Some people who make use of Salvia frequently may want to grow their own crop and process the dried leaves themselves. What is great about these dried leaves is that they can retain their potency for a long period of time, years in fact, if they are stored properly in containers that are light proof. Learning how to dry it’s leaves is a must for people who want to experience it’s highest potency effects.
There are six different ways on how to dry the leaves. The first method is done by simply waiting for dried leaves to be shed by your plant. That way, you do not pick the leaves and deprive the plant of leaves that is probably needs to grow. Once the leaves are shed, you have to place them on a plate or any flat surface is a low humidity environment. Turn them every now and then, and once they are dry, you can store them in a container away from light. There is also no guarantee that once the leaves shed, your plant will still be in good condition.
Another method is to make a tobacco out of the salvinorin, which is done by picking the leaves and stacking them. Once it has pile dup, you need to cut them into half centimeter strips then pile them into a plate, making sure to turn them twice daily until they become dry but not crispy.
The next method is done through drying the leaves. It performs as a food dehydrator. What is great about this is that the leaves are dried in a quick way. Dry the leaves until they are crispy. However, you still have to buy a food dehydrator in order to use this method. If you want to use something that is readily available in your kitchen, you can try drying a batch of leaves in an oven.
Put the temperature in no more than 175 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also create dried salvia leaves by using the microwave. However, this is less convenient that the food dehydrator and oven, since you have to dry the leaves 10 seconds at a time, and keep on checking them until they are dry enough to be stored in a light proof container. Finally, the last method of drying leaves is through the use of calcium chloride.
What you need to do is place calcium chloride in the bottom of a polyethylene container. An aluminum foil is placed on top of the calcium chloride, but make sure that the foil does not touch the chemical. You then place your batch on top of the aluminum foil, also making sure that the leaves do not touch the calcium chloride. Seal this setup, and you will have dried leave in two days.
Though the process may be little taxing and slow, you can be assured that your batch is thoroughly dried. The key here is to keep the dried salvia leaves stored in a jar away from the light, and you can be assured that the leaves potency will be retained for a long period of time.
