Cannabis tinctures used to be sold in the same way as aspirin. Many individuals utilized a cannabis tincture instead of taking a pain pill before 1937, when it was illegal in most states. Because they are now legal in 24 states, patients are rediscovering cannabis tinctures as a portable, covert, and efficient method to alleviate pain.
The glycerin cannabis tincture is a powerful extract that many marijuana users enjoy. In an earlier post, we learned how to produce glycerin cannabis tincture. That tale was written in 2014.
As we approach the end of 2018, more people are tailoring their marijuana use to suit their own preferences. Glycerin cannabis tincture is one of several methods for ingesting marijuana that is increasing in popularity.
The most popular method of taking cannabis tincture nowadays is under the tongue or in the cheek, which is known as a sublingual or translingual technique. It passes through mucus membranes and has an impact in 5–10 minutes. The effect generally peaks within an hour and begins to dissipate after two to three hours.
Cannabis tincture can also be administered through the mucus membranes of the vagina and the anus to achieve a powerful aphrodisiac effect. The effects are also felt within 5–10 minutes, but are much different than other cannabis experiences because they center on the pelvic region.
Easily taken via the mouth, similar to a medible, glycerin cannabis tincture travels through your digestive system before being changed by the liver into THC’s main active metabolite, 11-hydroxy-THC. This transformation produces a distinct high than that provided by inhalation.
Cannabis-derived chemicals go through the liver before being absorbed into the circulation, producing delayed effects that are more physical in nature and last longer than inhaling cannabis or administering a tincture sublingually.
What Outcome To Expect From Glycerin Cannabis Tincture
Cannabis has various effects on each of us differently, and when you’re taking a glycerin tincture, those specific effects are amplified and must be monitored and modified to meet your personal requirements.
We can take much fewer drops with my own homemade glycerin tincture recipe than commercial glycerin tinctures from dispensaries, which recommend a maximum of 30 drops. In fact, the medication we prepare is considerably more powerful.
Taking a few droplets isn’t always easy, because glycerin is extremely thick and difficult to hold via suction in an eyedropper. When we provide glycerin tincture to someone else, we do the extraction as per my recipe, but then add glycerin to dilute the dose so that they can use a spoon rather than an eyedropper.
Some may wonder why, instead of cutting down the amount of buds used at first, we don’t reduce their power. We prefer to make a very concentrated tincture, test its strength, and dilute it if it’s too powerful. There’s no way to improve the potency of a weak tincture if We use fewer buds and create a strong one.
Long-term decarboxylation, like all heat-based extractions, transforms raw forms of cannabis components including THC and CBD in the body rather than in the mind. Because glycerin marijuana tincture is absorbed via mucus membranes that carry cannabinoids into circulation or via edible ingestion, it has a tendency toward a heavy, bodily centered high.
The high from this tincture is hefty, but it’s somewhat more uplifting than previous home-brewed batches. Even when we create a tincture with just pure sativa buds heated to 275°F rather than 300°F and extracted for only two hours instead of 12–20 hours, the tincture high is considerable.
So, for these reasons, we believe that glycerin tincture is an excellent medical marijuana treatment for reducing chronic pain, anxiety, sleeplessness, spasms, arthritis and other maladies. Whether we want a peaceful or boisterous high, a drop or two of tincture puts me to sleep in 15 minutes.
Cannabis tincture is a muscle-relaxant pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory when applied topically to a targeted region. It must be stated, however, that topical application or transdermal transfer is far less effective than administration through the mucus membrane, or via inhalation or oral ingestion.
What is a Cannabis Tincture?
A cannabis tincture is a liquid preparation made from alcohol or food-grade glycerin that has been infused with cannabis leaf trim and/or whole buds. You’ll have a concentrated liquid remedy that can be taken sublingually or combined with water, hot tea, and so on after removing the plant material from the booze or glycerin. If the cannabis is heated before or after soaking, the plant’s THC-A will convert to THC, and the tincture will give euphoric, psychotropic effects. If the plant material is not warmed beforehand, THC will not be activated; nevertheless, the tincture will still offer comfort for a variety of problems including pain, nausea, spasms and convulsions.
Alcohol-based Cannabis Tincture
The most common cannabis tinctures are alcoholic. Although Everclear is a grain alcohol that works well, any high-proof spirit will do.
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce of cannabis flower, trim or a combination
- 1 quart of high-proof alcohol
Materials:
- Device to grind the cannabis: coffee grinder, blender or food processor
- Cookie sheet
- Quart-sized glass mason jar with tight-fitting lid (or two pint-sized glass mason jars with tight-fitting lids)
- Bowl large enough to hold alcohol and cannabis
- Mesh strainer
- Cheesecloth
- Small funnel (optional)
- Dark colored glass dropper bottles (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 240 degrees.
- Finely grind your cannabis in a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor.
- Spread the cannabis on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes to activate the THC. Let cool.
- Add cannabis mixture to mason jar(s).
- Pour alcohol into mason jar(s) and stir.
- Tightly cover the jar(s) and shake before setting in a cool, dark spot.
- The longer the cannabis-alcohol mixture steeps, the stronger it will get. Mixture should steep for a minimum of 4 hours though some people prefer to leave it for weeks or a month to increase potency. If leaving the mixture for longer than 4 hours, shake the jar(s) at least once a day.
- When you feel your tincture is potent enough, line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Place the lined strainer over a bowl big enough to hold the tincture. Slowly pour the alcohol and cannabis mixture through the cheesecloth. Gather, twist and squeeze the cheesecloth to release as much liquid as possible. Discard the plant material.
- Line the strainer with a fresh piece of cheesecloth and strain again, this time into the clean mason jar(s). Wring cheesecloth to release remaining liquid.
- Store your cannabis tincture in a cool, dark place.
- If desired, use a funnel to pour the tincture into dark glass dropper bottles for easy storage and dosing.
Glycerin Cannabis Tincture Recipe
We learned that the crockpot method was decarboxylating cannabinoids too much, resulting in a tincture with mostly physical effects and a very dark color, so we’ve revised our recipe to include more details.
We tried reducing the length of time my cannabis and glycerin were cooked in the crockpot, but we were unable to regulate the quantity of heat delivered because most crock pots only have a high and low temperature setting.
So, in order to make this updated version of the recipe, we utilized an oven, a stainless steel pot, an electronic infrared thermometer, and much shorter extraction times. After more than a dozen tincture-making sessions, we reached the following production procedure for producing glycerin cannabis tincture that fulfills my therapeutic requirements.
Ingredients And Utensils
- 1 ounce high-quality dried, cured buds
- 3-quart stainless steel saucepan
- 32 ounces food-grade glycerin
- Infrared thermometer
- Stainless steel spoon
- Cheesecloth
- Mason jars
Method
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Trim an ounce of dried, cured buds. Place buds in a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan with no rubber on handles (it will melt), and cover the buds with 32 ounces of food-grade glycerin.
- Place the lid on the saucepan and put in your oven.
- Use an infrared thermometer to measure the surface temperature of your mixture every 20 minutes, ensuring a stable 300°F temperature for three hours. Stir mixture with a stainless steel spoon before each temperature measurement.
- At the end of three hours, turn the oven off and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature (this can take an additional 1–3 hours).
- Some tincture makers squeeze the tincture out of the buds using cheesecloth, but you can also leave the buds in the mixture, because as long as the buds stay covered with glycerin, they won’t mold and more cannabis compounds will be extracted out of them into the glycerin.
- Pour tincture into mason jars, seal the jars, and keep them in a climate-controlled environment, between 64–78°F. Consume the tincture within six months for maximum potency.
Glycerin-based Cannabis Tincture
Replace the alcohol with food-based glycerin if you want a non-alcoholic option, and follow the directions above.
Non-THC Cannabis Tinctures
For those of you looking for a non-psychoactive tincture, simply skip steps 1 and 3 in the above procedure (don’t heat the cannabis) and proceed with the rest of the instructions. Non-THC cannabis tinctures can be made from either alcohol or glycerin, depending on your preference.
The potency of your tincture is determined by the strain and quality of cannabis used to prepare it, as well as the length of time the tincture steeps. If you’re not sure how much to give, start with a few drops and increase as needed.