As of now SWIM's only used powder and has learned that most teks need to be altered in order to keep this running smoothly i.e. Adding more water. But SWIM also finds that the more bulky an extraction the more difficult it is to work with.

Next time swim picks up mimosa it's going to be whole. Also it may give SWIM a better chance at identifying what he has in the first place. There's to much risk of tampering with powder.

Always used powder. I can imagine that with bark, the extraction procedure takes more time but the endproduct might be cleaner. Depends on whether tannins etc, are extracted easier than the alkaloïds you're after. Something i don't know. There are reliable mimosa vendor's mentioned in the suppliers thread. When many people have good results with some vendor and there are no complains, then it probably IS a good vendor. Good quality chaliponga gives better results then mimosa, but it also contains 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin besides DMT. The extracted spice is less pure, but stronger and a bit more freaky.

Whole bark has been SWIM's FOAFs choice. Powdering really is not a big deal to do.

The advantages of whole bark are:

1) One sees what he's getting. Powdered can be adulterated.

2) It may improve the viability of spice in the bark. Even though there are no hard data on the subject (only subjective experiences), whole bark means less surface area so less possible dmt oxidation/degradation. This is tricky with powder; if powder is kept at room temperature for many months (in the vendor's place so to speak) it will start degrading. Not so much though if whole bark is stored. Even though I would assume that MHRB has a high turnover at vendor's hands, one does not really know how old the bark is.

The disadvantage of the whole bark is:

1) It needs to be powdered. This can take a considerable precious 30min if a good blender is used!


The very reverse goes for the advantages/disadvantages of the powdered bark.

SWIM prefers whole as well. Although SWIM works with large amounts of whole, shredded, and powder, SWIM seems to think that powder, although convenient, may produce a less-potent end product. SWIM knows for certain that although Psilocybin/Psilocin and DMT are two very different psychoactive compounds, Psilocybin will begin to oxidize out of powdered mushrooms within a matter of hours if left out in the open.

Whole botanicals are ALWAYS better!!!

My first extractions where with whole bark but the grinding part with a not so adequate blender forced me into ordering powdered bark.

Powdered bark means more water and bigger containers but the end result was as good as the ones with the whole bark, about the same percentage of spice and the same potency. Maybe my supplier is a good one who keeps the powdered bark in a cold and dry place?

If you can trust your supplier then it probably doesn't matter if you use powdered or whole bark, it just depends on whats easier for you.

SWIM prefers powdered bark or finely shredded bark. Some pieces of bark a extremely tough. SWIM once broke his very tough and expensive coffee grinder by trying to grind the bark himself.