HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Problem making Sida Acuta extract

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/3/2023 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
This is not the first time I've come across this problem. I made a batch of Sida Acuta extract. I use 195 proof grain alcohol, cut 50% with filtered water, so the alcohol should be strong enough to prevent growths. But I find a mucus substance is left in the jar and on the filtering cloth. This is a highly cohesive and adhesive goo. IOW, it sticks tenaciously to itself and to everything else. It was the dickens to get off the filtering cloth.

The first time it happened I thought it was a growth, the more so because my resulting extract mix had a foul taste, and I ended up trashing a whole lot of extract because I didn't know which herb was the culprit. Next batch I narrowed it down to the Sida. This has happened with no other herb.

So I'm wondering if Sida is naturally mucilaginous, or whether I have a contamination problem. I'm to the point where this is the last batch of Sida I will make. I will either buy it, or I will take the herb in dry capsule form and avoid the extraction process for it altogether.
Posted 6/3/2023 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
sida is a mucilaginous herb to some degree - but if you truly have 50% alcohol by volume or above - you should not be having this issue

above 30% alcohol by volume - you should not have any biological activity ( microbes ) of any sort going on in the mix

i have made sida tincture dozens of times and never had this issue

i use 60% alcohol by volume following Buhner's recipe - using a scale to make measuring easier
100g of dried sida leaf cut
271g of 96% alcohol
229g of water
15g of cider vinegar ( helps dissolve plant alkaloids)

mix liquids in a separate jar
add this and the dry herb to a large blender - keeping a bit of liquid back for rinsing the blender after.
blend till v fine
transfer to a large glass jar with air tight lid
rinse blender into jar with remaining liquid
store in cool dark place shaking daily for 30 days
strain through fine cotton cloth and press out remaining liquid ( i use a hydraulic press for this )

mine is a non-sticky fine dark green uniform slurry before straining
Posted 6/3/2023 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
I use 10oz of 195 proof alcohol, 10oz of water, and 4oz of dry herb. The jars are clean and were dry for weeks before re-use. I just tasted the Sida and it didn't strike me as being off. This is the last time I make it.
Posted 6/3/2023 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
should taste very pleasant - like a clean bright zingy zesty taste - perhaps a bit like concentrated lemonade

cant imagine it would taste like that if it had somehow gone moldy - so it should be a good test

only thing i can thing of that could cause it to go off / mold to grow is if the alcohol content was less than you thought - eg of it were 95 proof alcohol - not 195 and 50/50 mix with water by volume - you could end up in the low 20% range

if its just mucilage - you could also try adding the alcohol first - or mix the alcohol and water first as in my recipe - as the alcohol does not gelatinise the mucilage in the same way water does - possibly water first might cause the mucilage to get activated - but its not harmful
Posted 6/3/2023 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
It's never been a remotely pleasant taste. I was just hoping for palatable. The first batch with a real problem, the extract mix was harsh on my throat and hard to swallow. What I just tasted today wasn't nearly as bad, but it wasn't great either.

I always add the alcohol first, so I doubt that's a problem. And I'm quite sure the alcohol is up to snuff, it's obviously very strong stuff, and it's either Everclear or Spiritus, both well-known brands.

Thanks for your input. It's helpful to bounce this off someone.
Posted 6/3/2023 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
Lol
if you think Sida is bad - you should try some of the other concoctions i take!!

skullcap is pretty gross, kudzu is definitely not pleasant and astragalus is approaching nauseating

anything above 40% alcohol will be v harsh undiluted

i measure out my tinctures a few hrs before - and place them in a flat bottomed glass on a little warming mat to evaporate off most of the alcohol - thsi evaporates aroudn 2/3rds of teh alcohol present
otherwise i would be half soaked al day every day as i take a total of around 40ml 4x per day - so around 4 double whiskeys worth!

all the best!
Posted 6/3/2023 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
where are you buying the sida leaf - could that be the problem ?
Posted 6/3/2023 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
ah, yes, I thought of that but failed to mention. I sourced the Sida at different places. I think the last one was Herbie's Herbs, which I think is well-trafficked. Evaporating the alcohol is a good idea, though I've got my intake volume down pretty low now.
Posted 6/4/2023 10:53 AM (GMT 0)
i have not tried Herbies herbs - but i have used mount eagle herbs - and i have a suspicion they are in the same town and are somehow a related company - the sida was expensive but v good quality
Posted 6/4/2023 12:45 PM (GMT 0)
I've had very good results with Herbie's. The worst part is the international shipping charges. The high prices are helped somewhat by the exchange rate.
Posted 6/4/2023 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Lymeherbs.eu are another reliable source

i have been using them for a while now and pleased with the quality and service overall
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply