What is Tincture of Cannabis?
Tincture of cannabis also called green dragon is an extract of cannabis in alcohol. The tincture of cannabis is usually prepared by soaking the dried flower parts of marijuana in alcohol. The psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids dissolve into the ethanol. A common practice involves drying or baking the cannabis before soaking in alcohol. The practice leads to a higher yield of THC in the resulting solution.
How to Use Cannabis Tincture
One of the major benefits of tincture of cannabis is that it is effortless to administer. You only use an eyedropper to drop a drop or several drops under the tongue and allow the solution to absorb into the blood stream. The sublingual method of administration allows the body to absorb the tincture rapidly through the sublingual artery. The sublingual method avoids the digestive route that exposes to stomach acids. This is important because it maintains the beneficial compounds available in cannabis and avails them to the body rapidly.
Cannabis tincture is not limited to sublingual administration only. You can as well incorporate the different kinds of foods and beverages. For example, juices, soups, ice cream, salad dressing, and just any other food. It is important that you do not cook the tincture; add it after cooking.While oral use remains dominant, some users apply the tincture on the skin. The tincture is the best option for those concerned about the perceived health risk associated with smoking.
How to Prepare Cannabis Tincture
Requirements
l An ounce of quality marijuana (buds, leaves)
l 2 cups of liquor
l Coffee filters
l Aluminum foil
l Cannabis grinder
l A mason jar
l Cheesecloth
l A pair of latex gloves
l An amber eye dropper and bottle
- Grinding and Decarboxylation
Grind an ounce of cannabis into a fine consistency and evenly spread the ground matter on an oven pan. Using foil, cover the pan and preheat the oven to 2350F. Place the pan in the oven for an hour. This process is termeddecarboxylation, and it aims to increase the potency of the final product.
The foil is necessary to minimize the risk of burning the cannabis. Pay particular attention to the temperature settings because THC has a boiling point of 2400F. Boiling THC will reduce its potency yet the aim is to improve the potency. To avoid such a mistake, it is important that you gauge the temperature of the oven with a second reliable thermometer. Ensure you preheat the oven at 2350F and maintain this temperature for an hour.
- Extract THC and other Cannabinoids
Take out the panand its contents from the oven and allow it to cool with the foil in place. Carefully, transfer the ground cannabis into a well-sized mason jar and add ethanol. The alcohol should rise to cover the top of the ground cannabis.
Keep the jar in the freezer for a week. You can also keep it there for up to six months. Shake the mixture once every day to ensure homogeneity in the preparation.
- Process the tincture
Once the desired duration has elapsed, sieve the contents of the jar into another jar using double layer cheesecloth. Squeeze the mass of the cheesecloth to recover all the liquid. It is recommended that you have your gloves on while squeezing the contents of the cheesecloth. You do not want the tincture to absorb through the pores of the skin and cause psychoactive effects when unintended.
As you can observe the tincture has some particles that you need to clean. Use a coffee filter and sieve the tincture into a clean jar. Ensure you carefully filter the tincture to eliminate all plant matter.
- The final product
Now you have your cannabis tincture ready. Store the tincture in a cool,desiccated place and away from sunlight. You can use an amber bottle rather than a clear one. The amber bottle prevents sunlight from deteriorating the tincture.
- Test the potency
The best way to check the dosage is by using an eyedropper. Drop one or two drops of the tincture under the tongue and wait for the effects. If you feel the effect was not as you expected you could go ahead and increase the number of drops gradually each day until you determine the best titer for you.
With sublingual dose, the effects can ensue between 15 and 45 minutes and reach culmination at about 90 minutes. The onset is slower when compared to edible cannabis or smoked cannabis. The effects may last much longer than when smoked.