What's the best way to make herbal e-juice?

[Noah Whittington]

I have been working on a way to make herbal infused e-juice with complete failure. I tried a method that involved putting the herb in a glass jar along with Vegetable Glycerin and closing it up. (In my case the herb was dried spear mint). I placed the jar in a simmering bath for about 4 hours while shaking it every 20 minutes. I took it out of the simmering bath to cool off then I filtered it through a 25 micron strainer 4 times, then i mixed a bit of Polypropylene Glycerol in it to thin it out just a tad. I tried vaping it in my RDA and it tasted amazing, just like spear mint! Then after a few more hits it started tasting very bad. After that I took a couple more hits, it still tasted terrible but my wick started turning black and my coil started gunking up!

I let the bottle of failed Spear mint e juice sit on a desk for about a month and to my surprise I found particulates at the bottom of the bottle that did not filter out and keep in mind I strained the liquid in a 25 MICRON strainer 4 TIMES!

I know that there are company's out there that make herbal e liquids like this but my question is, "How do they infuse the herbs inside the e juice and filter out all the solids and junk out of it. Here are a few company's that make herbal e liquids:

HOLI SMOKES Organic Herbal eLiquids
Surrealistic Sensations - herbal e - juice, kava, kratom, blue lotus

Hoow do they make there infusions without gunking up wicks, coils and screwing up RTA's?

I even tried putting the mint and VG in the Magical Butter Machine to infuse it and after I strained it it did the same exact thing.

Has anyone done this successfully before? How do I do this so it can be capable of vaping properly? What is the proper way to filter 100% of the solids out of something like this?

 

[retired1]

Moved to DIY E-Liquid

 

[The Ocelot]

Did you try coffee filters?

 

[Scy123]

You should try PG to extract. PG should extract better and be easier to filter. I can't imagine filtering vg to be easy.

I would think most companies use a solvent to extract, which would make filtering them easier.

 

[Izan]

I have been working on a way to make herbal infused e-juice with complete failure. I tried a method that involved putting the herb in a glass jar along with Vegetable Glycerin and closing it up. (In my case the herb was dried spear mint). I placed the jar in a simmering bath for about 4 hours while shaking it every 20 minutes. I took it out of the simmering bath to cool off then I filtered it through a 25 micron strainer 4 times, then i mixed a bit of Polypropylene Glycerol in it to thin it out just a tad. I tried vaping it in my RDA and it tasted amazing, just like spear mint! Then after a few more hits it started tasting very bad. After that I took a couple more hits, it still tasted terrible but my wick started turning black and my coil started gunking up!

I let the bottle of failed Spear mint e juice sit on a desk for about a month and to my surprise I found particulates at the bottom of the bottle that did not filter out and keep in mind I strained the liquid in a 25 MICRON strainer 4 TIMES!

I know that there are company's out there that make herbal e liquids like this but my question is, "How do they infuse the herbs inside the e juice and filter out all the solids and junk out of it. Here are a few company's that make herbal e liquids:

HOLI SMOKES Organic Herbal eLiquids
Surrealistic Sensations - herbal e - juice, kava, kratom, blue lotus

Hoow do they make there infusions without gunking up wicks, coils and screwing up RTA's?

I even tried putting the mint and VG in the Magical Butter Machine to infuse it and after I strained it it did the same exact thing.

Has anyone done this successfully before? How do I do this so it can be capable of vaping properly? What is the proper way to filter 100% of the solids out of something like this?

Extractions are, generally, NOT infusions.
In this case they seem to be extracting the terpenes. You are not going to isolate terpenes in a PG or VG soup.

Look at what others are doing with tobacco exactions. Both whole leaf" infusions" and Ethanol/solvent based concentrates.

In any case, the resulting juice is generally used as an ingredient and not as a finished product for undiluted consumption.

Welcome and good reading!
have fun
I

 

[dannyv45]

Welcome to ECF

What was mentioned in the post above me is 100% right on the mark. The best method I found for extraction is a hot alcohol extraction then reduction. The resulting extraction is then used as a flavoring and not vaped straight meaning you would use 5 - 10% extraction to 90 - 95% VG/PG base with or without NIC. Read the thread linked below. The thread speaks to extracting tobacco but will work for what you are trying to do. Pay particular attention to the freezing after extraction section. It helps greatly in the filtering process.

Tobacco extraction using heated Ethanol

 

[BrotherBob]

Did not here much about a natural steep? Hmmmmm.

 

[Noah Whittington]

Welcome to ECF

What was mentioned in the post above me is 100% right on the mark. The best method I found for extraction is a hot alcohol extraction then reduction. The resulting extraction is then used as a flavoring and not vaped straight meaning you would use 5 - 10% extraction to 90 - 95% VG/PG base with or without NIC. Read the thread linked below. The thread speaks to extracting tobacco but will work for what you are trying to do. Pay particular attention to the freezing after extraction section. It helps greatly in the filtering process.

Tobacco extraction using heated Ethanol

See I like the idea but I just have an issue with putting ethanol in my e-juice. I know heat is supposed to reduce it but it does not reduce it by 100%. There is no way all the ethanol could be removed by heat. It's true that a large portion of it may be removed from heat but I want every single bit of it removed from the concentrate.

I may be able to get pretty much all of it out with a simple distillation but I have not raced up enough money to upgrade my very small lab to that kind of equipment quite yet. I am about $100 off from obtaining a distillation apparatus plus the hot plate needed for the distillation process.

 

[Noah Whittington]

I think I figured out what I need to do. Now what do you guys think about this? I like the idea of using a solvent but ethanol is almost out of the question. I don't think alcohol needs to go into your lungs not even in the slightest amount. Even if it is nearly just 1%.

But my idea is to just infuse the herbs with the same jar and simmering heat bath method and instead of using a 25 micron strainer, I need to be using a 0.5 or a 1 micron strainer. I know that it is almost going to be impossible to filter vegetable glycerin extract through a 1 micron strainer so the strainer setup will be hooked to a vacuum in order for the straining process to be possible with vegetable glycerin sense it is a pretty thick liquid. a 0.5 or 1 micron strainer is supposed to be able to strain 99% of all particles left in an extract. Then I will add about 10% to 20% PG to the VG mix to thin it out a bit.

I believe this method of straining should give me a very clear herbal e juice that will no longer turn my coils black and gunk up my wicks.

Do any of you guys think this method is solid?

 

[dannyv45]

If you think it will work then by all means try it. I have used 1micron filters even with alcohol and filtering was at best fair. There was no mention in my post about using ethanol and maybe I should have been clearer on what type of alcohol to use. Ethanol has an additive that makes it not usable for consumption so it is as you say not fitting for this purpose. What I recommend is pure grain alcohol such as everclear. If you are saying that you prefer a method that uses no alcohol then your on the right track. My only suggestion would be to use PG and not VG as it makes it easier to filter and PG is a better solvent medium for extraction. Before you consider any process review the link I provided earlier and also review other threads in the sub form so you have a good understanding of the process.

 

[Exchaner]

I let the bottle of failed Spear mint e juice sit on a desk for about a month and to my surprise I found particulates at the bottom of the bottle that did not filter out and keep in mind I strained the liquid in a 25 MICRON strainer 4 TIMES!

I would skim off the top and leave the particulates behind. It's the best way I know how to filter a liquid - even though you lose a bit of liquid that way.

BTW straining 4 times with the same size filter is unlikely to yield results. Whatever escaped the first filter will also escape the other 3. Just my opinion.

 

[Meltydeath]

I'd love to hear how it went! I'm thinking of making some extractions to use in my diy liquids and hearing about different methods is really interesting.

 

[Noah Whittington]

I will definitely let you know. I'm waiting to save up a bit of money in order to get the supplies I need to do this properly. I will post results with pictures in a few weeks!

 

[frizzy_tyger]

Disclaimer: This ended up much longer than I intended and your millage might vary.

I've made several medicinal herbal glcerites and other tinctures over the years and I've tried vaping a few recentally with very mixed results. I've also tried a brand of herbal ejuice sold locally here which was also very hit or miss IMO. I would get about 1-2 days a coil with some normal juice in there too when I normally get 4-5. So definitely a coil killer but the store bought one yeilded the same results so I doubt they do anything "special" to them. But after soaking the coil heads in vodka the same way I normally clean my occ coil heads before I rebuild, they were OK.

I was taking my glcerites and vaping them straight. I make them using 25% distilled water and 75% vegetable glycerin poured over a jar of herbs. Fresh leaves and powders are best, but dried leafy herbs work too. Glycerine isn't good for woody herbs. Leave it for 4-6 weeks, shaking a few times a week. Then filter through cheese cloth. Then after another week I pull the top of the liquid off leaving the sediment behind.

This is how I make all my glcerites, so it is what I vaped straight. Also keep in mind they had been sitting at least a few weeks after me pulling off the liquid but I doubt that had any bearing. You can also heat heat glycerite and other tinctures for them to be made more quickly. I'm assuming it's the method you mentioned. I've never done them personally, but I doubt it would have much effect on the outcome.

I think the biggest question is if you are going for taste or effect? Because truthfully 90% of herbal tinctures are not going to taste good to even take orally so probably also won't taste very good to be vaped. If you're going for effect I would stick to herbs that are samokable. Passion flower, lemon balm & wild lettuce come to mind but there are more too. Even though vaping is different than smoking and might yeild totally different results, but if a herb can be smoked it can withstand heat, some herbal compounds break down and very low temperatures. I also feel vaping a smokable herb would be safer but can't say for sure, it would at least have the assurance that it won't do immediate damage to your lungs.

 

[Izan]

I will definitely let you know. I'm waiting to save up a bit of money in order to get the supplies I need to do this properly. I will post results with pictures in a few weeks!

Hi Noah,
1) You still have not defined what you are trying to achieve. Are you after the effect of the material or just the flavour?

2) Ethanol = Alcohol that we consume (Beer, wine) It is a result of fermentation and is NOT an evil chemical. (unless you are of the BELIEF it is (12 step/other).

3) unless you have another NEED/use for the (heated) vacuum purge chamber, I think you might be remorseful after spending your money.

4) If you want to vape herbs..just vape herbs using a suitable device (see below)

FT: we DON'T smoke here. ANYTHING can be vaped using the correct equipment. (Plenty/Pax/vapman/iolite ect.).

Cheers
I

 

[wwwmarty]

Yeah, a bit of diluted alcohol on the lungs is nothing to fear imo -- It's how we expel the alcohol when we drink (and how the cops measure it, when we drive).

Just don't vape and drive

 

[Noah Whittington]

Hi Noah,
1) You still have not defined what you are trying to achieve. Are you after the effect of the material or just the flavour?

2) Ethanol = Alcohol that we consume (Beer, wine) It is a result of fermentation and is NOT an evil chemical. (unless you are of the BELIEF it is (12 step/other).

3) unless you have another NEED/use for the (heated) vacuum purge chamber, I think you might be remorseful after spending your money.

4) If you want to vape herbs..just vape herbs using a suitable device (see below)

FT: we DON'T smoke here. ANYTHING can be vaped using the correct equipment. (Plenty/Pax/vapman/iolite ect.).

Cheers
I

I am going for a flavor. I know it's hard to get a good flavor from herbals but i am very confident that I can pull this off.

 

[mcclintock]

What you report is typical of over-flavoring, with any kind of flavoring, although you may have more problems. Immediate intense taste, becoming overwhelming and bad, with increased gunk...