If your gonna play with the alkaloids a compilation of info I made a while back might help [Link]
If you look at those alkaloid structures (and remember first year college chemistry) you'll note two key limitations. First, the phenol moieties make the alkaloids acids, as I just mentioned in another thread baking soda will freebase the alkaloids but ammonia wont, it makes the water soluble ammonium salts. Secondly, hydroxide and possibly ammonia will break that lactone ring making a new alkaloid thats acid enough to be dissolved even by baking soda.
It takes 5 minutes or so for a warm decoction to precip alkaloids after baking soda is dissolved in, it might be waiting for the bicarbonate to turn to sesquicarbonate. So the ideal pH could be anywhere from 8.5 to 10.5. A question I havent yet answered.

If one has their own plants the best product is made by heap-curing the foliage before drying. This consists of making a pile of cut branches and turning it twice a day. In 2-4 days it will develop a distinct sweet odor, then you can spread it out and shade dry it. This processing has been found by several people to improve potency and make potency more consistant, especially if the herbage is intended for smoking. Its believed to make the same transformation take place as brewing into sun tea. With a bit of practice mold rarely destroys a batch.

There has been some evidence that not all of the activities come from alkaloids. A purely sedative non-alkaloid fraction has been isolated and theres preliminary tests that found activity in the presumably non-alkaloid oily fractions. Thats another area I havent worked on much, these days I only keep growing the two cultivated species to help friends get through drug withdrawals. The stuff is quite effective in managing withdrawals from benzodiazapines like clonazepam and xanax, its also been used with some degree of success in alcohol and heroin withdrawals and low doses help with period pain.

H. myrtifolia and H. salicifolia are best differentiated by sepal and seed pod structures. Leaf size and shape do not make for an accurate differentiation, despite net lore.
Those two species are essentially the same, pharmacologically.