Risks associated with drinking extracts

[lds324]

Okay, I'm going to try and be straightforwards about this so I get the answers I need and not rambling about how fucking stupid the idea is. I'm a teenager, and getting booze is a pain in the ass. Yes, I can buy from friends, yes, I can stand outside a liquor store and ask strangers to buy me alcohol, but its a pain in the ass. I've worked out the economics of this, and in this situation, its cheaper to get drunk on extract than real booze. I know this for a fact. And finally, I don't care about the taste. I've had moderate amounts of various extracts before and ultimately, none of them are bad enough that I'd rather stay sober.

All of that is irrelevant here. This is bluelight, a HARM REDUCTION forum. So what I'm curious about is if there are any dangerous adulterants in either mint or vanilla extracts? Just guessing at what could be in there, I suspect that the liquor used in the production of extracts is of dangerously low quality because extracts are designed to be consumed in small doses. Small doses = no need to remove the heads or tails in the distilling process. In addition, I know that mint extract contains a rather large quantity of menthol which is toxic in large doses. So this is my first question: What is the first chemical in these extracts that would kill you? What long term harmful effects would I see from consuming large quantities of extract?

Now my second question is a little more involved. How do I get rid of everything but the ethanol and water? I've read about people extracting alcohol from hybrid biofuels by mixing in a large quantity of water and letting it sit over night. I figured that this could be combined with either an increase or decrease in temperature to form clear separations between the actual mint and vanilla oil, which could then be skimmed off. Any thoughts on the viability of this? After the solution has been watered down from 98% abv to around 45% abv, I was thinking I would just run it through a brita filter about 5 times. Would this successfully filter hazardous adulterants, or does the brita filter trick only serve to remove very specific particles from cheap vodka?

Your input is much appreciated.

I'm probably just fucking retarded, but its worth a shot.

 

[LeLouche]

Don't worry people are not going to give you a hard time. I'll go back and reread and see if I can be of some help, but just got out of the shower and eyes kill...

 

[SPC123]

Have you ever been intubated? I have. Feels like you are being suffocated. Your brain screams at you to breath, but no matter how hard you try, you can't. But you don't black out because the machine keeps pumping air in and out, so you continue to suffocate until you succumb to whatever drug they put in your IV drip. Anyhow, neither here nor there. To answer your question:

I would advise you stick with vanilla extract and avoid peppermint extract. You avoid the menthol that way. Make sure you get synthetic vanilla extract, and make sure it's not made in Mexico. I don't know if it's still the case, but coumarin was an adulterant found in some Mexican vanilla extracts. Coumarin is a recognized hepatoxin, and has been banned as an additive in the US (and most other countries) for the better part of the last century. I don't think it's in use in Mexico any more either but why risk it?

In the interest of harm reduction, I will add this case report:

A 16-year-old Asian boy ingested 12 oz. of synthetic vanilla extract (which contains 35% EtOH) at school “on a dare” from his friends. He had no prior medical or substance abuse history. The ingestion was witnessed; there were no other ingestions. On arrival to the emergency department (ED) one hour after ingestion, his temperature was 96.1° F, heart rate 168 beats per minute, respiratory rate18 per minute, and blood pressure 140/95 mmHg. His lungs were clear to auscultation, heart sounds were tachycardic but normal, abdomen was soft and non-distended, and his skin was flushed and warm. Since he was obtunded and had vomited, he was intubated for airway protection. After a normal saline fluid bolus, vital signs normalized. Electrolytes, a urine screen for drugs of abuse, and head CT were normal. A 3-hour post-ingestion EtOH level was 162 mg/dL; repeat EtOH level at 6 hours post-ingestion was 77 mg/dL. He was extubated 12 hours after intubation and discharged from the hospital the following day after substance abuse intervention was recommended.

 

[lds324]

Have you ever been intubated? I have. Feels like you are being suffocated. Your brain screams at you to breath, but no matter how hard you try, you can't. But you don't black out because the machine keeps pumping air in and out, so you continue to suffocate until you succumb to whatever drug they put in your IV drip. Anyhow, neither here nor there. To answer your question:

I would advise you stick with vanilla extract and avoid peppermint extract. You avoid the menthol that way. Make sure you get synthetic vanilla extract, and make sure it's not made in Mexico. I don't know if it's still the case, but coumarin was an adulterant found in some Mexican vanilla extracts. Coumarin is a recognized hepatoxin, and has been banned as an additive in the US (and most other countries) for the better part of the last century. I don't think it's in use in Mexico any more either but why risk it?

In the interest of harm reduction, I will add this case report:

A 16-year-old Asian boy ingested 12 oz. of synthetic vanilla extract (which contains 35% EtOH) at school “on a dare” from his friends. He had no prior medical or substance abuse history. The ingestion was witnessed; there were no other ingestions. On arrival to the emergency department (ED) one hour after ingestion, his temperature was 96.1° F, heart rate 168 beats per minute, respiratory rate18 per minute, and blood pressure 140/95 mmHg. His lungs were clear to auscultation, heart sounds were tachycardic but normal, abdomen was soft and non-distended, and his skin was flushed and warm. Since he was obtunded and had vomited, he was intubated for airway protection. After a normal saline fluid bolus, vital signs normalized. Electrolytes, a urine screen for drugs of abuse, and head CT were normal. A 3-hour post-ingestion EtOH level was 162 mg/dL; repeat EtOH level at 6 hours post-ingestion was 77 mg/dL. He was extubated 12 hours after intubation and discharged from the hospital the following day after substance abuse intervention was recommended.

Good post. Thanks

 

[CatTaylez]

In my days of extract abuse, I found more often than not, it was citrus extracts that had the highest alcohol contents by percent, but the oils in them felt ... caustic? I didn't care about taste back then, but it made my insides feel like one big chemical burn. And I have spiked my BP -- 116/70 to 159/98 -- with citrus extracts. So to me, the oil expands damage. I've left extracts behind, but I figured I'd pass on my experience.

Be careful. CT