***Producing juice from spearmint or peppermint plants***

[Sarin]

I was just perusing another vaping forum (hangs head) and a question came up regarding the use of live spearmint or peppermint leaves to flavour eliquid.

Can you do this? NO, NO, NO. DO NOT steep peppermint or spearmint leaves in unflavoured juice. You will not get the flavour that you are looking for (it will taste like grass) but more harmful are the compounds that could be either in the leaves or on them - you cannot wash them off with water! Generally peppermint oil is extracted using solvents not by steeping in nic juice and peppermint oil has it's own issues regarding the inclusion of menthofuran which is a highly toxic chemical that damages the liver. On top of this peppermint and spearmint leaves are a high source of natural pesticides. Just buy these flavours from a reputable concentrate vendor people.

 

[madpiano]

The vendor is very likely to use peppermint or spearmint oil? The mint family is fairly easy to distill.
And why would anyone use pesticides on a mint plant???? They grow like triffids as it is?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Planet of the Vapes mobile app

 

[GrumpyOldWoman]

I make my own mint oil using mint I grow in my garden.

Sent from the Land of Cheese and Scrumpy

 

[VickyCaramel]

Can't some mint oils be rather nasty? One of those things you can get sensitive to very suddenly like peanut oil?

 

[madpiano]

Not that I heard of, but if you get neat mint oil on your sensitive bits, it will get very nasty!
Apart from lavender and tea tree no essential oil should ever be used neat on your skin. They are all strong sensitizers.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Planet of the Vapes mobile app

 

[Sarin]

I posted this to inform others, whether those people decide to take note or not is their choice. What i can tell you is that steeping either peppermint or spearmint leaves in PG /VG will not make it taste like its respectable flavour no matter how long you leave it for - it will taste like grass due to the chlorophyll in the leaves. To extract peppermint oil you need to use solvents. Peppermint oil is not soluble in PG or VG (it needs to be chemically manipulated first) and has some highly toxic chemicals in it's make up - this is why it is listed as a skin sensitiser and irritant of the respiratory tract. The peppermint and spearmint flavours used in food / eliquid etc are extracts (through chemical manipulation), not essential oils. Think about it...oil in your lungs! Respectable vendors WILL NOT use mint essential oils in their concentrates or juices - they may smell nice but they will taste like shit (due to the other chemicals included). This can be confirmed by smelling either flavour e liquid, yes they smell slightly of their respective flavours but when you vape them, wow they really do TASTE like them. If mint essential oils were used there would be a very strong smell. If you STILL don't believe me then google GC-MS readouts for peppermint or spearmint flavour eliquid and all the nasty toxic chemicals present in the essential mint oils are not detected - pulegone, menthofuran etc.

Just trying to educate and save people disappointment and potential problems.

 

[LilyRed]

As a gardener who grew herbs and edible flowers professionally some years back and advised chefs on their use (yup another job I've done ), I think I'd be wary of steeping any lamiaceae (including verbenaceae) in PG or VG for use in e-liquid as the smells /aromatic principles in this family all come from terpenes (if you don't know, look it up or think 'turpentine' ) and I've already made the decision not to try.

Fine for teas, not for vaping unless you buy from a flavouring supplier who knows what goes into their product: This includes verbena, false bergamot (monarda) mints, basils, lavenders, sages, rosemary, in fact, most of the ingredients in your herb cupboard/rack/jars ...

-----------------------------------

However if you burn yourself on a coil (guys, this seems to be your most common vaping injury -usually on the left index finger - from all the photos and vids I've seen!) then try using lavender oil along with your standard first aid - I keep a bottle next to the stove for minor burns, wonderful stuff (and I'm not usually into herbal/woo 'medicine')

 

[KulrMeStoopid]

Vapng Oil = Bad anyways. DO NOT VAPE ANYTHING CONTAINING OIL or CALLED OILS.


Ok? Glad we cleared that up

 

[SimonB2008]

Vapng Oil = Bad anyways. DO NOT VAPE ANYTHING CONTAINING OIL or CALLED OILS.


Ok? Glad we cleared that up

I often see this comment about oil, but never an explanation as to why. Do you know why?
Cheers

 

[KulrMeStoopid]

I often see this comment about oil, but never an explanation as to why. Do you know why?
Cheers

Yeah, Lipid Pneumonia