Recipe Master Wu's Green Dragon - Tincture

[momofthegoons]

Master Wu's process has been thought of as the 'go to' recipe for tincture.

The Definitive Green Dragon (Revised)

This is a simple and efficient 4 Step process.

Ingredients:
1/8oz high quality cannabis
2 oz Bacardi Rum – 151 proof


Process Summary:

1. Chop cannabis very fine (coffee grinder works great)

2. Place in a shallow pan (a sheet of aluminum foil works great) and bake at 325°F for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and place cannabis in 2 oz of 151 proof rum (use a small wide mouth mason jar)

4. Simmer in a water bath for 20 minutes. Maintain temperature of the rum/cannabis mixture between 170°F.

5. Strain the mixture and store.


Dosage:
One milliliiter (one full eyedropper) is very nice. Two puts you in space. But you must self-titrate (test it on yourself) as each batch will be slightly different. Effects take up to 1.5 hours to begin (at least in myself) and lasted for 5 hours (1 dropper) to 7-8 hours (2 droppers).

I place one eyedropper (1ml) of Green Dragon in a small glass. I then add a small amount of water (1-2 ml) and drink. Do this on an empty stomach for best results (about 20-30 minutes before eating a main meal is good).


Process details—references and rationalizations:
1. Chop the cannabis
More surface area gives means a faster and more efficient extraction.

2. Bake the cannabis.
This converts THCA to THC via a decarboxylation reaction.

In whole-plant cannabis, THC content is expressed as THCA (tetrahydrocannabolic acid) prior to decarboxylation into THC, which takes place when cannabis is heated during cooking, and smoked or vaporized ingestion. THCA is a mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory but does not have good affinity with our CB1 receptors, so in order to make a THC-rich tincture that has many of the same therapeutic effects as smoked ingestion (including rapid absorption, quick relief and ease of self-titration), we must convert the THCA in the plant matter into THC prior to extracting it through an alcohol soak. (from Vancouver Island Compassion Society http://thevics.com/cannamist.htm)

THC vaporizes at about 380°F. We want to heat the cannabis to convert THCA to THC, but keep the temperature under 380°F. That is why 325°F is used. Between four and five minutes your oven (and house) will start to smell very strong. This is the time to remove the cannabis from the oven.

Notice also that there is considerable misinformation regarding heating the cannabis. It is true that you don't have to heat it to extract both THC and THCA, but the amount of THC in whole plant preparations is relatively small compared to after decarboxylation of the THCA. So if you want to maximize the strength of your tincture you must heat the cannabis prior to extraction.

3. Use the highest proof alcohol available.
Where I live this is Bacardi 151. The more alcohol the more efficient the extraction will be.

4. Simmer the mixture.
This is one of the areas that seems to be most debated. Many recipes call for placing the cannabis (unbaked of course) into the alcohol and waiting 2 – 6 weeks. The main concern with heating the alcohol is that it is “explosive” (not exactly true...it is however flammable).

The purpose of the simmering is to heat the alcohol mixture to improve extraction rates and efficiencies. Heating during extraction increases the motion of the molecules (basic physics/chemistry) and drastically decreases extraction times. The boiling point of pure ethanol is 173°F (78°C). We will use the water bath to heat the rum/cannabis mixture to just below the boiling point of ethanol.

Heating the alcohol mixture can be done very safely using a hot water bath. You will need an accurate candy or quick read thermometer. Place about 1 inch of water in a wide, vertical-edged pan (9” diameter x 3” high). Bring the water to a low simmer. The rum/cannabis mixture should be in a small (1 pint) mason jar. Do NOT cover the jar.

Put the thermometer into the mason jar and place into the simmering water bath. Bring the temperature of the rum/cannabis mixture to about 170°F. The alcohol should be just barely boiling.

You should have the oven fan on high. You will notice that any alcohol fumes are mixed with water vapor from the water bath and vented out the fan. This combined with the fact that you are trying not to boil the ethanol makes the process quite safe.

5. Strain and store.
When you are finished with the extraction you will be left with about 1oz of green dragon tincture after you have strained the extract. Notice that one ounce of the alcohol has evaporated. See the tips below for a good way to strain the tincture.

A standard eyedropper will transfer about 1ml (or 1 gram) of liquid. There are 29 milliliters in one ounce. So you should end up with about 30 or so full eyedroppers (30 milliliters) of Green Dragon.

The liquid should be dark brownish-green and smell like cannabis.

6. Dosage. Titration.
Everybody is different. It takes me between 30-90 minutes to feel the effects of Green Dragon (depending on how much food is in my stomach).

I had tried a tincture someone had made using the cold extraction method with the same amount of cannabis and found that 5 ml (5 full eyedroppers) did pretty much nothing.

Using my Green Dragon technique I find that one dropper will bring effects on in 30-90 minutes and last 5 hours with 1.5 hours of lingering aftereffects.

Two droppers gave me a "spiritual dose" (as strong as any brownie I ever had). Effects lasted 7-8 hours with lingering effects for 2 more hours.

This means that 1/8oz of good cannabis yields about 30-34 doses of tincture (1 dropperful is really all I need). For me it is much more pleasant than smoking (I've stopped smoking entirely).


This link might be helpful.
Metric Conversion

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[momofthegoons]

Continuation......

Combined Tips and Techniques
Below are the combined tips and answers to questions that have accumulated over the last 6 months.

1. Baking Temperature/Time.
I use 325 Farenheit for 5 minutes. Although this will change depending on the type of pan you use. With a gas oven and aluminum foil (no pan cookie sheet) 5 minutes was fine. However with an electric oven, a cookie sheet, and baking parchment, I needed a few more minutes. Keep a close eye on it.

Note that OKSmokey uses 20 minutes at 200°F. I haven't tried this but he has had good success with this temperature.

2. Double the Recipe?
Sure, why not. It should be fine. But I prefer to err on the side of caution and would probably do the extraction twice with a self-titration in between runs.

3. Dosage
You will have to figure dosage with each batch. And you must test it on yourself. The way to do this is through titration (a fancy chemical term that means to determine the concentration of a solution). The concentration of GD will change based on the strength of the starting material, the amount of alcohol you boil off during the extraction, the efficiency of your pre-bake, etc.

Start with one or two full dropperfuls (not drops!) and swallow them down. Check the time and note when you first feel effects, when you peak, the intensity of the peak, and how long it lasts. Make sure you can reproduce your titration (empty stomach, time of day, diluted in water?, etc). If you like what you feel, great. If too much or not good enough try again tomorrow with a different amount. With two points (high and low) you should have a pretty good idea of how it works on your body. Of course it might be different on someone considerably bigger or smaller.

For instance one batch I made was unbelievably strong--1 dropperful and I was flying. The next one took 3 dropperfuls for same effect (but the solution was more dilute as I ended up with 1.75oz instead of 1oz of final GD, the pot wasn't as good, and my pre-bake was a bit too short since I was using an unfamiliar oven and a baking pan instead of just aluminum foil).

4. And as always--don't put the stuff in your eye ;-). And don't put it under your tongue because it burns. I now place the GD in a tablespoon (or so) of water--yum. I actually like the flavor as it is sort of floral. I also store mine in the fridge, but don't really know if this matters.

5. How much is in an Eyedropper
An eyedropper holds about one milliliter of liquid, depending on how hard you squeeze the little bulb. For water based solutions one milliliter weighs about one gram. Thus each full eyedropper contains about one gram of liquid. Since there are about 29 grams in one ounce, you get about 29 full eyedroppers in every ounce. The eyedropper I initially used measured 34 full droppers in an ounce.

Also I use the nice blue two-ounce dropper bottles from the health food store that are used for essential oils, tinctures, and/or other extracts.

6. Leaf vs. Bud
I have not tried the extraction with leaf. But you would obviously need loads more. The problem is you will also need much more alcohol. My guess is you should use somewhere on the order of 10 parts alcohol to 1 part leaf. Then once you are finished you will want to remove the spent leaf, and then concentrate the alcohol by boiling off most of it (using the water bath of course) until you have one ounce of GD remaining.

7. When is it Ready
Right away. That is one of the nice things about this extraction process.

8. Taste
I find that after a week in the fridge (that's where I store mine) the flavor seems to mature into a heady, slightly floral elixer with bud overtones. I find it rather pleasant.

9. Isopropyl Alcohol
DON'T USE IT!

10. Using an Ounce
The recipe should scale nicely from 1/8 to whole ounce. But, unless you have experience with smaller batches I'd recommend sticking with the recipe as written. It would be a shame to have something go wrong with a large batch. I strongly recommend making the GD a couple of times before trying to scale up.

11. Pre-Baking the Pot - Color Changes and Vapors
Bake the pot at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. I chop mine in a mini-prep (or chop by hand) until it is quite fine. Then I spread it out on a piece of aluminum foil which is placed directly on the oven rack. If you place the foil on a baking pan you will need to account for the additional mass of the pan which will increase your baking time. Pre-baking should stink up the house. I turn on the stove vent fan. I also do all my cooking at night after neighbors are in bed.

I look for two indicators that the pot is properly pre-baked. First, I look for the pot to change color from it's initial shade of green to a much darker greenish-brown (or brownish-green). I assume this represents not browning (burning) of the leaf but rather the denaturation of the chlorophyll in the leaves.

Second, I look for a slight amount of vapors to rise off the pot. Since the temperature is well below the vaporization temperature of THC, these vapors probably consist of compounds that vaporize at lower temperatures (like water).

12. Extraction Temperature (revised)
I've had good success with extractions at 170 degrees fahrenheit. You'll note that my initial recipe called for maintaining temperature between 150 and 165. At 170 the alcohol mixture will be slightly boiling. Note that this is alcohol boiling not water boiling. Alcohol boils with very fine bubbles as opposed to the rolling boil of water. After 20 minutes the alcohol should be reduced by about half.

13. Green Dragon Final Color and Smell
The green dragon should be a greenish-brown color (more brown than green). If it is emerald green and smells like grass (from the cholorphyll), it will be weak. Emerald green indicates that the pre-baking was not sufficient. The GD should smell like bud, somewhat floral.

14. How To Recover The Green Dragon
When you are done extracting you will have one ounce (or so) of GD. But it is mixed up with the 1/8 oz of spent plant material. Here is how I recover the maximum amount of my extract.

First, I strain it through a regular kitchen mesh strainer. I use the back of a spoon to force out as much GD as possible.

Next (this is the cool part) I use a garlic press to squeeze the remaining leaves. My preference is a Zylis Garlic Press because it has a plunger mechanism, but any press should do. I then put the squeezings into the plunger in batches, and squeeze the holy GD out of it. This trick has increased my overall recovery by about 15%.

Enjoy.

Master Wu

 

[Drexciya]

Great thanks for this. I've been wanting to make a tincture for a while now. I'd would want to do it with kief though. I have also looked up all the temperatures in this piece and converted that to Celsius in order of appearance:

325°F = 163℃
170°F = 77℃
380°F = 193℃
200°F = 93℃
150°F = 66℃
160°F = 71℃

Would anyone how the alcohol to kief ratio would be compared to whole buds?
And would that ratio be different when the purity of the alcohol used differs? I got some Navimer and that is 96%.

 

[momofthegoons]

Would anyone how the alcohol to kief ratio would be compared to whole buds?
And would that ratio be different when the purity of the alcohol used differs? I got some Navimer and that is 96%.

According to this article, kief is optimum for tincture.

Ingredients:

Everclear or other high-proof alcohol (minimum of 90 proof)
Kief (1.25 grams for every fluid ounce)
Glass jar
2 cheesecloth sheets
2 coffee filters
Gloves
Directions:

Keep both your alcohol and kief as cold as possible (preferably in your freezer or in a sealed bag in a dry ice bath). Place both the cold kief and Everclear in a glass jar and shake it up vigorously for 5 to 7 minutes. After you have done this, return the jar to the freezer. Every 2 hours or so repeat this process for 72 hours (it�s okay if you don�t do it exactly every two hours). After the 3 days is up you can take the mixture out of the freezer and strain it through two layers of clean cheesecloth. Squeeze out the cheesecloth and save the remaining ball for effective topical use. The liquid that was collected by straining through the cheesecloth should then be filtered 2 times through a single paper coffee filter. While your are conducting this part of the process, be sure to wear gloves. If a clear liquor is used, the mixture should appear as a golden-green color. For those patients who are particularly sensitive to alcohol tastes, extremely sparse amounts of flavoring may be added, such as lemon, cherry, vanilla or banana. Lastly, add this mixture to a small, sterile spray bottle, food-coloring dropper, et cetera.

 

[Drexciya]

Oh yeah, how great is that. I'm going to get me a proper scale and a proper device for measuring small amounts of liquid.

For future reference 1 US fluid ounce = 29.6 milliliters

 

[Vitolo]

Great stuff, @momofthegoons .
I make a number of types tinctures, and this one is very clean, and specific.
Nice.
I added a tiny step at the end of this (not to all of it, just a portion).
I let it sit open in a small pyrex measuring cup, on a metal rack in a pot of simmering water.
When it was decreased in volume by half, I swirled the liquid around to re-capture the golden ring
of oil that rose a bit above the liquids meniscus. I made sure it was mixed back in well and poured into dropper bottles.
I did not lose much in the way of alcohol percentage, because it was everclear.... But it did up the strength through reduction of carrier fluid.
I have played with it and found I could get down to about 25% (it varies) before the oils become too heavy for the carrier fluid and they sink
to the bottom .... VERY CONCENTRATED but hard to manage for convenient usage (dosing method).
I take my hat off to you for giving such absolutely concise directions.

 

[momofthegoons]

I take my hat off to you for giving such absolutely concise directions.

Thank you Vito but I cannot take credit for the wording... I can see I chopped off the author when copying.

That is from Master Wu himself. I have remedied the post so that it reflects that.

 

[turk]

...u folks make my head spin..

 

[deep_meditation]

I was just about to create a tincture thread this AM. I was going to call it Covered Wagon Tincture Show - a joke/ripoff of the title of a Big Audio Dynamite song about those old fashioned tincture salesman shows.



In any event I recently made some freezer tincture. I dried and then decarbed about nine grams of Trainwreck and a few buds of MediHaze and put them in the freezer with a bottle of Everclear 190 proof. I then put some Everclear in a jar with the frozen buds. I took it out of the freezer after five days or so and strained it with a coffee filter. It's all bottled up in violet glass bottles topped off with a wine preservation spray. I'll see how it works out later this week. I'm hoping this doesn't turn out to be a bust.

 

[turk]

...love big audio dynamite...mick jones from the clash...when I was young...sandanista mght have been the greatest rock double album ever...still brings tears to my eyes...saw thiem at civic center with prince...I could have died that night...and it would have been alright..thanks man for this...

 

[BD9]

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between a tincture and RSO? Is RSO a tincture?

 

[momofthegoons]

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between a tincture and RSO? Is RSO a tincture?

Rso is alcohol based tincture that has been reduced. But tincture can also be made with other things than alcohol. So all reduced tincture does not make RSO.

 

[Vitolo]

Is RSO a tincture?

Rick Simpson oil is not just a tincture with THC, but rather a total stripping of all plant constituents.

I have played with it and found I could get down to about 25% (it varies) before the oils become too heavy for the carrier fluid and they sink
to the bottom .... VERY CONCENTRATED but hard to manage for convenient usage (dosing method).

What dropped out was RSO
Rick Simpson originally used naptha to make his oil, and that is how I made it when making it for patients here.
One must be very careful with the Naptha quality, and then must carefully remove all solvent.
Here is Rick Simpson's own discussion about removing either Alcohol residue or Naptha residue from the oil once it has been isolated.
http://phoenixtears.ca/articles/solvent-residue-in-the-oil/

 

[BD9]

Rso is alcohol based tincture that has been reduced. But tincture can also be made with other things than alcohol. So all reduced tincture does not make RSO.

Rick Simpson oil is not just a tincture with THC, but rather a total stripping of all plant constituents.

What dropped out was RSO
Rick Simpson originally used naptha to make his oil, and that is how I made it when making it for patients here.
One must be very careful with the Naptha quality, and then must carefully remove all solvent.
Here is Rick Simpson's own discussion about removing either Alcohol residue or Naptha residue from the oil once it has been isolated.
http://phoenixtears.ca/articles/solvent-residue-in-the-oil/

Okay.
The recipe by Master Wu in opening post was very similar to the RSO recipe that @momofthegoons posted with a few differences. One being they're using Bacardi instead of Everclear .
So I was looking for a little clarification.
Thanks!

 

[momofthegoons]

Cannabis Tinctures Guide: What Are They, How to Make Them, and How to Use Them

What Are Cannabis Tinctures?

Cannabis tinctures are infusions of cannabis and alcohol. Just like "dabs", they are a type of cannabis extract. They were the main method of medical consumption for hundreds of years before cannabis prohibition was enacted.

More commonly referred to as “green dragon” or “golden dragon”, cannabis tinctures present a very precise consumption method for medical or recreational users wanting to avoid smoking or ingesting unwanted calories and ingredients.

How Do You Use Cannabis Tinctures?
Titrating (measuring) your doses with cannabis tinctures is very easy and they can be added to a multitude of different mediums for consumption. Once cooked, tinctures can be dosed in:


Juices and soft drinks


Ice creams, sherbets and smoothies


Soups, sauces and gravies


Gelatin


Salad dressings

Tinctures are normally taken sublingually, or under the tongue. This method allows the venous blood supply under your tongue to rapidly absorb the THC into your system. Adding the tinctures to food or drinks avoids the not-so-pleasant burning sensation you get when you place it under the tongue. Using the tinctures in food or drinks will slow the absorption process because the medicine travels through your digestive tract and is filtered by your liver first.

How Do You Make Them?

Tinctures are simply an infusion of grain alcohol and cannabis. The alcohol is used to extract the terpenes and cannabinoids from the cannabis flower, thus the remaining liquid contains the active compounds in a very high concentration. Now, the valuable compounds in the tincture are preserved by the alcohol and can be stored for years in a cool, dark atmosphere. There are three basic ways to make your own cannabis-infused tinctures.



Traditional Green Dragon Tincture Recipe
This is the most commonly used recipe for this method.




Decarboxylate your ground cannabis flower for 30-45 minutes in a 220-240 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven.


Add decarboxylated flower to a grain alcohol base (Everclear is recommended). Ratios are determined by the needs of the user. Typical starting amounts should be 1/4oz flower to 4oz of alcohol.


Place infused mixture into a mason jar and secure the lid.


Leave the jar in a cool, dark place for at least 4-5 weeks, shaking it daily.


After the first few weeks have passed, filter the infusion through a coffee filter.


Test potency by taking just a 1ml dose. Additional doses may be taken each hour until symptom relief is experienced.


If the tincture is not potent enough, reclose and let it sit for another week, then test potency again.


Place tinctures into amber dropper bottles and label them.


Store tinctures in a cool, dark place and they will last for years.

Master Wu’s Green Dragon Tincture Recipe
Master Wu’s Guide was first published in 2006 and embodies one of the most comprehensive tincture recipes accessible online. It offers detailed instructions along with tips and tricks to make things easier along the way. This recipe uses heat to accelerate the concentration and extraction process. The traditional technique is very effective, but takes several weeks to be available for consumption. Master Wu’s recipe can be completed in one night.


Decarboxylate your ground cannabis flower for 30-45 minutes in a 220-240 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven.


Add decarboxylated flower to a grain alcohol base (Everclear is recommended). Ratios are determined by the needs of the user. Typical starting amounts should be 1/4oz flower to 4oz of alcohol.


Place mason jar with mixture, uncovered in a water bath for 20 minutes at 170 degrees Fahrenheit


Strain the mixture and store in a cool, dry place for years.

Modern Green Dragon Tincture Recipe
If you are watching the newest developments in online tincture formulas, you might be familiar with the third recipe in this list. It seems almost too easy, but people are reporting good results.


Decarboxylate your ground cannabis flower for 30-45 minutes in a 220-240 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven.


Add decarboxylated flower to a grain alcohol base (Everclear is recommended). Ratios are determined by the needs of the user. Typical starting amounts should be 1/4oz flower to 4oz of alcohol.


Shake continuously for 3 minutes.


Strain the mixture, place in a covered, labeled mason jar and store in a cool, dry place.

What Are the Benefits?
Cannabis-Infused tinctures present many benefits for the medical user who must be discreet when medicating.


Smoking is not necessary - Smoking through burning the cannabis plant regularly, while helpful for medicinal purposes, can cause respiratory issues like coughing and excessive phlegm production.


Tinctures are discreet - It is a fast and odorless method of medicating.


Quick results - The alcohol in the tinctures allows your body to absorb the medicine quicker.


Safe for children - Tinctures can be used for patients, including children, who have been prescribed medical marijuana or who are sensitive to other medications.


Less calories - Tinctures provide a way to medicate without having to ingest unhealthy calories and ingredients from cannabis-infused edibles


Tinctures last longer - If kept in a cool, dark setting tinctures can last for years without losing their potency and without spoiling.


They resemble medicine - Tinctures in their small amber or blue colored bottles look like medicine. So it is highly unlikely that someone would accidently ingest them. They can be dosed in any public setting traditional medicine is accepted in.

Who Should Try It?
Cannabis has been successfully used in treating a multitude of ailments and disorders both physical and neurological such as; pain, nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, depression, anxiety, sleep apnea, diabetes, glaucoma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Those tinctures containing a high concentration of CBD have proven to reduce the frequency of seizures in children who suffer from Dravet syndrome or Epilepsy. Also, tinctures containing a high level of THCA (non-psychoactive THC) may be useful in treating pain, inflammation, nausea and neurodegeneration.

Cannabis tinctures provide a discreet alternative for those who wish to medicate themselves through more natural methods, yet want to avoid smoking or vaporizing.

 

[momofthegoons]

How to Use Cannabis Tincture

Cannabis tinctures are made by soaking cannabis flowers in alcohol and letting the cannabis and alcohol infuse. Leaf trim, hash and kief can also be used instead of flowers.Alcohol is used to extract the terpenes and cannabinoids from the cannabis, leaving behind a liquid that contains a high concentration of active compounds. Alcohol also preserves the compounds, which is important since it takes longer to consume tinctures as opposed to other forms of marijuana.

With a name like “green dragon,” you might think cannabis tinctures are not for the faint of heart, but they’re actually a great entry point for both recreational and medical users looking to ease into smokeless consumption methods.In general, cannabis tinctures are recommended for relieving anxiety disorders, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), chronic pain, fibromyalgia, insomnia, muscular spasms, restless leg syndrome, and other conditions.

The effect of the tincture also depends on which strain is used to make it. For example, a sativa dominant strain will give you more of an energetic and uplifting head high. It can be used to stimulate appetite and combat pain.On the other hand, an indica dominant strain will give you more of a body high and can aid in sleep. It can also reduce nausea, depression and pain. Tinctures made with a hybrid strain will share some qualities of both indica and sativa.

Using cannabis tinctures offers a more discrete, private, and effective experience:

• Quick high: Tinctures are infused alcohols, liquids that come in small pharmacy bottles. They are extracted concentrations of cannabis. During the concentrating process, alcohol absorbs the THC and cannabinoids. Applied under the tongue with an eye dropper, it will affect you quickly.
• Easily taken: Tinctures are taken sublingually, so they have none of the inconvenience or debris generated by smoking. They are a good product for those so ill they have trouble chewing and swallowing.
• Fewer Calories than Edibles: Tinctures also have some advantages over edibles. Firstly, tinctures contain fewer calories than marijuana-infused baked goods.
• Prolonged effects: Edibles metabolize slowly, but tinctures hit home within 15 minutes. It peaks quickly and lasts a long time. How high and how long does depend on your bud choice.
• No aroma: Without a distinctive or identifiable smell, the tincture carries well wherever you go. You don’t have to hide to smoke or worry about the law.
• Shelf-life: Tinctures have a long shelf-live with full potency.
• Safe for Children: Tinctures are safe to use for patients who are prescribed medical marijuana. Tinctures may be especially helpful to ill children who shouldn’t smoke or vaporize cannabis.
• Reasonably priced: With a medical marijuana card, you can find a tincture at any dispensary in bottles big enough to serve you for quite a while. It comes in different flavors and with different strain heritages.
  

There are three ways to consume cannabis tinctures: sublingually, orally or mixed with food.

Most tinctures are taken by placing a few drops under the tongue, also known as sublingual administration. When you take a tincture sublingually, the cannabinoids are absorbed by the blood vessels lining the mouth, resulting in a quick onset of effects.

You can take cannabis tinctures orally by adding a few drops to a beverage such as soda, juice or a mocktail. Alternatively, you can also swallow the tincture on its own like you would any liquid medicine. When you take a tincture orally rather than sublingually, it must be absorbed through the digestive system, so it will take longer to feel the effects.

Tinctures can also be combined with food to make a tincture edible. The difference between a tincture edible and a fat-based edible is that the latter is harder to dose and can produce a longer, more intense high. Tinctures can be incorporated after cooking into all sorts of meals and drinks: juices, ice creams and sherbets, soups…You can add them to cakes and cookies, and salad dressings, puddings and teas without an appreciable impact on taste. And, you can mix the tincture with other oils, butters, and spreadable items.

Tinctures are easily and cheaply purchased where legal. You can use them at your convenience and in private. You can consume them for their medical benefits or just for fun. And, you can make your own.

 

[momofthegoons]

Did a little experiment with some herb I had had in the freezer for a few months (sealed in a mason jar). It was time to do 'something' with the herb. It had been in the freezer long enough that I was starting to think it would lose it's potency. But it had also been in the freezer long enough that I no longer wanted to vape it. So I poured Everclear in the jar to cover the herb and stuck it back in the freezer in a buzzed up moment......

Two weeks later I decided to take a look and strained it.



'Okay'... I thought to myself. Doesn't look very strong. So I put the mash back in with a few extra buds I had laying around of some herb that was older and real dry. But this time, I decided not to put it in the fridge or freezer and opted for a dark spot in my pantry.

Well... fast forward 6 weeks (Yes... I forgot about it again) and I go in my pantry and see this jar sitting there in the corner. Decided to see what it looked like and strained out the Everclear and got....

As you can see... it has darkened considerably.

Now... this isn't the 'preferred' method of making tincture... but I do believe it may have been successful. Haven't given it a try yet....

 

[Vitolo]

What happened is that unfrozen... and in the solution for more than a few days.... all the chlorophyll is in this tincture also.
It will make it bitter, and will burn a bit, but will be strong.
I reduce this type to 25% original volume.
I then make hard candy with it, and these candies kick ass.... great for bedtime , or late evening it is very soporific.
3/4 Cup sugar.


1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup.
in small pan, with candy thermometer...
stir and heat until it touches 275º
turn off flames on stove.
Pour in tincture and stir it in well but slowly.....
it will sizzle, and spatter a drop.....
pour it out onto a small buttered glass pyrex square brownie pan.
It will be hard enough to spatulate out of pan within 10 minutes....
put on cutting board and cut into small squares before it gets too hard.
I wrap the individual candies.

Now... this isn't the 'preferred' method of making tincture...

I always make both kinds...
While this one is not preferred it has leached the plant matter of all compounds, including the harder to reach CBDs etc.
For those in deep pain, this is their preferred tincture.
It is requested more by pain patients than the prettier and properly made green dragon.
I call it "Whole Tincture"

 

[Killick]

Funny, but there is a mason jar in the freezer with 150 grams of herb. topped with EC, thats been in there for a couple of months now... Every few days it gets a good shake, and then gets put back with a 'I should do something about that one day'... It's been a couple of months now. It's a beautiful translucent green.

Anyhoo - from the Skunkers comes my current fave recipe. Coming from a dropper bottle it tastes like cinnamon heart candies, but with a decided *thwok* noise as it kicks in...

Holy Shit:
10 grams BHO Cannabis oil *(use whatever you have ;)
3 grams Coconut oil
.7 grams Cinnamon Bark oil
.7 grams Cinnamon Leaf oil .
.3 grams Myrrh Gum
1 gram Cinnamon candy flavoring oil

We make these oils, by adding the other ingredients to the decarboxylated cannabis oil, while the oil is above 82C/180F, and stirring until well mixed. Bottle and use as is.

For decarboxylation instructions, check out the tab on our home page, under that name.

Bon appetite!


(link: https://skunkpharmresearch.com/holy-anointing-oil-and-holy-shit/

 

[momofthegoons]

Cannabis Tinctures – Four Reasons They Are Better Than Edibles

Two new studies prove that cannabis tinctures have several advantages over traditional edibles. Here is how they stack up.


Cannabis edibles come in many forms: tablets, capsules, pretzels, cookies, brownies, gummies, etc. However, cannabis tinctures are fundamentally different – they are a liquid form of cannabis. Tinctures are alcohol based extracts of cannabis that can be drunk by themselves, or added to other drinks or food.

The Problem With Edibles
Dosing of edibles can be challenging. It is difficult to determine when the maximum effect has been reached. Did you dose too low, or has it just not kicked in yet? Absorption of the THC in edibles is different for everybody and is often unpredictable.

Finally, it matters whether you take edibles on an empty stomach or after a meal. Taking edibles on an empty stomach changes the ratio of THC to CBD absorbed and can predispose people to experiencing greater anxiety.

However, there is one major disadvantage of taking edibles after a meal. Food will extend the time it takes to start feeling the effects of edibles. It also adds to the variability since what you eat will impact the rate and extent of THC absorption

Tinctures can solve many of the above issues. Read on to find out about new science that proves tinctures are the way to go!

New Scientific Studies Compare THC Tinctures With THC Capsules
Dronabinol is a capsule of synthetic THC that is approved by the FDA as an appetite stimulant in AIDS-related anorexia and to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Due to some of the above issues (slow and inconsistent absorption) INSYS Therapeutics has recently developed a tincture of dronabinol that is now approved by the FDA. They call it an “oral solution”, but it’s basically the same as a tincture. The main difference is that it is synthetic THC instead of a cannabis extract, which contains a mixture of cannabinoids.

As part of the development of this product, they did several studies comparing the capsule and solution (i.e. tincture) forms of THC. One study was under fasted conditions and the other studywas after a high-fat meal.

These studies give us a great opportunity to see how tinctures differ from edibles in controlled clinical trials. Read below to see what we have learned!

#1 – Tinctures Provide Better THC Bioavailability
With tinctures, you get more bang for your THC buck. Specifically, 18% more THC was absorbed with a tincture than with a capsule. Not a huge difference, but enough to give it a little extra kick!

The caveat is that this only happens on an empty stomach. A fatty meal will increase THC absorption enough that it won’t matter what form you take THC in.


THC bioavailability is higher with tinctures



#2 – Tinctures Have More Rapid THC Absorption
With edibles, THC has to dissolve in your gastric fluid before it is absorbed. Since the THC is already in solution with a tincture, this step is not a limiting factor.

After taking the tincture, THC could be detected in the blood of all of subjects within 15 minutes (empty stomach) or 30 minutes (with food). It took several hours to detect THC in the blood of 100% of patients who took the capsule, whether on an empty or full stomach.



#3 – Tinctures Have More Consistent Absorption From Person to Person
There will always be some variability from person to person in how they absorb THC no matter what form they take it in. However, the ideal edible will have as little variability as possible so that there are predictable effects.

These studies showed that the person-to-person variability in the total amount of THC absorbed was actually similar between tinctures and capsules. However, there were drastic differences in the amount of THC absorbed within the first two hours after dosing. The variability at 30 minutes after dosing, for example, was 3 times higher with capsules than with edibles!

This shows that if two people take the same dose of a tincture, they are more likely to feel the same effects come on at the same time and with the same intensity. With a capsule or other edible, the same two people may feel the effects come on at completely different times or one person may feel it much more intensely.


Between-subject variability in THC absorption is lower with tinctures



#4 – Tinctures Have More Consistent Absorption From Time to Time
Imagine you take the same cannabis edible 10 times in a row (well not literally in a row, but on different days). You would hope that the same amount of THC is absorbed each time, but realistically it will always be a little different.

In one study, both the tincture and capsule were given on two separate occasions. This allowed an assessment of how consistently THC was absorbed for each person.

The tincture had a time-to-time variability that was 63% less than the capsule!. This shows that the effects of a tincture are likely to be more consistent each time you take it.


Within-subject variability in THC absorption is lower with tinctures


Conclusions on tinctures vs. edibles
One limitation of these studies is that dronabinol capsules and solution contain pure THC – so they could not assess the absorption of CBD or other cannabinoids from tinctures.

Nonetheless, these two studies provide us clear scientific evidence of the advantages of tinctures compared with edibles. Tinctures give us more rapid and consistent THC absorption.