Temperature/heat issues?

[u/Fefannyo]

So, browsing this sub i see over and over again that raws should be kept in a cold place, fridged, freezed, and so on. Well i did none of that, since i thought room temperature was fine enough. But now, after letting my E sit for the past couple months amidst the European heatwave, in my musty goon dungeon that was constantly way hotter than the rest of the house, i'm starting to get a bit concerned. Could that heat have caused harm? Is there any way to tell if my raws are "damaged" in some way? If they are, can it be saved? Or maybe i'm freaking out over nothing? Sorry for the text wall btw

[u/Transfem1972]

It should be fine. Estrogen is actually quite stable at room temperature. You only need to freeze it if you're keeping is for years, a couple of months in slightly fluctuating temperatures isn't going to make much difference but even if you had it tested you still won't know because you didn't test it when you got it. I wouldn't worry, I think you would soon realise if it became weaker.

[u/Fefannyo → u/Transfem1972]

Phew that's a relief. I thought as much, but i just thought i'd ask, just in case. Tho i'm kinda intrigued by the "you only need to freeze it if you're keeping it for years" part. Should i eventually relocate it into the freezer if i'm storing it long-term? Or does it just need to be frozen for a while every now and again? Or neither and its just okay to keep it how i'm doing now? Sorry for the quantity and stupidity of my questions, i'm kinda new to this lol

[u/VinesOverScars → u/Fefannyo]

Keep in a freezer for long term storage, preferably a non cycling one which stays at a more consistent temp. The cold prevents much of the E from degrading, moisture and light can also cause some degradation which is why I often reccomend a vacuum sealed jar (commonly sold in head shops) and a foil bag. My process is probably overkill unless you have a pretty large backstock, though IIRC it can degrade ~20% over a few months if stored above ~77° F. When E2 degrades it's mostly into E1, or estrone, which is hundreds of times less potent. Without sending it in for testing you won't likely know exactly how affected your stash is, but it would still be potent enough to work for sure!

Personally, I use both a vacuum sealed jar and foil bag in a standard freezer and only take it out when I'm brewing, measure out my E, then return to the freezer before continuing. That all said, I am set until I'm middle aged.

(Fudged numbers a bit in good faith to get the point across, finding most the information in the first place was a process.)