Almost nobody reads the residual solvents panel on a certificate of analysis. It is one of the most useful sections on the document.
Why solvents are involved at all
Extraction works by using a solvent to pull alkaloids out of plant material. The solvent is then removed, leaving concentrated extract behind. This is standard across the food, pharmaceutical and botanical industries – solvent-based extraction is how you get a concentrated compound out of a plant.
The relevant question is not whether solvents were used. It is how much, if any, remains after the process – and that is exactly what the residual solvents panel measures.
Why residues can remain
- Incomplete removal. Drying and vacuum steps remove solvent. Rushed processing leaves more behind.
- Process shortcuts. Cutting corners on the removal stage saves time and money.
- Equipment limitations. Small operations without proper vacuum equipment remove less solvent.
- Input quality. Lower-grade starting material can require more aggressive processing.
What the panel reports
| Element | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Solvent names | Which solvents the process uses, named individually |
| Numeric results | A measured value per solvent, not a pass/fail summarised into one line |
| Limits | Reference limits the results are compared against |
| Units | Usually parts per million |
| Determination | Clear statement of whether results are within limits |
What “below the limit of detection” means
It means the laboratory’s instrument could not find the solvent at the sensitivity it operates at. That is the best realistic outcome and a normal result for a well-made extract.
What is not acceptable: a report with no numbers, or one that omits the panel entirely and hopes you will not notice.
Why potency-only reports are a problem
If a certificate of analysis shows only alkaloid content, you have learned nothing about how the extract was made. Two products can both contain exactly 12mg of 7-hydroxymitragynine and be produced to completely different standards.
This is why a full panel – potency plus heavy metals, microbiology and residual solvents – is the standard worth holding vendors to. See how to read a COA.
Questions to ask about extraction
- Which solvents are used in your extraction process?
- Is a residual solvents panel included on the COA for this batch?
- What are the reported levels, and what limits are they compared against?
- Who performs the testing, and are they independent of the manufacturer?
If a vendor cannot answer the first three, the testing claim on their website is decoration.
Our position
Residual solvents are part of the purity panel on every batch we sell. A batch that fails is rejected rather than sold at a discount. Reports are available on request – start at the Lab Results page.
Related reading
See our lab results
Independently tested, batch by batch, with purity panels available on request.
