[cibercafeamericano]

Hello,

My name is Andy. I just registered and wanted to send my greetings to the forum community. I also have a question about alcohol extractions and reducing extractions and solutions. But, first I thought I would introduce myself by explaining a bit of my background and what I´m trying to do. I´ve been living in remote parts of the jungle in the Yucatán Peninsula for the last five years working as a volunteer English teacher and helping develop agricultural and economic projects for the indigenous communities that I have been living with. I am not a chemist and high school chemistry was interesting, but a very long time ago. I also have only the most basic kitchen implements to work with. Part of the project I´m currently working on is the construction of an essential oil still, but for the moment we are working with infused oils and alcohol extractions and solutions. My current project to help develop a product that this indigenous Mayan community can commercialize at an archeological site 15 km from their village. The archeological site receives many tourists from all over the world on a weekly basis.  The product is a result of an ongoing investigation I´ve been conducting into traditional Mayan medical techniques as well as Mayan herbal home remedies. I´ve cross referenced the plants they use with the uses of other Mexican indigenous populations and what scientific studies I´ve been able to find on these same plants. I started by selecting species that had a similar use between many different indigenous cultures, which I believe indicate a certain level of effectiveness. Then I referenced academic works to find what active components (alkaloids, etc.) they contained. The papers I read showed which species had components that could confirm their effectiveness in the traditional treatments, even if the diagnosis is “bad spirits”. Bad spirits aside, if the symptom was sore and inflamed muscle tissue, and the sap or boiled leaves of a certain plant in the jungle produced an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect when applied topically and the scientific journals report organic components within said plants with similar effects, I took these as evidence of their true effectiveness.

The product that the community here will elaborate is a balm or salve for muscle and joint pain. I´m trying to develop 3 distinct balms based on their traditional medicine. One is similar to Bengay, a heating balm. One is a cooling refreshing balm for tired muscles and feet. The other is based on chocolate and cinnamon and capsaicin. The composition of the first two balms is similar to what can be found commercially, except that we are including certain traditional Mayan herbs and plants for their healing properties.
 
The greatest obstacle that I´m facing and the reason for this post is the lack of raw materials like wintergreen essential oil or even synthetic methyl salicylate. Even menthol and camphor crystals are nearly impossible to find. Or at least at a fair price. For example, a package nine 500 mg tablets is available in most drug stores here for about $1.50 US. That´s 4.5g for a dollar fifty! Two grams of borax cost about a dollar. In Walmart you can buy a two pound box for 5 or 6 dollars. At least you could have when I left the states. The only presentation of Methyl salicylate I can find is in a solution of isopropyl alcohol. It seems to be the same as wintergreen alcohol from pharmacies in the US, except it contains no green dye. Actually I don’t even know if it´s isopropyl. The label only says “salicilato solucion.” It doesn´t even state if it’s denaturalized or isopropyl. Unfortunately many products here in Mexico don´t list their ingredients.

So here´s my question. I have many more questions about extracting alkaloids and other things, but let’s start with this question. How can I reduce the solution of methyl salicylate and alcohol so I can use it in a balm. I want to concentrate the methyl salicylate. The balms are made of Mayan stingless beeswax and olive oil.

Based on the boiling point of alcohol and methyl salicylate I was hopeful that the higher boiling point of methyl salicylate  would allow the methyl salicylate to be concentrated in ever smaller quantities of alcohol by evaporation.  But then I read a paper about the evaporation times for isopropyl and was worried about the volatile nature of methyl salicylate evaporating with the alcohol.
Please remember the primitive implements I´m limited to and conditions I´m living in when you make suggestions. No A/C, high humidity, variable temp from 20 to 34 Celsius.

Thank you,

Andy

[Dan]

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