I couldnt find normal distilled water for my ACRB A/B extraction. I ended up buying something called Functional water, it is distilled water + electrolytes. Im assuming this is ok to use? I don't think electrolytes raise or lower the ph? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Also, how important is it to powder my bark? Will this greatly affect the yield if i leave it shredded? I do not have access to a blender at the moment, and I'm just curious.

Thanks for your time

powdered generally yields better than shredded, since alkaloids are located within cell walls.

and there's no need for distilled water, you could use tap water, no matter how bad municipal water is.

ok thanks, looks like i have to spend a few hours grinding this shit up. could i just add to the boil times or is that not an adequate compensation in skipping the powdering process?

boiling would work too, it would just take longer.
but you get the general idea....complete cell lysis is tantamount to max yields.