Cannabis tinctures are very new on the market when compared to the cannabis plant’s long, thousands-year history. Cannabis tinctures for medical purposes were included in the United States Pharmacopeia in 1851 after being acknowledged for the first time as a medication in European medicine in 1839. Despite decades of prohibition, tinctures continue to be a great (and smoke-free) way to consume cannabis for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

In the past, tinctures were defined as “medicine suspended in alcohol.” And today, cannabis tinctures are still precisely that (although the definition has been slightly modified to cover tinctures made with oil and glycerin). Making tinctures is easy; you only need a little time for the decarboxylated cannabis flower and high-proof grain alcohol to combine into a potent concoction. You will feel both like a doctor and a witch as you delicately serve yourself a dropper at a time.

Getting to Understand Tinctures

It’s essential to get knowledge of the fundamentals before beginning to make tinctures. Even though tinctures have a reputation for being effective, they are still moderate and straightforward enough for beginners.

What Kinds of Alcohol Are in Tinctures?

The best type of alcohol for your tincture should be clear-grain alcohol with high alcohol content. The most popular is the Everclear 190-proof (usually, the label is navy blue and gold). Unfortunately, there are some places where selling 190-proof alcohol is prohibited. If that applies to your location, you might be able to place an online order and have it delivered. If not, check your local liquor store for high-proof clear alcohol. More than 120 proof is preferred (but first, look for 151 proof).

Are you unsure if you can completely exclude the alcohol and use another carrier, such as MCT oil or glycerin? Yes, technically, you could. But when taken sublingually (under the tongue), neither glycerin nor MCT oil is as quick to act and as successful at providing therapeutic advantages. Both slow sublingual absorption because saliva takes longer to break them down than alcohol, but you should still try MCT or glycerin tinctures if you need them for something else.

How Soon Can I Feel the Effects of a Tincture?

Sublingual cannabis tinctures with alcohol deliver relief significantly more quickly than conventional edibles. Your mouth, especially the area behind the tongue, is packed with capillaries near the surface of relatively porous skin, which can enable the effects to feel stronger and appear more quickly. And it implies speedy bloodstream absorption.

Therefore, tinctures frequently become effective in less than 30 minutes, in contrast to typical edibles, which might take up to 2 hours to become fully effective. But keep in mind that since everyone metabolizes THC differently, your experience might vary.

How Much of a Tincture Dose Is a Full Dose?

A complete dose is basically whatever your body requires, which will vary depending on who you are. Since a standard dropper carries around a milliliter of liquid, tinctures are dosed in milligrams of THC or CBD per milliliter (mg/mL). 10 mg/mL (or 10 mg per dropper) is the usual tincture dose, but several products have a range of 1–20 mg/mL. Knowing the potency of your particular tincture is essential for this reason (whether handmade or from a dispensary).

Remember that since tinctures skip the body’s digestive and filtration systems, they have a little more substantial effect than foods. It’s always advisable to start with half of the suggested quantity (perhaps 5 milligrams of THC) and work your way up to the higher amount. For beginner cannabis users, a dose of 10 milligrams of THC may be too much. It is better only to consume what you need of grain alcohol because it is so unpleasant on the tongue and stomach.

Two Significant Advantages of Tinctures

Tinctures are an excellent option for first-time edible users and producers for two key reasons. They are firstly simple to dose and measure. Furthermore, many uses for them do not involve inhaling smoke.

Easy Measurements

No matter what your intention is when eating cannabis orally, precise measurements are crucial because the effects last significantly longer than when cannabis is inhaled. Consuming too much THC can have adverse effects like paranoia; therefore, beginners to cannabis should exercise caution. To control their symptoms, many medical cannabis consumers need to utilize a precise quantity of THC or CBD.

When using a dropper to dose tinctures, you can always get exact, modest doses—no, there’s a need to wonder how much you’re taking or worry that you could be taking too much. Tinctures are the preferred route of consumption for cannabis microdoses because they’re so simple to measure. Tinctures are useful for beginner and experienced cannabis users due to their ability to deliver precise yet powerful impacts.

Various Methods of Delivery

In addition to being simple to dose, tinctures are also simple to consume—and there are many different ways to do so. The most common method of taking tinctures is sublingual, which entails putting the liquid beneath your tongue for 30 to 60 seconds before swallowing it. As was already established, this enables faster effects by allowing the cannabinoids to enter the bloodstream immediately. Alcohol tinctures are the most effective when taken sublingually.

If sublingual intake isn’t for you, tinctures may also be easily included in foods and drinks; just remember that the impacts will take a little longer to show. Additionally, tinctures can create canna sugar or directly add liquid to homemade baked items like cookies, brownies, and hard candies. Last but not least, using tinctures prepared with vegetable glycerin in a tank-style vape pen is safe (however, as they are hazardous to vaporize, avoid trying this with tinctures that contain alcohol or MCT oil).

Cannabis Tincture Recipe: Step-by-Step Instructions

Are you willing to make a homemade cannabis tincture? Here are the things you need and the steps you take.

Tools

• Scale
• Tinfoil (Optional)
• Sheet pan
• Measuring cup
• Mason jar
• Mesh strainer
• Coffee filters or cheesecloth
• Amber or dark-colored glass dropper bottles or jars for storage (the airtightness of the glass container is more crucial than its color)
• Dropper (Optional)

Ingredients

• Raw cannabis flower measuring 3.5-7 grams
• 2 to 4 ounces of clear, high-proof grain alcohol (the ideal proof is 190)

Note: We usually wind up with doses of THC that average 11–15 mg per milliliter and 2.5 ounces/75 ml of tincture when We use our favorite ratio of 4 grams of flowers to 3 ounces of alcohol.

Steps

Cannabis flowers should be decarboxylated. Turn the oven’s temperature up to 240 degrees. Cut the cannabis buds into roughly equal-sized pieces (about a popcorn kernel that has only half popped). On the baking sheet, spread the plant matter in an even layer. To conserve terpenes and retain the smell, wrap with tinfoil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the flower scents more pleasantly and the buds are slightly darker (almost browned).

Before proceeding to the next stage, let the pan cool for at least 15 minutes in order to preserve terpenes.

In a mason jar, combine the alcohol and decarbed flower. Secure the top. After giving it a gentle shake, put the jar somewhere cool and dark for at least two weeks. Over those more than two weeks, gently shake the jar each day.

Following the completion of the soak, separate the flower from the alcohol using a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, and then keep it in a dark-colored jar in a dark, cool place.

Proper Tincture Storage

Tinctures are simple to store. To hold it, you require a clean glass container. Ideally, use opaque glass or amber. Next, keep the jar away from sources of extreme heat and light. A cabinet located close to your oven/stove is a wonderful place to start. Additionally, we’ve started freezing tinctures using alcohol as the main ingredient.

If kept in an airtight container and kept in a cool, dark place, tinctures with alcohol as an ingredient have an endless shelf life. Using it within six months or less is advisable because the potency could diminish over time. THC potency won’t likely persist as long as vegetable glycerin, which has a two to four-year shelf life. MCT should be handled similarly to coconut oil. In other words, use or lose it, and don’t create more money than you can reasonably use in a few months.

Final Conclusion

If the simple dosing, minimal upkeep infusion, and variety of uses haven’t persuaded you to use tinctures, allow us to add one more benefit to the list: Tinctures are discrete and simple to keep from prying eyes (or noses). Tinctures have almost no fragrance after decarboxylation and certainly none that would permeate walls. They are, therefore, simple to consume or incorporate into other drinks or foods without informing anyone.

It’s a breeze to master tinctures, and they’re destined to become a kitchen and medical cabinet standard in cannabis-friendly households. You’ll be reaching for that bottle quite a bit because of how simple it is to use and all the different applications. Speak with a qualified medical cannabis doctor at KIF Doctors to learn more about utilizing tinctures for medicinal purposes.