TEK - Making a crude coca leaf extract ?

[Benga]

SWIM was wondering if any of you great minds would have an idea for performing a VERY CRUDE coca extraction, something which could be performed on the quantities used in coca chewing ( say 10g), the idea being to isolate the alkaloids from the plants, not seperating out cocaine only, but obtaining some form of paste which could used orally, as in coca chewing but bypassing the traditional 45 minutes of having leaves and base in your mouth for absorption through the mouth's mucous membranes.
with such small quantities, the extraction procedure shouldn't take long, say 45 minutes to one hour and should require all the labour and chemicals of an acid/base extraction.
Reconsidering the process of coca chewing, leaves are placed in mouth for 45 minutes, swimming in saliva ( slightly acidic) with an added base ( limestone paste, sodium bicarbonate, or traditional quinoa ashes).
this effectively extracts alkaloids ( including cocaine) which are then absorbed through the mouth mucosa. Would there be a way to work on this procedure and obtain some kind of extract ( maybe extracting in liquid, water and alcohol, using sodium bicarbonate and say citric acid, then filtering, evaporating, rinsing? ) in which the alkaloid mass would be seperated from the plant material and concentrated, thus allowing a more convinient use without going for actual cocaine isolation ? reading of other plant extractions, this has been on swim's mind for some time...
Any ideas or comments ?

b

[IHrtHalucingens]

SWIM was always under the impression that one would need copiuos amounts of the coca leaf to even get a small yeild. Now he doesnt know if this is just for making cocaine or how it would relate to your experiment, but he would assume its not a whole lot different. But SWIM would love to hear about any success you might have as its very interesting ot him.

Reputation Comments on this post:

read before posting...

[Benga]

please re-read this post this is not about making cocaine, and it is a different process. it is about getting rid of tiresome traditional coca leaf-chewing process, using similar quantities.
The idea is not doing a cocaine extraction but getting a crude extract of all the alkaloids in the leaf (ie not just the cocaine alkaloids, which is done by an acid base ) as you would in oral coca consumption.
b

[mushroom-man]

One possible method would be to bring to boil 150mL 95% ETOH drop in 20 gm of leaf powder (or so) and then drop heat to mild simmer for 10 minutes. Let sit for another 5 and while still hot filter. Reduce volume 60-70% at low heat (150 F). Save this. When ready to use dilute with water and add Bicarb, let sit for a couple minutes then take small sips and let it soak in. In SWIMs dream his mouth became nice and numb and felt like he had done copious amounts of leaf without the mess.

Peace,

Mush

Reputation Comments on this post:

good idea submission. keep it up !

[Benga]

thanks for sharing this idea. swim had kind of given up on "chewable" ie mouth absorbtion extracts and moved on to fluid extracts, but this dreams seems worth a try !

b

[mushroom-man]

In a continuation of SWIMs dream the volume was reduced to ~85% then a very saturated Na Bicarb solution in hot water was added, about a volume of 20% of the original. This was stirred thoroughly with some noticeable reaction (minor bulbing) then heated at <150F to remove liquid. Heat is reduced towards the end and it may be spread out in a Pyrex pie pan or similar. One may end up with a nice tar that when a pea size piece is placed under tongue a familiar numbness consumes the mouth, albeit a bit more pronounced. This being in base form may not have long shelf life. One could also use Calcium Hydroxide...

Peace,

Mush

Reputation Comments on this post:

sweet dreams indeed!

[tayo]

SWIM has boiled 40grams of coca leaf along with maybe 10grams ephedra, after foliage was ground up. SWIM can't remember whether or not sodium bicarbonate was added to pot with foliage, SWIM thinks so... it was boiled for about 2 hours at the point between steaming and boiling, it was then poured in a french press to strain, remaining plantless dark fluid was left in oven to evaporate at low temperature. Then SWIM scraped the walls of the dish with a razor blade and compiled sticky resin that came out to about 1.5 grams. Result was much more potent, but taste was not worth sucking on for numbness in mouth. Resin is smokable for pleasant stimulation effects and euphoria... obviously this is a very simple attempt at sucking out the alkaloids but it seemed to work just fine.
SWIY should give it a GO!

[Ontherooftops]

SWIM did a 99.9% isopropanol extraction on a few grams of coca leaves, he said it was damned easy, just mix for a few days, seperate, and evap. He said this resulted in a small amount of sort of black goey paste, a mix of the coca goodies and some plant material. He then mixed the paste with SodiumBiCarb for absorbtion and put a small bead under his pet octopus' tongue. Octopus reported mouth numbness beyond that of cheap yay (the shit so loaded with ritalin and sudafed SWIY can barely feel it) along with a notable zippy buzz, stronger than that of an equivalent amount of leaves in a quid.

I'm sure a lot of SWIY's out there have already figured it this out, but SWIM didn't find anyone recommending this method so he thought he might as well have me post it.

SWIM's octopus wants more now and thinks this stuff is rather addictive so swim isn't giving his octopus anymore for a bit.

SWIM would like some advice though on how to bind the paste into some sort of lozenge or something, as it's a little difficult to handle at the moment.

[Katabatic]

That's interesting. Wouldn't adding the Sodium BiCarb in the beginning be better?

[Benga]

ok folks, swim has succeeded in making coca gum.
just use one of the methods aboves, swim used a 125gm coca to 1liter 95° drinking alcohol ( rectified spirits, absolute alcohol ie "everclear" for those in some US states) fluid extract, made by maceration and cold percolation.
the dark colored liquid is then evaporated below boiling point on a pyrex dish, and as it is evaporated, "mastic", the greek resin from the mastik tree which swiyou should be able to find in greek speciality stores, is added to the liquid. when dry, you'll obtain an active chewable paste. for more info on "mastic" or "mastik", just type in mastic in wikipedia.
swim's still trying to figure out if adding a base makes any sense or not at this point.
it would if one was to eat the resin ( to counter act stomach acidity), but for buccal absorbtion, why should it ? the main point of adding an alkali is to suck out / freebase the alkaloids into saliva made more basic, hence more efficient at extracting the alkaloids. but since here the resin is already extracted and concentrated, not sure it's necessary. The fact that it numbs without any base is a good sign.

@ontherooftops :
what swiyou's looking for is an edible gum base. Look into "organic" chewing gums for ingredients, what kind of bases they use. Most use synthetic gum bases, but one can find other recipes.
Swim used mastik because he had some handy, but there are many other edible choices : agar agar would be one, acacia gum "arabic gum", the traditional "chicle" gum etc

b

[Katabatic]

Originally Posted by Benga

it would if one was to eat the resin ( to counter act stomach acidity), but for buccal absorbtion, why should it ? the main point of adding an alkali is to suck out / freebase the alkaloids into saliva made more basic, hence more efficient at extracting the alkaloids. but since here the resin is already extracted and concentrated, not sure it's necessary. The fact that it numbs without any base is a good sign.
b

They do add it to the leaves during the first step of making cocaine, so there's got to be a reason?

[Benga]

Originally Posted by Katabatic

They do add it to the leaves during the first step of making cocaine, so there's got to be a reason?

the reason is the same as when "chewing" the leaves : a basic environment extracts alkaloids better, "pulls alkaloids out of the leaves" into the non polar solvent when extracting cocaine or directly into the user's saliva in chewing.

b

[Benga]

what swiwe're playing around is basically textbook herbal extraction procedures, making a liquid extract of coca, and then reducing it to a firm consistency which is a solid extract.
this works, and was part of pharmaceutical codexes pre-WW2.
the thing swim's wondering about is conservation of such extracts. Should they be frozen ? also, the coca extract does stay gooey unless a gum base is added.
in the codex recipe they would sometimes take the hard extract and dilute it in water to determine does (miscible extract).
in making the extract, swim has used drinking alcohol, 95° ( that's 200 % proof, ie everclear), also known as rectified spirits in europe. But it's very expensive. Some of you have used other alcohols, such as IPA, but even though they are to be evaporated, swim is kind of worried about messing around with a product fr oral intak that might have toxic traces.
Swim's thinking that if using non drinkable alcohol as a menstruum (solvent), maybe the final dry product should be diluted in water, and then re-evaporated to firm consistency, a form of water wash.

on the extraction procedure itself, swim would really recommend the following : 24 to 48 hours of maceration of leaves ( in lukewarm solvent if possible) with a little baking soda, followed by cold percolations ( take and inverted bottle, with top cut off, stuff plant medium at the bottom, pierce a hole in the lid or just untwist it so that one gets a flow of 1 drop every 2 or 3 seconds, and add solvent). Do at least 3 or 4 runs. this is very effective, you'll see it by the solvent changing color. When color is stabilized ( swim's is dark black with dark green hues), you can stop, or maybe do a last run using a little lukewarm fresh solvent, just to make sure the medium is exhausted.

a little repost of some stuff which might be useful here, to combine / compile info we have on the subject :

here's a complete guide on medical herbalist methods for making extracts, might be a source of inspiration for future research, it also teaches the "official" terminology, which proves very useful for looking up old / precise info online :

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29439

a list such herbalist coca preparations that existed before coca was removed from codexes :

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23273

Genaro's thread on alcohol extraction of plants, but the info is somewhat more basic than in the herbalist thread above, where the methods were aimed at getting relative precision from variables such as plant matter, still good info though :

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28422


and a related thread :

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17642

---

what swiwe've been describing here partly corresponds to two processes, pulled from the thread on herbalist coca preps. hehehe :


EXTRACTUM COCAE, B.P.C.
EXTRACT OF COCA.

Related entries: Coca - Extracts
Other tomesLiquid Extract of Coca 100.00 | 20 ounces


Evaporate the liquid extract on a water-bath to the consistence of a firm extract.
Dose.—1 to 6 decigrams (2 to 10 grains).


EXTRACTUM COCAE LIQUIDUM MISCIBILE, B.P.C.
MISCIBLE LIQUID EXTRACT OF COCA.Liquid Extract of Coca 100.00 | 20 ounces
Alcohol (60 per cent.) ... to 100.00 | to 20 fl. ounces

Concentrate the liquid extract to 50 (10 fluid ounces) by evaporation, pour off as much clear liquid from the residue as possible, wash the residue with 10 (2 fluid ounces) of water, mix the washings with the clear liquid, and add sufficient of the alcohol to make up to the required volume.
Dose.—2 to 4 mils (1/2, to 1 fluid drachm).

Reputation Comments on this post:

great documents. good clarification on what the topic is

[Katabatic]

So SWIM still don't get it. Is baking soda necessary for extraction? What does it do?

[Benga]

it makes the extraction medium a more basic liquid.
which induces what could be related to a form of freebasing reaction. swiyou might want to read up on acid-base extractions processes for more details.
saliva on the other hand is slightly acid, this is why adding a basifying agent is important when "chewing" the leaves,


b

[Ontherooftops]

Swim was of the understanding that adding baking soda in the final step makes it more able to cross the blood brain barrier ie, adding base to coca leaves for a chew to be effective.

[mictihtoya]

I've been waiting for a thread like this forever. I gather from the experiences detailed here, that maceration and soaking of coca leaves in 40% ethanol would be sufficient for extraction of all the desired chemicals?

[Benga]

Originally Posted by Ontherooftops

Swim was of the understanding that adding baking soda in the final step makes it more able to cross the blood brain barrier ie, adding base to coca leaves for a chew to be effective.

it's really more to facilitate extraction from the vegetable matter, as the alkaloids in the saliva are absorbed through the mouth mucosa, entering the bloodstream and have no blood brain barrier problems.
pretty much in the same way insufflated cocaine enters the bloodstream through nasal mucosa, but with the broad spectrum of coca's alakloids.
adding base is necessary to increase the buccal extraction process, as the acidity of saliva makes it a quite uneffective solvent. with a saliva + base mix, extraction is much more effective.

@mictihtoya
it would work, but is slow. a higher concentration of alcohol is prefered. also, the extraction is more effective ( quicker) if you use processes such as cold percolation, as described above. check out the herbalist coca based medical preparations.

b

[Katabatic]

Originally Posted by tayo

Resin is smokable for pleasant stimulation effects and euphoria...

What would be the best way to smoke this?

Also, any idea on what temperature will destroy the extract? How would boiling it compare to using alcohol?

[tayo]

Boiling it left a dirt like extract and I believe alcohol based would create a more gooey extract. Best way to smoke it?.. dunno. I do not know the exact temperature the alkaloids are destroyed at but when this was tried swim just tried to keep the flame barely touching it in a standard weed pipe.

Currently swim is using a 40% liquor to extract from coca leaves.
Swim is going to put it in the freezer and frequently shake as well.
I am surprised that no one on this thread has suggested it being put in the freezer considering it might help breakdown cell walls? ..making it easier for the alcohol to extract alkaloids.

[libertassimplex]

Would as a start putting fresh leaves in a microwave, on low of course, help the extraction, I wonder.

[nate81]

MOD EDITED - Do not SELF INCRIMINATE
read the rules


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a freeze thaw cycle would be a great idea. cheap, easy, quick, and potentially could boost the overall performance of the extraction.

SWIM was thinking up a question while reading on cold percolation...Is this any better than just letting the material soak and then filter through a coffee filter? SWIM would rather let a solution sit for a few days and then filter than make a cold percolation device.

Also, since ethanol is very slightly acidic, wouldn't a slight addition of sodium bicarbonate (just so the solution would be about 6.5 ph instead of 7.3-ish) be worthwhile?

SWIM's proposal is this, do a freeze/thaw cycle (or two, or three) on swiyour leaves, put the leaves in a blender with ethanol, add a little bit of sodium bicarbonate to basify the solution, blend about two to five minutes, put the whole thing in a bottle to soak for about 24 hours, pour the solution through a coffee filter and keep the liquid.

SWIM is just really lazy so he tries to avoid things like distillation or building things like a cold percolator. Even though those things are actually not that hard at all

nate81 added 224 Minutes and 18 Seconds later...

take it back, SWIM can see the advantage of a cold percolator. found this as a good information source. wish SWIM could find pictures though.

http://earthnotes.tripod.com/basics.htm#howto

[kenbo]

SWIM decided they would like to try the extraction technique below but they are a little unsure of how to "evaporate" isopropanol safely - what temperature it is done at to be done safely etc etc. SWIM isn't a chemist and would like to be warned of any major points to be avoided. Is there anyoneWIY that could maybe explain this in a little more detail to SWIM. Also if this is done properly the resulting goo shouldn't have anything nasty in it should it? and how can someone tell if it has been done properly?

Originally Posted by Ontherooftops

SWIM did a 99.9% isopropanol extraction on a few grams of coca leaves, he said it was damned easy, just mix for a few days, seperate, and evap. He said this resulted in a small amount of sort of black goey paste, a mix of the coca goodies and some plant material. He then mixed the paste with SodiumBiCarb for absorbtion and put a small bead under his pet octopus' tongue. Octopus reported mouth numbness beyond that of cheap yay (the shit so loaded with ritalin and sudafed SWIY can barely feel it) along with a notable zippy buzz, stronger than that of an equivalent amount of leaves in a quid.

I'm sure a lot of SWIY's out there have already figured it this out, but SWIM didn't find anyone recommending this method so he thought he might as well have me post it.

SWIM's octopus wants more now and thinks this stuff is rather addictive so swim isn't giving his octopus anymore for a bit.

SWIM would like some advice though on how to bind the paste into some sort of lozenge or something, as it's a little difficult to handle at the moment.

[kenbo]

Yes! thanks to the advice for how to evaporate the isopropanol SWIM now has a more concentrated exctract and will be testing tonight - SWIM will report back, with effects and mess factor.

[Benga]

thanks. so far the critter's tests with coca extracts were rather inconclusive, read it works but "chewing" coca is still nicer. The higher alkaloid concentration of the extract never made that interesting of a difference. The only exception to this being coca alcohol.
the reason behind this is that coca chewing is actually very efficient, the alkaloids freebasing into the saliva, thanks to the alkali, and then directly absorbed by the mouth mucosa' lypophilic membranes, and into the blood stream.
with extracts this invivo freebasing reaction is more complex, and doesn't seem as efficient, so far.
all the coca extract recipes from of codexe's that the critter has posted here were intended for oral use, which is a completely different mechanism.

yet the thought of a full spectrum coca extract is really interesting, something that could be used sublingualy without the mess of leaves in the mouth

b