A Soxhlet extraction is a way of making tinctures that requires some specialized equipment but comes with some very cool benefits.
See it in action in the video here.
The standard way of making herbal tinctures involves letting the herbs soak in your alcohol solution for a period of at least two weeks, but often longer. How to make regular tinctures is described in the article How to Make Herbal Tinctures.
The Soxhlet extractor heats up a solvent (typically either alcohol or water) which turns into a gas. The condenser then cools this gas back into liquid form which drips over the herbal material.
Once a volume threshold is hit, the liquid solvent drains back into the bottom flash where it is heated again and the cycle continues. This is usually done until the solvent runs clear, that is it no longer pulls anything from the herbal material.
The benefits of a Soxhlet extraction
- Allows you to make a tincture in just a couple hours.
- Great for making dual extractions (using both alcohol and water)
- Allows you to make tinctures that stronger than what can be made in the regular way.
I’ll describe these each in a bit more detail.
Tincture in Just Hours
Because of the heat used, the drip method, and that this recycles your tincture can be done in just a few hours. No need to wait weeks or months of the menstruum sitting. Of course, this requires some specific equipment, which then takes setup and breakdown time, but it is quite fast in comparison.
Dual Extractions
Use pure alcohol in one complete cycle. Let it cool, then switch it out for pure water and do the same. Combine the alcohol and water and you have a dual-extracted tincture that will be about 50% abv, which tends to be a good amount.
Some components of herbs are best drawn out with alcohol. Others are best drawn out in water. If you only use one, you’re likely missing something. This is especially true which complex herbs such as the many medicinal mushrooms.
Good news! We’re going to have a dual Soxhlet extracted and spagyric mushroom formula coming soon!
Stronger Tinctures
Not only can you get a dual extraction but if you switch out the herbal material while using the same solvent, you can concentrate it. This can be done twice, thrice, five times or even ten times. The end product may be so strong it is pure black in color. Check out the 3X Maral Root Tincture that I prepared in this way. (Limited supplies coming to VIP members soon.)
In addition, this process is just plain fun. For whatever reason, I like the glassware. It makes me feel like a mad scientist…or a wizard concocting magic potions. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re interested you can find all the equipment you need at a variety of places online.
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Madhusudan says
Will vodka work as a solvent ? I can’t find any 95% cane alcohol in my area. I got 99% lab grade ethanol but it seems like it contains traces of methanol (0.05%) . Vodka is 40% ethanol, does that mean using vodka as a solvent performs dual extract in one go? Or is it only the alcohol that boils ?
I’m trying to extract mushrooms, f i wanna do dual extract, do I do it with water first or the alcohol?
Logan Christopher says
Vodka works fine. Water extracts need to be boiled, so you would do that step after tincturing in the alcohol, pressing the mushrooms, and then boiling them in water. Then you combine that into the tincture. Just make sure it has 25% or higher alcohol to preserve it in the final product. Less than that and it can spoil.
Madhusudan says
Thanks for your response.
Vodka boils at 80C, does that mean only 40% of the vodka will be used as a solvent and the remaining 60% will remain liquid in the flask ?
If I crank the mantle upto 100C, will both boil and extract the compounds from the mushrooms?
Logan Christopher says
Yes that should be correct.
Aliah Rose says
what kind of water pump would one buy for this set up?
Logan Christopher says
It’s a simple pump used for aquariums.
insilscientific says
Hi, we are a company Providing Glass Microfiber Thimbles and Cellulose Extraction Thimbles please check out our website @https://insilscientific.com/ for more info.
Nora Donovan says
Awesome information! In regards to making this a spygeric tincture, would you then need to remove the alcohol solvent from what is extracted in the soxhlet before reaching the phase of recombining with the salt? I sent you a message on Facebook and would really appreciate a conversation to address these specific questions I have. Thank you!
Chelsea Satterthwaite says
Please reach out to [email protected] with questions of this nature.
Clara says
Hi, I would like to know if you can combine vodka and glycerin (together) in flask and use it as a solvent for herbal extract (tincture). Thank you.
Logan Christopher says
Yeah that should work fine.
Don says
I’d like to try out this method for making a tincture for myself, but I’m confused what the step is after you’ve extracted everything from the thimble. There doesn’t seem to be any information online beyond the extraction step. Do you just take the end result in the bottom flask, and that’s your tincture, or do you have to do more stuff?
Logan Christopher says
It depends a bit.
First off, yes what is left in the bottom flask can be the finished tinctured. That’s why you’re not seeing more information because its done at that point. That being said, there are some other options.
If you run two separate extractions, once with alcohol then once with water, you’d then want to combine those as your finished tincture (which also happens to make it more palatable if you’re using 95% proof alcohol).
Another possibility is then to move onto the spagyric salt preparation as covered in this article. https://lostempireherbs.com/what-is-a-spagyric-tincture/
Don says
I’m very interested to know what you do with the flask once it has been extracted. Does that become the product, or are there more steps after that? I’m wanting to get his kind of device and try out this extraction method. Thank you in advance!
vicente says
hi !! nice video,
one question where can i buy this electric machine that cools the condenser or can you said me the name ? thanks !!
vicente from chile :)
Logan Christopher says
Its a small water pump like is used for aquariums.