How To Make A Cannabis Glycerine Tincture

Tinctures are super easy to make and highly effective. Choose your preferred strain, gather the right equipment, and you’ll have a useful tincture ready in around a day!

Marijuana trimmings, or bud trimmings, are left over after a grower harvests a crop and manicures the buds. This method also works for shake and other material that is not as dense as marijuana bud. For instructions on decarboxylating bud, see this.

When preparing marijuana to be eaten, made into a tincture, or some other method of ingestion other than smoking or vaporizing, it must first be decarboxylated. This is done so the active components Of all the many different ways to consume cannabis, a tincture is definitely one of the easiest to make and administer. Tinctures are also flexible in that they can be made either strong or subtle according to the user’s preference. Tinctures are also very discreet and can be taken throughout the day and on-the-go by simply applying drops directly under the tongue or to beverages such as tea, coffee, and juices.

Users can choose to take tinctures either orally or sublingually. Oral administration will produce longer effects, yet will take a while to set in. The sublingual route has higher bioavailability, but the effect won’t last as long. Some cannabis users also prefer tinctures due to their full-spectrum nature. Isolated cannabinoids such as THC and CBD are both powerful and useful, yet the presence of additional molecules such as terpenes can enhance the effects of cannabinoids via a process known as the entourage effect.of marijuana will be more easily absorbed by the human body.

Tinctures can be made using numerous extraction agents such as alcohol and honey, however, this guide will focus of using vegetable glycerine. Vegetable glycerine is a clear and odourless liquid that is produced from plant oils such as palm, soy, and coconut oils. Glycerine is sometimes used in cosmetics, so be sure that you source yours from a good supplier and for the intent of human consumption. Although glycerine is considered a weaker solvent than alcohol, it offers a sweet taste and is ideal for those trying to entirely avoid alcohol use.

To make glycerine-based cannabis tincture, you will need:

INGREDIENTS

• 14g cannabis flowers (ground or broken into smaller pieces)
• 2 cups vegetable glycerine

HARDWARE

• Funnel
• Slow cooker
• Mason jar
• Oven gloves
• Dropper bottles
• Bowl
• Cheesecloth
• Tea towel
• Baking paper
• Baking tray

DIRECTIONS

1. First thing’s first, you will need to decarboxylate your cannabis. This process converts THCA into psychoactive THC (and CBDA to CBD) by removing a carboxyl group from the compound. This may sound complex, but it only really involves heating your weed to a certain temperature. Turn your oven up to 104–112°C. Place your baking paper onto a baking tray and spread your weed evenly over the surface. Place the tray in the oven for 40 minutes.
2. Now that you have decarboxylated (“decarbed”) your weed, place it into the mason jar. Pour the glycerine into the same jar and seal the lid tightly. Shake the jar vigorously to ensure the two ingredients are mixed well.
3. Plug in your slow cooker and set it to warm. Place the tea towel inside the slow cooker to line the sides. Fill the cooker halfway with water and place the mason jar inside. Let the mason jar cook away for a period of 24 hours to allow time for the desired constituents to be extracted. Attend to the slow cooker once every few hours and give the jar a shake.
4. Once 24 hours have passed, turn off your slow cooker and remove the mason jar with oven gloves. Remove the lid and let the extract cool down. Once cool, use the cheesecloth to strain the mixture over a bowl. Pour the extract in dropper bottles using a funnel. Save the leftover bud for use in hot drinks.

TINCTURE #2: CANNABIS-INFUSED GLYCERIN 

Vegetable glycerin is an ideal alternative to alcohol when it comes to infusing cannabis tinctures. It is naturally sweet, so keep that in mind when using this infusion in your edible creations.

INGREDIENTS

• 7 grams cannabis decarbed
• 4 ounces vegetable glycerin food-grade

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small mason jar, combine the decarbed cannabis with the glycerin. Seal the lid and shake to mix the ingredients.
2. Place your mason jar on a heat-safe silicon pad or small folded towel (to prevent the jar from breaking) in your slow-cooker. Carefully fill the slow-cooker with water until it’s at the halfway point.
3. Place the lid on your slow-cooker and heat for 24 hours on the lowest setting (preferably the ‘warm’ setting).  Remove the mason jar and shake every couple hours if you can.
4. After 24 hours, remove the mason jar and allow to cool (slightly) for 15 minutes.
5. While the tincture is cooling, secure cheesecloth around a funnel small enough to fit the opening of your glass eyedropper bottle (if using) with a rubberband. Otherwise, line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth.
6. Carefully pour your slightly cooled tincture through the cheesecloth, collecting the ground cannabis in the middle of the cheesecloth. Once all the liquid has filtered through the cheesecloth, gather the edges and squeeze as much of the liquid out as you can.
7. Allow the tincture to cool completely before closing the lid of your container.