Another personal service of the IAmShaman Shop.

This is an EXTREMELY complex topic that is wrapped up in legality as well as an immense amount of diversity, so I will simply offer as general a response as possible to cover as many areas as possible:

EXTRACTABLE HERBS

Since some of the products we offer are clearly labeled as non-consumable, this topic will pertain to only the consumable herbal products we offer.  In general, herbs such as Blue Lotus, Kava Kava, or Dream Herbs will efficiently extract into either alcohol, fat, or water.  Some herbs have active alkaloids (the active ingredient in an herb that is primarily responsible for the plant’s effects) that will extract into just one of the above three, and some (such as Kava) will extract into all three liquids.  Not all plants have a single alkaloid responsible for the effects, so often if one makes a tea out of an herb, they may be missing important alkaloids that work with other alkaloids to have the desired effect.

When discussing entheogens and ethnobotanicals, there’s a vast expanse of plants and preparations, so each plant botanical warrants its own discussion entirely.  With that in mind, I am speaking in broad strokes, and when I have asked people about what they would use for extracting any random herbs, I typically get one of two responses: 

1. “Make a tea out of it.”
2. Extract it into rum or vodka.”

And this is because most of know that teas come in a massive range of variety and for a massive range of ailments from sleeplessness to sore throats to energy boosts.  And yes, teas can be quite effective in extracting the active alkaloids from entheogens and ethnobotanicals, but it’s not always the ideal method.  How to know which extraction method is best?  Well, my standard answer is “empower yourself and experiment!” Yes, I know not everyone has the time energy and money to sit with a bunch of herbs and work for days or weeks on perfecting the best extraction method, trying every possibility until you find what works best for you, but it can be an amazingly rewarding experience.  Anyway…

MAKE A TEA OUT OF IT

This is a generally effective method for a wide range of herbs.  But, if you are unsure if the best extraction of your herbs will be though making a tea and you are of legal age, adding 1 ounce of alcohol into that tea will help to extract the active alkaloids that do not extract into water into your drink.  Or, if you’re looking for a more immediate or tangible effect from your water extraction (tea), I have sometimes resorted to doubling or tripling the amount I thought I would need, whether this equates to 2-3 teabags instead of 1, or 2-3 tablespoons instead of just 1 with a freshly-ground herb.

Really; its often open to personal preference and personal tolerance when it comes to making water extractions of your herbs.

EXTRACT IT INTO ALCOHOL

This is perhaps one of the best and more thorough ways of extracting an ethnobotanical or entheogen.  When extracting into something like wine or vodka, you are giving the herb 2 of its most-likely liquids that its alkaloids will extract into.  Typically, though, unless constantly agitated (shaken), herbs don’t extract into ANYTHING very well.  So, whenever I make an extraction of a favorite herb (such as Blue Lotus), i put 1 ounce of the herb into 1/2 a bottle of wine.  Yes, this is 2-3 times the amount that most use, but it works great for me.

Then, I use one of those vacuum pumps to get out any oxygen, and let it sit for a week or two in the fridge.  1-3 times a day, I then gently shake the bottle, making sure that fresh liquid makes its way onto the herbs.  Depending on my patience, I will let it site for 1 week, and sometimes 2, but what happens, is that both the water and the alcohol are working together to extract more than just nuciferine (the main alkaloid in Blue Lotus / Blue Lily), and instead extracts any of the other herbs that may work synergistically with the nuciferine.

OTHER EXTRACTIONS

Then, there are some herbs such as Kava that require mostly water and fats, but also will extract a few of its 24-ish alkaloids into alcohol.  So, whenever I make a Kava Kava Root extraction for myself and/or friends, I will use pineapple juice mixed with some soy milk, with a few shots of vodka.  The effects from Kava Kava extracted into just water or just coconut milk for me, is dramatic.  This is why we offer the Full Spectrum Kava Paste in addition to the Kavalactone 84% PAste found elsewhere on this site; there isn’t as much Kavalactone, but there are more of the other alkaloids that Kava has to offer.

We offer as much information as possible throughout our website here and at Shaman’s Garden, but the world wide web is a vast resource for more than any of us ever imagined possible.  Shop here, do you your research, and discover truth for yourself.  Peacefulness, Bodhi

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