Multisolvent heatless extraction of Kratom

Disclaimer: This guide is provided for informational and educational purposes only. We do not encourage you to break the law and cannot claim any responsibility for your actions.

Theory

Kratom contains a variety of alkaloids that are soluble in both polar solvents (water) and non-polar solvents (isopropyl alcohol, Everclear, etc) *See end of section for notes*. This extraction attempts to yield as much of the psychoactive alkaloids in kratom as possible. The acetic acid will provide a polar solvent (95% water after all) and the lower pH will aid in extraction. The nonpolar solvent of choice will capture all of the psychoactive chemicals such as indole alkaloids and partial mu opioid agonists.

• Ethanol and isopropanol are both polar solvents, they do exhibit both polar and non-polar functionalities, but in this example they'd be considered polar. Organic solvents such as naphtha, (cyclo)alkanes like pentane and hexane, benzene, toluene, and diethyl ether are non-polar solvents. However, I'm not saying to use one of these true non-polar solvents in this procedure. The alkaloids will not be soluble in non-polar solvents after the addition of acetic acid. I assume the author means that you should just use ethanol, methanol, or isopropanol. If you're not using ethanol make sure you've thoroughly evaporated the alcohol off. Cone 16/10/21

Preparation

This picture shows the drying process. The pyrex trays are placed next to a screen door in the sun and let the solvent evaporate off. Note the dark color and the difference in drying states.

• Place the raw kratom powder in the freezer for about an hour. Freezing expands the plant cells, causing them to burst and creates more surface area for the solvent to extract the alkaloids.

Materials

• Raw kratom powder
• White vinegar (i.e. acetic acid. Lemon juice works as well but is less sterile)
• 99% Isopropyl alcohol or nonpolar solvent of choice
• A large airtight glass mason jar.
• Pyrex glassware for evaporating off the solvent after extraction. A large, shallow, lasagna glass Pyrex pan is ideal.
• Tools to scrape the resulting extract. (parchment paper will allow us to avoid this step)
• Time. This process takes at least a week from start to finish.

Procedure

This picture shows the final product in the form of a powdery extract.

1. Spoon the raw kratom powder into the mason jar. Fill it up to about 1/3 - 1/2 the jar level.
2. Slowly add the vinegar or aqueous acid solution to the raw powder. It is important that this step is performed first. Stir the vinegar into the powder. The powder is so powdery it will resist getting wet by the vinegar. Use enough vinegar to completely saturate the kratom, but not too much so that it creates a soupy solution.
3. Let this acid-kratom mixture sit for an hour.
4. Add the isopropyl alcohol or nonpolar solvent of choice. Stir vigorously, make sure every particle of kratom comes into contact with this solvent.
5. Let this mixture sit for at least 2 days. Heating the alcohol to speed up the process should be avoided due to combustion risk. Agitate daily.
6. After 2 days to 6 weeks, decant off the kratom-alkaloid containing kratom that has now separated as the top layer of material in the mason jar. Decant this solution into a prepared pyrex pan. (use parchment paper for an easier process and cleanup)
7. Wait X amount of hours for the nonpolar solvent to evaporate off. It is advised to abstain from using heat and just wait. The more surface area, the faster the evaporation. The higher the temperature, the faster the evaporation. The thicker the layer of solvent, the slower the evaporation is. You can also use the oven below 180 degrees or a dehydrator which maintains 165 degrees.
8. Once you can drag your finger across the pyrex containing the kratom extract, it is ready. Care should be taken to not ingest any isopropyl alcohol. Scrape this off of the pan. It will most likely be a thin layer of very dark brown crystalline material. It may be powdery depending on the thickness of the decanted solution layer in step 6.

Tips

Some like to make a custom blend of 1/3 raw kratom powder and 2/3 extract to place in gel caps. This significantly reduces the amount of kratom needed to feel its effects.

Previous extractions using this method have yielded a 17% total recovery by mass. But the point of this extract is not to enhance kratom, just to lower the amount needed for effects. One can take .5gs of this extract instead of 4gs of raw kratom powder. This extract can help immensely in helping alleviate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal, yet is still addictive itself.

This is the 1/3 raw powder, 2/3 extract mixture I create. I place this into gel caps. Only 1g of this mixture is needed to feel the effects of 3-4g of kratom powder.