From: rcain@netcom.com (Robert Cain)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: Re: ******* A little of this and a little o'that :) *******
Date: 9 Apr 92 08:03:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.8wrj1sb.rcain
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

med011@muvms3.bitnet writes:
: Excuse me but...I am wanting to try MJ Foodstuffs...Wondering about how
: to extract the THC from MJ and Exactly how much to use.  Specifically,
: I am traveling to Puerto Rico for some fun-in-the-sun and I thought I 
: could take some with me in the form of harmless brownies or something.
: Can anyone help? I would really appreciate some suggestions (or as far
: as that goes...some recipies and extraction methods). Thanx very much
: in advance!
: 

To extract via stovetop refluxing:

Get a pot large enough to contain a collander such as used to drain pasta.
Place the collander in the pot on something that will allow about a half
inch of fluid to remain below it without touching the bottom of the
collander.  The pot should be tall enough so that the collander is below
the top by an inch or so. The diameter should be the same or slightly
smaller than a flat bottomed dinner plate.  Get a flat bottomed dinner
plate (the good old Corning "Corelle" plates are great).

Pour a half inch of ethanol in the pot.  Everclear is best but you can't
get that in CA and some other states so the highest proof vodka works fine
in that case.  Pour the liquid into a blender and add the material from
which you wish to extract an alcohol soluble substance.  Blend the shit
out of it for an hour.  While this is happening, line the inside of the
collander with four of the "Melita" type coffee filters.  Big ones like
the restaurants use are best.

Pour the blended mixture through the filter paper in the collander in the
pot.

Place the dinner plate on the pot, bottom side down like you would if
you were eating from it.

Place this on a heat source at verry low heat. No flames!  I have just
used the heat coming from the vent on the top of my oven in the distant
past.  It is *not* necessary that the mixture boil.  Just let it sit
for a day or so.  What will happen is that the alcohol will vaporize,
condense on the bottom of the plate, which is cooler than the liquid, and
drip back absolutely pure through the material rinsing out any and all
substance soluble in the alcohol.  The remaining liquid can be reduced
to a concentrate just by removing plate and collander and keeping it in the
heat.  Low heat is important because you don't want vaporization to occur
faster than condensation.  Just enough to get it dripping back off the
plate.  The reason for flat is that you want the drops to be coming off
a large area rather than a point so as to distribute them over the material.
Although they didn't exist when I was playing amature chemist, the electric
crock pots that are used for slowly simmering stews and such would probably
work well as a combined pot/heat-source if large enough.

This same procedure works for water extractions also. Such as ayahausca,
yohimbe, kava kava, etc.  (these may also be extracted with ethanol but
THC may not be extracted with water.) Other solvents may be used instead
of ethanol but none is as safe.  Most others are either toxic or more
flamable or both.  Any other solvent must be *fully* evaporated off
before ingestion and this can be difficult to determine.

Enjoy,

Bob

-- 
Bob Cain    rcain@netcom.com   408-358-2007

"There are some strings.  They're just not attached."
                                                    Victoria Roberts
Newsgroups: alt.drugs