of liquid (a touch over 8 ounces - no need to be really precise here) which works nicely in the 1 pint Mason jar. For 100 grams of powder you use 16 ounces which the 1 quart jar holds. Easy peasy.

3. Measure out the liquid, put in, and shake vigorously. You can't overshake. Note that some folks will also add citric acid at this stage but I do NOT believe in doing this. Citric acid breaks down our beloved leaf quickly, and thus when you make tea or use the powder straight it helps to get out the essential goodness your body can not do otherwise. But ALL the checking I've done on this indicates that a long term alcohol process will get out all of the same stuff - you just need to make sure you let it cook long enough. And if you put acid in then you run the risk of the acid hurting the things we need the most (so most folks then try and balance it out at some point with a base, like baking soda). I've tried it with the acid and it wasn't nearly as good as without. I say you don't need it and I stand by it but YMMV.

4. Let it cook. Place in a cool, dark room if possible. Shake the jar vigorously every day if you can. And wait.

The waiting is the key. For most herbal tinctures they recommend 4-6 weeks. I've talked to pharmacists who make this stuff for a living (some in person - at my old age I have a lot of pharmacist friends :>) and even THEY go back and forth on this but one thing is for certain: you cannot overcook it. At the very least I'd give it two weeks and my tests so far show that it does indeed increase in power from one week to two (my longest tinctures are at around four weeks now and I'm *just* about ready to decant and test, so I may have other opinions after this. I have around eight I'm going to cook from between four and six weeks and then compare).

5. Decant (or strain). I use the Aeropress for this with a stainless steel filter. This last is important - if you use the paper filters some say it strains out essential oils, whereas the SS filters allow some of the "dirt" through while still making the liquid almost completely smooth and easy to swallow. I have not tested this theory out because it works so well with the stainless but I have heard some people report their tinctures as not feeling "full" (or lacking in something the raw powder provides). Whether this is due to not cooking the tincture long enough or straining it improperly I don't know. I do know that the tinctures I've made so far are as "full" as the powder I make them from. The AeroPress is pretty straightforward but I'll note you need to press pretty hard to get all the goodness out, so it works best if you position it lower than a countertop (so you can lean all your weight into it). You want slow but steady pressure and patience.

6. (Optional step 1) Flavor the tincture. The tincture itself, assuming you used vodka, won't have any alcohol flavor to it (and at 80 proof won't burn your mouth like Everclear can) but it will still taste some like Kratom (which I can't stand) or at least bitter. I flavor with a simple sugar syrup (recipe found everywhere on the web - takes about five minutes to make) AND some black cherry flavoring I got from Amazon. Tastes then like cough syrup which isn't bad. Some folks use honey but it won't hold in the solution so you'll need to shake vigorously (again :>) every time you take your tincture. Or you can use Stevia and/or other artificial sweeteners. Just don't use anything acidic (again, we don't want the good stuff to break down).

Since your dose will be relatively small (remember that at the 5/1 ratio an ounce will be around 6 grams and many folks will only need a tablespoon full) you might not even bother with flavoring. You can also dump the tincture into OJ where it will completely disappear (I like doing it this way as the OJ seems to supercharge it).

7. (Optional step 2) Reduce the liquid. I do not do this, nor do I particularly recommend this, but some folks reduce the tincture, by as much as one half. This is tricky because, using alcohol, you are dealing with something that can easily catch on fire. So for goodness sake do NOT do this indoors. But you can look up how on the web (I just don't find I need it that concentrated).

8. Store your tincture. I bought dark glass bottles for this that look like the kind prescribed cough syrup is sold in. I use a funnel to pour the liquid in and then flavor it inside the bottle because each one is slightly different. If you are doing this be careful how you sample things to flavor, as you are taking Kratom each time (the first time I tried this I was flat on my back for a couple of hours, not realizing just how much I was consuming). As for storage - with the alcohol most authorities say that any tincture should last many years (some say indefinitely but I kind of doubt that). At the very least I'd be confident that this will be just as potent three years from now (however it won't last that long in my household <g>).

The tincture to me, about a tablespoon, works within 10 minutes and is AMAZING. It's also great combined with capsules (which is how I normally consume my Kratom). I cut my dose of capsules in half, take a bit of tincture in OJ, and not only am I ready to go right away but it lasts for many, many hours (one time I tried it and it lasted for over eight hours, which for me is unheard of. I was still feeling strong effects at 7 hours and by four I am normally done with the dose).

If anyone still has any interest in this at all after two weeks I'll post my follow ups about four, five and six week cooking.

Thank you for this info. I am very interested. I need something for when im out so I dont need to run to the car every time I need to dose. Thank you

[mowgli]

Perfect timing Kelleytoons. I just bought a bottle of cheap vodka earlier today to start my own experiment. I read on a different post that included freezing the mason jar concoction. I guess with the same idea as red bubble tea. Since you use alcohol maybe this is an unnecessary step. I'm thinking I want to reduce the volume of liquid so I drink a minimal amount of vodka. But I've got several weeks to consider whether to cook it down or not. Thanks for describing your procedure!

[pizza172]

Ummm - I saw you taking about this yesterday I think? Then I just read through your most recent post from an hour or so ago. Can you give me a quick heads up as to what exactly you are doing? I’ve got the general gist of it, but as my wife tends to think I’m, eh, “slow” when it comes to, well - just about everything! Lol
This all seems very intriguing to me, and I’m sure others too. I could easily jump to google and search it, but where’s the fun in that? I’ve always preferred talking to actual people rather than the internet anyway…
Thanks!

[Lokey]

Thank you so much! After your recent posts I was searching for tincture recipes and didn't find any. Definitely will have to print this out and try it sometime.

[Kelleytoons]

Thank you for this info. I am very interested. I need something for when im out so I dont need to run to the car every time I need to dose. Thank you

Yeah, my intention is to keep a small 1 oz bottle of this in my car for use when I'm out and about as well.

[Kelleytoons]

Perfect timing Kelleytoons. I just bought a bottle of cheap vodka earlier today to start my own experiment. I read on a different post that included freezing the mason jar concoction. I guess with the same idea as red bubble tea. Since you use alcohol maybe this is an unnecessary step. I'm thinking I want to reduce the volume of liquid so I drink a minimal amount of vodka. But I've got several weeks to consider whether to cook it down or not. Thanks for describing your procedure!

Depending on your dosage the amount of alcohol isn't much - while it seems like you might need 1 oz (or a "shot") I find that even just a tablespoon is VERY effective, and that much vodka is so minimal even my wife (who hates hard liquor) has no issues.

I've read about freezing for the teas but I truly don't think that's needed for alcohol tinctures and no where in making herbal tinctures did I ever see anything to this effect.

[Kelleytoons]

Ummm - I saw you taking about this yesterday I think? Then I just read through your most recent post from an hour or so ago. Can you give me a quick heads up as to what exactly you are doing? I’ve got the general gist of it, but as my wife tends to think I’m, eh, “slow” when it comes to, well - just about everything! Lol
This all seems very intriguing to me, and I’m sure others too. I could easily jump to google and search it, but where’s the fun in that? I’ve always preferred talking to actual people rather than the internet anyway…
Thanks!

The Reader's Digest version is to take 50 grams of Kratom powder, add 8 oz of cheap vodka, and put in a tight jar and store away a few weeks - then filter out the powder remains and you're done.

[BallzDeep9]

At least this will be a core dump of all I've found out in my considerable research in the last month or so.

Hey Thanks for getting this started! . We've had some Extract discussions here but always seems like, compared to the "strains" Reviews, any Extract threads just get drowned out.. After 4 years on MM, should be enough veterans who are interested... Kratom is like other herbal products. Extracts and tinctures are the way to go. At least for experienced folks?

Actually pretty simple, the Actives in Kratom are Mitragynine and 7-OH-Mitra. Everything else is either dirt, plant material, or trace alkaloids of which none are proven to have much value. However Full Spectrum extract is recommended -VS- Isolate which requires Pro Lab equipment anyway.

Tincture VS dry powder extract? That's really the finishing, or Final Stage of any extract making process. At the end, you have liquid. That can be reduced down, to a concentrate liquid, or evaporated completely to make the "Crystal Extract" powders which are so popular, and sold by vendors.

I'm no Extract Expert . I did the same as you. Gather various Teks and recipes off the Internet. Dozens are posted out there. Reddit: A few years ago some disgruntled employee (who supposedly worked for O.P.M.S.) posted the "secret" of that product. It's still there. Also on Reddit, Shulgin's Kratom Tek if that rings a bell (Famous Chemist, made lots of drugs!) also Hymnder's Tek and others. Many of those are A/B formulas (Acid Base) using toxic chemicals, which are needed to make really pure Extract.

I finally cobbled together, Instructions from experienced folks. As you've discovered, A very decent Tincture is possible without going the A/B route! One suggestion? Buy some Lab Tested Full Spectrum Tincture to see what's possible... How close can you get? Best one right now: called "The Drop" sold by ANA. All Natural Artisan. The Drop suggests 1 drop = 1 serving, well I use around 5+ drops. Still that's powerful stuff. So there's a Review lol

Lazy. I've made a couple of batches, but raw kratom plus Aeropress Tea, works fine, so I've been too lazy to mess around with Ethanol. Totally understand. Got some Clear Springs 190 proof on hand... Maybe your good ideas, here, will get a few of us inspired to try this!! -- I'll add some more Notes soon as possible to formulate a response.

[Kelleytoons]

I think the two keys are length of the extract (at LEAST four weeks) and using the stainless steel "strainer" rather than paper. Without those two things I don't think it's possible to extract more fully without chemicals.

However, I'm not convinced the chemicals do a better job. They certainly do a FASTER job, and folks selling extracts (as opposed to tinctures - two very different things) time equals money. And weight equals money - so much easier to do a full extract and ship that (not to mention shipping alcohol through the mail - that's beyond the realm of even the pro Kratom folks and involves a whole different set of procedures).

And I do think it's important to emphasize the difference between tinctures and extracts - while it's true we are "extracting" from the powder/leaf the good stuff, a true extract is processed MUCH further down. If anything I like to think of this as just a very, very strong "tea" in the process (and I've tried using the AeroPress for tea and... it makes me gag. So a tincture is the only way I can go, short of capsules).

Where you and I really disagree is effects -- I've seen you say you don't get the completely "rounded" experience and I beg to differ - but perhaps that's just either our personal bodies or the way we are completing our tinctures. After four weeks using the SS filters my experience with the tincture is EXACTLY the same as the raw powder (except in my case it's far more immediate, since the capsules take a lot of time to process - however, that IS another factor so I'm willing to grant that perhaps the difference in a raw powder down the throat versus capsules adds some more variables into the process. So let me restate - the difference between capsules and tinctures is indistinguishable, at least at 4 weeks. I will also be trying three, five and six weeks to further experiment, but while all this cooks I won't be completely done until the end of summer. As it is I decant two tinctures each week).

Like you I also have experimented with both the powder (for me in the form of capsules) with some tincture - the ONE time I tried this it lasted so long it scared me (at 7 hours the effects were as strong or stronger than any I've ever experienced, and it wasn't completely over until well after 8 hours). But like with anything else we try, there are SO many variables in this I'm not even sure where to start (for one thing I mixed two different strains, something I almost never do). Once I have my forty or fifty tinctures the combinations of the 80 or more strains of poweder I have will be staggering - as an old man I'll be lucky to live out long enough to figure it out <g>.

[Kelleytoons]

Oh, one more thing - Ballz, I have to thank you because you were the one that got me started on this journey. I read all you wrote, many times, and while I then did the research (and actually talked to some live folks, including a local herbalist who has been making and selling tinctures for years) if you hadn't got me on the path in the first place I certainly wouldn't be having the fun I'm currently having. So - owe you one big time!

(And thanks for putting up with my annoying questions - after nearly a year I still feel a newbee when it comes to Kratom but without it my life would be SO much less worth living).

[Detuned]

Thanks alot for the great tutorial. Will definetley try that on my own.

Question: what do you mean with OJ?

[Kelleytoons]

Oh, sorry - Orange Juice (as a very old man I usually don't use any abbreviations because I am confused by most of them myself).

[IndelibleDotInk]

Thank you for this info. I am very interested. I need something for when im out so I dont need to run to the car every time I need to dose. Thank you

Yeah, my intention is to keep a small 1 oz bottle of this in my car for use when I'm out and about as well.

Don't forget to imbibe only once you're at a safe place to do so. Not a good idea to take a few drops of vodka before you get in the car.

I am gonna follow your tek, as you have it all laid out here! I finally made some decent tea, still cloudy, though, but I have made peace with toss n wash. Tincture seems like a great alternative for portability or just changing up the ROA.

[GrannyJ62]

I've made very good tincture replacing the alcohol with Apple Cider Vinegar I kept it sealed for 6 weeks.I love that you've detailed this.

[IndelibleDotInk]

I've made very good tincture replacing the alcohol with Apple Cider Vinegar I kept it sealed for 6 weeks.I love that you've detailed this.

Hi Granny! It's been months since you been around! Been missin ya! Hope you and fam all good.

[mowgli]

OK I made my 1st batch with 3.6 oz of kratom & 18 oz of vodka in a Mason jar. Think I'll give it 6 weeks then maybe simmer to reduce liquid volume. It's not my favorite kratom by a long shot so I hope it's not "garbage in garbage out". We shall see.

[Kelleytoons]

That's about the right proportions but if it's not a good batch making it into a tincture won't work miracles with it. However, you might be able to combine it with some powder to make it really work.

Remember that tinctures aren't "stronger" than what you are working with - they are not extracts. So you have around 5.5 grams per ounce of tincture there, which should hit just like taking that amount of powder. If you were able to reduce it (even as much as half) then, again, you would "only" have 5.5 grams per half ounce. The idea behind tinctures isn't to make things more powerful, but more palatable.

[Kelleytoons]

I've made very good tincture replacing the alcohol with Apple Cider Vinegar I kept it sealed for 6 weeks.I love that you've detailed this.

That's interesting. In talking in person with my herbalist friend she did not mention Apple Cider Vinegar (she mentioned glycerin but I was skeptical about this). Perhaps after my summer run with my present workflow I'll give it a try just to see.

[Valikth]

I've made very good tincture replacing the alcohol with Apple Cider Vinegar I kept it sealed for 6 weeks.I love that you've detailed this.

Id like to hear this process. Can you PM me? Or chat me on teddit? Im valikth there too

[dantheleafman]

Since it came up twice in two days after some thought I decided to outline what I'm doing to make my tinctures, even though I might be altering the process in the future. At least this will be a core dump of all I've found out in my considerable research in the last month or so.

The usual disclaimers: might be many ways to do the same thing, others might do it better, it might work for you differently, etc. etc. Like with everything about Kratom it's all down to what your body reacts to (unless you're trying to prepare for others - I also have to take into account my DW's tastes :>)

1. Gather your materials.

A) You'll need good powder/leaf (I will write this as if you are using the usual dry powder most of us have, but you can also do this with leaf and/or combos. I'll try and annotate what differences there are). Obviously garbage in, garbage out, so you want the best.

B) You will also need a solvent. If you don't want alcohol you can use glycerin but the preferred method is alcohol. It should be at least 80 proof but if you are using powder then you don't need a higher proof (if you are using leaf you should use something like Everclear - the difference is that the leaf will add water to the mix and we'd like to keep the percentage of alcohol around 30% or more, and 80 proof is more than enough for dry powder but not enough for leaf. For mixtures you'll have to use your own judgement). Any alcohol of 80 proof or more will do, including gin or rum, but most folks use vodka due to the lack of flavor (obviously don't waste your money on flavored vodkas). Plus it's usually the cheapest you can buy. I buy the house brand of CostCo, Kirkland's vodka, which actually tastes to many as good as Grey Goose (I use both in my drinking and even straight I really can't tell them apart).

C) Containers to store your mixture while it "cooks". Mason jars are ideal because they come with a very good seal (and are used for canning purposes so they will withstand the test of time). I have both 1 pint and 1 quart versions I use (they are also pretty cheap and available anywhere). I use the pint for my 50 gram tinctures, and the quart for 100 gram ones. You need enough room in your container so you have at least 1/3 empty - I made the mistake one time of trying around 150 grams in my quart jar and it ended up a giant sludge.

D) Something to strain out your mixture. I use the AeroPress (and more in a moment) but you can also use cloth strainers. However, they are VERY difficult to manage PLUS you really need to throw them away each time (while you can wash and dry them that's more trouble than it's worth).

2. Put the powder, measured, into your container. I use a scale I can zero out with the Mason jar already on it, and then I just spoon the mixture into it until it reads the proper amount. The ratio we want is 5ml to 1gram, so for 50 grams of powder we're going to use 250ml of liquid (a touch over 8 ounces - no need to be really precise here) which works nicely in the 1 pint Mason jar. For 100 grams of powder you use 16 ounces which the 1 quart jar holds. Easy peasy.

3. Measure out the liquid, put in, and shake vigorously. You can't overshake. Note that some folks will also add citric acid at this stage but I do NOT believe in doing this. Citric acid breaks down our beloved leaf quickly, and thus when you make tea or use the powder straight it helps to get out the essential goodness your body can not do otherwise. But ALL the checking I've done on this indicates that a long term alcohol process will get out all of the same stuff - you just need to make sure you let it cook long enough. And if you put acid in then you run the risk of the acid hurting the things we need the most (so most folks then try and balance it out at some point with a base, like baking soda). I've tried it with the acid and it wasn't nearly as good as without. I say you don't need it and I stand by it but YMMV.

4. Let it cook. Place in a cool, dark room if possible. Shake the jar vigorously every day if you can. And wait.

The waiting is the key. For most herbal tinctures they recommend 4-6 weeks. I've talked to pharmacists who make this stuff for a living (some in person - at my old age I have a lot of pharmacist friends :>) and even THEY go back and forth on this but one thing is for certain: you cannot overcook it. At the very least I'd give it two weeks and my tests so far show that it does indeed increase in power from one week to two (my longest tinctures are at around four weeks now and I'm *just* about ready to decant and test, so I may have other opinions after this. I have around eight I'm going to cook from between four and six weeks and then compare).

5. Decant (or strain). I use the Aeropress for this with a stainless steel filter. This last is important - if you use the paper filters some say it strains out essential oils, whereas the SS filters allow some of the "dirt" through while still making the liquid almost completely smooth and easy to swallow. I have not tested this theory out because it works so well with the stainless but I have heard some people report their tinctures as not feeling "full" (or lacking in something the raw powder provides). Whether this is due to not cooking the tincture long enough or straining it improperly I don't know. I do know that the tinctures I've made so far are as "full" as the powder I make them from. The AeroPress is pretty straightforward but I'll note you need to press pretty hard to get all the goodness out, so it works best if you position it lower than a countertop (so you can lean all your weight into it). You want slow but steady pressure and patience.

6. (Optional step 1) Flavor the tincture. The tincture itself, assuming you used vodka, won't have any alcohol flavor to it (and at 80 proof won't burn your mouth like Everclear can) but it will still taste some like Kratom (which I can't stand) or at least bitter. I flavor with a simple sugar syrup (recipe found everywhere on the web - takes about five minutes to make) AND some black cherry flavoring I got from Amazon. Tastes then like cough syrup which isn't bad. Some folks use honey but it won't hold in the solution so you'll need to shake vigorously (again :>) every time you take your tincture. Or you can use Stevia and/or other artificial sweeteners. Just don't use anything acidic (again, we don't want the good stuff to break down).

Since your dose will be relatively small (remember that at the 5/1 ratio an ounce will be around 6 grams and many folks will only need a tablespoon full) you might not even bother with flavoring. You can also dump the tincture into OJ where it will completely disappear (I like doing it this way as the OJ seems to supercharge it).

7. (Optional step 2) Reduce the liquid. I do not do this, nor do I particularly recommend this, but some folks reduce the tincture, by as much as one half. This is tricky because, using alcohol, you are dealing with something that can easily catch on fire. So for goodness sake do NOT do this indoors. But you can look up how on the web (I just don't find I need it that concentrated).

8. Store your tincture. I bought dark glass bottles for this that look like the kind prescribed cough syrup is sold in. I use a funnel to pour the liquid in and then flavor it inside the bottle because each one is slightly different. If you are doing this be careful how you sample things to flavor, as you are taking Kratom each time (the first time I tried this I was flat on my back for a couple of hours, not realizing just how much I was consuming). As for storage - with the alcohol most authorities say that any tincture should last many years (some say indefinitely but I kind of doubt that). At the very least I'd be confident that this will be just as potent three years from now (however it won't last that long in my household <g>).

The tincture to me, about a tablespoon, works within 10 minutes and is AMAZING. It's also great combined with capsules (which is how I normally consume my Kratom). I cut my dose of capsules in half, take a bit of tincture in OJ, and not only am I ready to go right away but it lasts for many, many hours (one time I tried it and it lasted for over eight hours, which for me is unheard of. I was still feeling strong effects at 7 hours and by four I am normally done with the dose).

If anyone still has any interest in this at all after two weeks I'll post my follow ups about four, five and six week cooking.

Thank you for your informative post! I have also started to make tinctures. It's a great way to use up powder I might never use otherwise. Perfect for mobility and the shelf-life is indefinite. It's in my "apocolypse stash". We have a few differences in our recipe and method. If you don't mind, I'll post mine and would love to hear your commentary/critique and exchange ideas!

Basic material:
16 oz Mason Jar
190 proof food grade ethanol or Everclear
Distilled water
PH test strips
Citric Acid Powder
250g powder (mix and match if you wish)

1) Put the powder into the Mason Jar
2) Add 3 parts alcohol and 1 part water *
3) Add teaspoon of citric acid
4) Use test trips to measure to PH of 4
5) Seal the jar and shake well
6) Store in a cool dark place for 3 weeks shake 1x per day
[2:40 PM]
During the third week, put the jar in the freezer for 3 days. Then a couple afternoons in the sun. Do not shake the jar during the last week. Plant material will sink to bottom and you can just pour the tincture off the top. No need to strain.

Some people debate the value of letting it sit for 3 weeks. I had one guy tell me if I dropped the water and just shook it constantly for 30 minutes, that would extract 85% of the alkaloids. I'm not sure I believe him. The guy that taught me said it would only extract about 50%.

You could skip the freezer and sun if you want. The idea about the sun is it will help convert mit into 7 oh mit. Some people debate that and say it will deplete the mit altogether. I tried it, and mine turned out great!

Also debatable is using the water. I preferred to lessen the alcohol a bit. But you could use all alcohol.

[Kelleytoons]

I honestly gave up on tinctures - in the end they never had as much "good stuff" as just the powder, and because my dose is now half of what I used to take it's only five or six capsules so no big deal to even carry with me.

Even on the very most optimistic estimates you can achieve only around 50% extraction - and there is some real evidence to suggest that such extraction does not include other things that make kratom what it is. So in the end it was a ton of trouble for little payoff. You mention longevity and I will address that - even stored just *reasonably* (say in a jar tightly sealed indoors) kratom has been proven to last more than a decade or two - PLENTY long enough (at least for this old man - if you are younger it *might* have payoffs if you want to store something for many decades). Otherwise there really isn't ANY reason to make tinctures (and a ton of reasons not to).

[dantheleafman]

I honestly gave up on tinctures - in the end they never had as much "good stuff" as just the powder, and because my dose is now half of what I used to take it's only five or six capsules so no big deal to even carry with me.

Even on the very most optimistic estimates you can achieve only around 50% extraction - and there is some real evidence to suggest that such extraction does not include other things that make kratom what it is. So in the end it was a ton of trouble for little payoff. You mention longevity and I will address that - even stored just *reasonably* (say in a jar tightly sealed indoors) kratom has been proven to last more than a decade or two - PLENTY long enough (at least for this old man - if you are younger it *might* have payoffs if you want to store something for many decades). Otherwise there really isn't ANY reason to make tinctures (and a ton of reasons not to).

Interesting! I've heard estimates of 50% on the low side, and up to 85% (using 190 proof ethanol) on the high side. You never know who to believe haha. Curious as to how many batches you made before giving up?

[Kelleytoons]

The only study I believe (from a university) got a max of around 45% (but they used very special extraction processes - and, of course, 100% alcohol, or 200 proof, which is what I was using in terms of medium). Again, however, NO study shows anything other than the alkaloids like mit that get extracted. All the other "stuff" is discarded.

And that other stuff does add a ton to the experience - which is why my tinctures were NEVER as good as the full powder (and I tried for six months, with many dozens, and all kinds of time in jars up to six weeks max). With the possible exception of folks who are worried about the roughage (and then it would have to be a TON of kratom in your dose) I can see zero benefits in making tinctures, and a ton of downside.

(Also, I should note, I spent several thousand dollars on machines to fully extract the alcohol and filter it properly. Trust me, no one could do it better than I did outside of the big science labs. It was an interesting - and extremely messy - experiment in my life I will never repeat. However, if you are bound and determined to do this I have some still excellent condition machinery that I'd be willing to sell for a steep discount. It will extract up to 98% of the alcohol - really far more than you want otherwise you end up with too concentrated a mixture - and all automagically. I'd be willing to part with it all for around $500 - right now I already have offers of that but for folks making CBD tinctures. But I'd much rather sell it to a kratom enthusiast - however, I'd also advise you NOT to buy it or go this route. Stick with powder and you'll thank me later).

[dantheleafman]

Certainly sounds like you've walked a path of experience and exhausted tria and error! I think I'll take your advice and cut my already minimal losses! My wife makes herbal tinctures, so the 190 proof alcohol want go to wsate. Other than that my expenditures weren't over $50.00 - I wish you the best of luck in getting your equipment sold!

[Babel-17]

Any chance that, regardless that Kava and Kratom are not related substances, that the alkaloids in Kratom would, like the kavalactones in Kava, benefit from also using an oil/fat/emulsifier to extract them?

https://usakava.com/kava-extract#kava-drink-emulsifiers
https://usakava.com/kava-extract#kava-recipe-1