THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana (cannabis), is not readily digested by itself. Because THC is alcohol soluble it can be extracted into alcohol in order to make it more accessible to the body.
theCannabisChef recommends using a liquor with at least 50% alcohol.
For those who would prefer not to consume alcohol, we also have a great Glycerin-Based Cannabis Tincture recipe!
Ingredients:
3/4oz/22g finely ground cannabis
3fl oz/90ml alcohol (such as brandy, rum, vodka*)
*Different cannabis concoctions will taste better using different kinds of alcohol. Refer to the recipe you will be using it in.
DECARB your bud first! Place on cookie sheet in the oven at 150°F for an hour or so, until the bud is dry and crumbles into a powder when rolled between your thumb and index finger.
Instructions:
1. Soak the cannabis powder in water for 12 hours to remove any water-soluble impurities.
2. Drain excess water.
3. Put cannabis powder in an airtight container such as a mason jar.
4. Pour alcohol over cannabis.
5. Store in a cool dark place for at least 10 days. The longer the better.
6. Shake the container several times a day.
7. Filter through cheesecloth
For more about alcohol tinctures and some cool drink recipes see The Cannabis Cookbook: Over 35 Tasty Recipes for Meals, Munchies, and More
Comments
seeds
If i use schwag can i leave the seeds in or should i take them out?? Thanks
Either way.
Since you'll be straining the tincture at the end, you can keep them in if you'd like.
What Went Wrong?
I followed the instructions exactly, waited 11 days and strained. 3 drops and no effect. 5, 10 and a whole dropper and no effect. Bud I'm using when smoked is very effective, so I know it's not the strength of the bud.
Any thoughts on this?
Decarboxylation.
Did you decarb your cannabis?
To decarb, place cannabis on cookie sheet in the oven at 150°F for an hour or so, until the bud is dry and crumbles into a powder when rolled between your thumb and index finger.
Small doses of high grade
I have 1.5 grams of high grade bud. I want to make a tincture out of this and i was wondering how much alcohol I would need to mix with the 1.5 grams of shredded weed. I would also like to know how long i would have to wait for the mixture to soak and how much of the liquid i would have to take sublingually once it is ready to be used. Basically, I want to make a tincture out of the 1.5 grams and i have no clue if this is efficient or not. help?
Nip Dragon.
Nip Dragons are great for small amounts of cannabis. Try out that recipe instead. :) Wait 10 days at least and drink the amount you are comfortable drinking. Start small or make it weak!
3/4 0z. before or after
3/4 0z. before or after decarb ?
When to decarb.
Before.
Lemon Juice?
Do you think it's possible to make a tincture out of lemon juice, instead of alcohol?
Seems like the citric acid in lemon juice, being a surfactant, would break down the THC oils and allow the oils to dissolve into the liquid. Isn't that the process happening with the alcohol?
I would much prefer drinking lemonade from THC lemon juice concentrate, than an alcoholic beverage, in the morning.
Glycerin vs Alcohol Tincture
The ratios of plant material to liquid btwn the different tinctures varies greatly. Why is that? An issue of potency? Which process or medium serves best to extract THC? Do oils like olive or veg oils work better for extraction?
I am just beginning to experiment with natural meds like this for pain conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, deg discs, spinal stenosis to name a few. I'm sick to death of pain clinic "doctors" cramming narcotics down my throat. They cause more harm than good and don't work most of the time anyway. As far as I'm concerned they should all be shut down.
Please don't take this as whining. I've played all their silly games and I've decided to take matters into my own hands now. What little I've done so far tells me this is the way to go. Any advice and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
theycallmethumper
Curious
How much would you have to drink of the tincture to get a very good high in terms of number of shots? And about how many people can 90 mL serve with all the people receiving a sufficient high?
tincture
The tincture I made only takes about 10 drops...I could not imagine how off this earth I would feel if I took a shot of it...It is so strong I think I would never recover from it..
If you use kief..
Do you still have to do the soaking and decarbing stages?
Can you tell me if you need
Can you tell me if you need 3/4 oz of ground bud before you decarb or is it 3/4 oz of ground bud after it is dry, that you add the 3 oz of alcohol sorry this is first time making this.
hash tincture
im going to make my tincture with some hash. Do I still need to decarb?
tincture
New to making tinctures and I have access to a heated ultra-sonic cleaner. Would the sonic energy (1kw) agitating the heated (170 degree) alcohol cannabis mixture speed the extraction of the THC???
THANKS,
CATBUD
Yes
This would really great way to do it.
Baking
Hello, so if i were to use a recipe that calls for 1/4cup of rum and i wanted to use cannabis infused rum, how much cannabis would i have to use in a 5th(375mL) of 151 bacardi to have a good dosage in a batch that yeilds, say 6 large muffins?
What grade?
About what grade would you recommend for this recipe?
Could I just buy an oz of schwagg (nickname for low grade where i love) to make this? If so, Does anyone know the effect?
We recommend
We recommend using organic high-grade bud ("headies"), but you can use schwagg if you want. The effect will be different from strain to strain and person to person. It's most likely going to be more of a couch-locked type of stoned if you use schwagg - it will not be nearly as strong as if using headies though. Using an indica will give you a more couch-locked high also. Using a sativa will give you a cerebral and energetic high. http://www.thecannabischef.com/content/sativa-vs-indica
ratio question
So if I wanted to do this up in a bottle of Bicardi 151, would I need 3/4 oz. for every 3 oz of liquor? My plan was to grind up an entire oz and put it in with the whole 750ml, from full moon to full moon. Would that not work?
Green Dragon
Cannabis Alcohol Tincture is highly concentrated, so no, that would not work. For this tincture, you need the high ratio of 3/4oz cannabis to 3oz liquor.
What you are describing is called "Green Dragon". You will need to decarb your bud first, and then leave it in your alcohol for 10 days (or longer if you have the patience), shaking it daily. For detailed instructions, check out our Green Dragon tutorial: http://www.thecannabischef.com/content/how-make-green-dragon
Alcohol Tincture
This is a great method you described here. Thanks. Your's is a safe method for anyone to use!
There is a much faster, more-concentrated form I have made using
"hot-soxhlation."
I like this because it's good for the folks who wanted something different. You can go a step further to make hash from the oil this produces.
I would have someone who has taken a college organic chemistry course show you how. Otherwise, be aware of the danger.
using some vaporized buds?
I have about half an ounce of vaporized herb that I heard I may be able to use for tincture as well? Could I use this as a half ratio and fill in the rest with fresh ground cannabis? Plus what is used for straining cannabis powder from water after it has soaked? Just cheesecloth? Thanks again for the help!
Strength and Taste
You could use the vaporized bud for at least part of the ratio, but I'm not sure if it would affect taste at all, since I know vaporized bud can have an off-taste to it. Also, your vaporized bud (especially if you have vaporized it for a long time) will not be as strong as the fresh bud, so you may want to increase the amount of total bud you add. Try it out, and let us know how it turns out! We love receiving feedback! :)
You can use cheesecloth
or a fine mesh strainer
, whatever you prefer.
How many ounces of tincture
How many ounces of tincture does this recipe serve?
About 3 ounces. After
About 3 ounces. After straining out the cannabis, there should be the same amount of liquor as you started with.
kief?
This may be a silly question, but does the ratio of alcohol to plant material change if you're using kief?
Would I still need 22g of kief for 3 oz of alcohol?
How, if at all, would kief effect the potency?
Kief is extremely potent!
Kief is extremely potent! Kief consists of the trichomes (resin glands) of the cannabis plant and contains a very high concentration of marijuana's psychoactive ingredients, especially THC.
The quality AND amount of kief will vary based on the quality of your bud and how densely covered in trichomes it is. You definitely will not need 22g of kief to replace the 22g of bud! Just use the amount of kief you got from 22g of bud (maybe slightly more if the bud did not produce a nice amount of kief - experiment a little and find what works best for you!).
just put 6g of keif in 3ish
just put 6g of keif in 3ish oz Cabo Wabo golden tequila. Should be ready 4 420!!
airtight jar?
would I use an airtight jar for soaking it in water aswell then or leave it open?
It's up to you. It would
It's up to you. It would probably be best to leave a lid on, since dust can float in.
What does "decarb" mean?
Two questions:
> DECARB your bud first!
What are we removing, "carbs"? Why? Does this activate chemicals in the bud?
Also, after I've got my tincture finished, is it possible to remove some or most of the alcohol from the solution without sacrificing the efficacy? I would rather not drink so much alcohol, which does not agree with my stomach.
I am thinking of when I cook with wine, the alcohol burns off leaving only the flavor of the wine...
Thanks,
David
Decarb
"Decarb" means decarboxylation. It is the process of removing the carboxyl group by converting into water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). You do this by heating the marijuana. The suggested method is placing the bud on a piece of tin foil or a baking pan in the oven at 150 degrees (F) for roughly 15 minutes.
Depending on how much bud you are using and how "fresh" (or wet if it wasn't cured properly - or you are being stiffed by measures taken by shady distributors to add weight to the buds) it is, it may take longer. When done the bud should be dry and flake into a powder when you roll it between your thumb and forefinger.
We do this because marijuana, when harvested, contains mostly THCA, which is not psychoactive. However during the drying and curing process some of the THCA will decarb into THC (it removes the carboxylic group, COOH). THC is psychoactive. Most weed, even if cured well will still contain a lot of latent "bang", in any of the remaining unconverted THCA. When you smoke weed this process occurs when the flame comes into close proximity to the buds. When cooking, you want to make sure your bud is at its maximum potential potency.
And Yes, you can use the tincture in cooking. The THC should remain in the food, well the alcohol will evaporate.
temperature
at what temperature, past 150 degrees, do we go from decarbing to vaporizing the thc? Thanks.
400
400
step 3.5?
do you need to let the powder dry after the water soak or is it alright to begin the alcohol soak with wet cannabis
I had the same question. Does
I had the same question. Does the powder need to dry after the water soak before you put it in with the alcohol?
You don't have to.
You do not have to dry out the bud powder completely. You will want to drain it, and depending on the type of container you used to soak the bud, squeeze out as much of the water as you can. You could decarb after soaking it, this would dry it out as well if you prefer.
amount of liquid
This doesn't sound like enough liquid to plant material. Is it supposed to be like just enough liquid to cover the cannabis?
Tincture not Cocktail
This is a highly concentrated TINCTURE. The material should be ground up extremely well and then placed into the liquid. The liquid may or may not entirely cover the plant material, but if it is shaken several times daily this will rotate the cannabis into the fluid.
This is not to be taken as a shot, a couple drops will do ya!
take what works for you
I have been useing tincture for a year and a half . I do one shot (shoot glass ) every mornning , high as a kite for two hours , pain free all day ,maybe at night i,ll smoke a little . If i smoke dureing the day it jumps on top of the tincture and that kite takes off higher . At time of referal to Marijuana i did not want it ( i have teenagers ) so to use it , tincture was the only way . I cant belive doctors dont give this out , its way beter than 3 years of heavy pain pills . Marijuana has given me my life back , at least enough to go outside , tend to my garden and most of all be with my family .
i would suggest to start small and find what works for YOU .........
oh my mix is 1 lbs to 1 gal of everclear 150 proof
I completely agree with you!
I completely agree with you! Cannabis tincture is my favorite pain reliever! It works so much better than OTC and prescription pain killers, and is so much safer. I'm glad you have found such relief using cannabis. :)
For those who don't like alcohol, we should be posting a non-alcoholic tincture recipe soon!
Tincture
What is considered a dose once it is in tincture form? I'm thinking in regards to someone who has difficulty swallowing or inhaling. One ml/cc or more? I have no idea. Thank you
Also, as a nurse for hospice
Also, as a nurse for hospice patients, if your person has trouble swallowing you can put it between their teeth and cheek where it will absorb. You can put in up to a ml at a time as the patient tolerates, but start with drops.
Estimate
Between 2-4 ml should do the trick. Start off with 2 and wait an hour or two and see how you feel. Go slow, you wouldn't want to over do it haha. For medical users 2 ml should work wonders, for experienced recreational users 4 ml should get you nice and high :)
is it ok to leave the cannabis in the bottle?
If I dont want to take the grounds off the alcohol... will it harm it? I've tasted a popular drink from the D.R. called Mamajuana, they use different herbs on it and they leave it there, the flavor is stronger as you reach the bottom of the bottle. I am OK with flavor, my question is about the THC, will it be affected? thanks in advance!
sure
That is OK. It shouldn't pose a problem with the THC at all.
infusion
i want to infuse my everclear at some point during this tincture. I was wanting to use blueberries and strawberries, but i was wondering if this will hurt my thc as well. I figured once the thc soaks by itself for 3 months i can add the berries for two weeks and it will give it a better taste. . any thoughts?
infusion
I use my tincture to make hard candy. I have found that if you decarb the flavor is easier to cover. I also mix whatever flavor I am using into the tincture before I start cooking the hard candy to help flavor my tincture.
I usually use pint jars. I put 1 1/2 oz of herb for 1 pint jar. After it soaks for 2 weeks I slowly heat the tincture to burn off the alchohol. I keep it under 170 so the thc doesnt vaporize. I end up with about 6 oz of tincture and make 3 batches of hard candy per pint jar. Cinnamon is by far my fav flavour so far.