The VICS Recipes: Cannabutter

A tincture is an alcohol-base solution of a non-volatile medicine (in this case cannabis). In this case alcohol is not only the solvent used to separate cannabinoids from the plant matter, it is what makes this type of application (particularly in fine-mist form) more bio-available and therefore effective.
In whole-plant cannabis, THC content is expressed as THCA (tetrahydrocannabolic acid) prior to decarboxilation 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.
Below are detailed instructions based on a unique VICS research project that will allow you to convert the THCA from your bud or high quality leaf material into more usable THC with very little loss through vaporization.
Dry heat conversion of THCA into THC:
Preheat oven to 325°f exactly (purchase an oven thermometer if you're not sure).
Take cannabis leaf or bud and spread in a thin, 1 inch layer on a clean cookie sheet.
Put in the oven for 5 minutes exactly, remove, and transfer to glass or ceramic container to cool.
Tincture/Cannamist Recipe:
Pack a mason jar loosely but completely with converted cannabis product; add a few sprigs of fresh organic mint.
Add alcohol (50% is preferred, but 40% vodka works just fine) until the jar is full.
Seal, shake and put in a dark, cool place for 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks, strain mixture through fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Add 2-4 tablespoons of organic honey (to taste, but without over-sweetening the mixture).
Pour into bottles fitted with fine mist spray tops.
Dosage:
Initial Dosage: Spray two times on the inside of the cheek, and wait 30 seconds before swallowing. Wait ten minutes and if desired effect has not been reached, repeat on the opposite cheek. Wait ten minutes, and repeat until desired effect is achieved. Dosage will vary between users, but should remain fairly constant once established.
Effect will last for between 1-2 hours. Repeat use as needed.
If you feel dizzy or disoriented, immediately discontinue use. Do not operate heavy machinery or drive during use of this product.

That is there recipe, one of the best tincture recipes out there.

the final sentence could be straight from the FDA looks very good, so good that i will try it next weekend and i bet it will be great then

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Let me us know how it works out GN....could be interesting

lots of good info...thanks, is the bud already cured before it is heated in oven? And....i made some tincture and forgot about it till now..almost one year of bud sitting in a jar of vodka...anyone know if this will make me sick? Too chicken to try...

The alcohol should keep it safe....not sure how the cannabiniods will hold up after a year thoug...if it was dark and cool it may still be pretty good

My understanding is that the bud can be cured or uncured but un cured will result in a very green cholophy tasting tincture.

I used grain alcohol and uncured bud...honestly I find MJ chocolate or butter better for recreational use...but the tincture is more medicinal, trying to achieve the minimum needed dose for relief not a dose for recreatinal fun.

Wow, thanks for the info Scott06! I think you should go by Scott06, thc phd.

we all get that PhD if we stay on GreenPassion long enough...I am still just working on my masters of marijuana...the practical exams are the best part of trichome university.

i like lab!

hey scott i went ahead and made this a sticky, very useful

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Thanks for the awesome recipe, I am going to try it right now

Am I correct to assume this involves ingesting the alcohol ?
Some folks can't/won't consume alcohol.

Can I assume this tincture could also be left out in the open to evaporate and make into Oil ?

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Hi All,
Just wanted to chime in here and say that this method should definitely be the starting point for people that are experimenting with tincture/extraction. The great thing about making a tincture is that you can adjust the concentration so easily to make it suit your needs. you can dilute or concentrate to your desire.

I've been playing with tinctures for about 4 weeks now with varied results. The everclear base burns to much and daily use upsets my stomach. I cooked a batch of glycerin base , it came out weak so it takes a tablespoon full to get decent pain relief and that amount of glycerin seemed to make my kidneys hurt. My latest is made with 100 proof Vodka after soaking in a mason jar for a week I put 3" of water in the crock pot and put it on high, when it got up to temp. I put the mason jar in the water with the top off for 1 hour then removed it and strained out the herbs. Next I added a small amount of ground mint leaves and put it back in the crock pot for another hour, I then added some natural honey. after the honey dissolved I filtered it through a coffee filter. this batch tastes really good and is quite pottent.