Expansion420
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2012
- Messages
- 154
Hello BL, this is a recipe for what I call the "Golden Honey Elixir". It is essentially a tincture, and it is delicious. It makes a great vehicle for added supplements such as zinc, echinacea, chamomile, turmeric and more. Encapsulating this golden mixture is an ideal pharmaceutical replacement for a plethora of ailments. Let's begin!
Ingredients:
1.5 fl. oz 95% Everclear, frozen
3 grams decarboxylated cannabis, finely ground (almost powder)
1 tbsp. local honey (local honey has been found to make you healthier, but regular honey works as well)
5-10 drops of your favorite flavoring (natural lemon extract works wonderfully in this recipe but it is optional)
Materials:
[1] small glass mason jar
[1] cookie sheet
[1] oven in a well ventilated area
[1] grinder
[1] food processor
[1] standard shot glass
[1] freezer
[1] double boiler (substitute for a glass pyrex dish that fits securely over a pot of boiling water)
[1] 1 fl. oz glass dropper/tincture bottle (can be bought at the local health food store)
[1] rubber scraper (spatula)
[1] wire whisk
[1] glass bowl
[1] metal funnel (small enough to fit inside the glass tincture bottle)
[30] empty gelatin capsules (optional)
cheesecloth
Procedure:
Today we are making an elixir. The abstract here is to isolate the cannabinoids from our plant material in a suspension of alcohol, reduce the alcohol down to a very small percentage, and suspend the remaining cannabinoid extract in honey. This mixture is delicious and nutritious in its raw state. It makes a great sweetener to a morning cup of tea, a fantastic vessel for carrying other medicinal herbs, or simply as a delicious treat dispensed right into the mouth! When encapsulated, this elixir makes fantastic supplements to be taken in the mornings, afternoons and nights. Just one capsule three times a day has been enough to reduce my smoking consumption from 10g a week to 4g. For me, this is preventative medicine, and it is a hell of a lot more frugal to medicate using this recipe, and using edibles made with my Canna-Coconut Oil recipe. Combined, you can create cost-effective medicine for yourself and feel well 24/7.
Step 1: Decarboxylation
In order to create a potent elixir, you must first understand the medicine. Cannabis flowers in their natural dried state contain very small percentages of THC. In fact, freshly cured cannabis flowers contain a very large concentration of THCA, or 2-COOH-THC. This molecule is not psychoactive, which is why eating raw cannabis does not get you high. In order to create an edible form of your bud, this heat-based conversion process is essential to creating a proper product. Decarboxylation is the process in which the COOH group is removed from the chain, leaving tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. Once the flowers have been decarboxylated, they can begin releasing their resinous trichomes into our solvent. More on that later.
Begin by preheating your oven to 205°F (I find that any temperature below 212°F but above 180°F is appropriate and effective for this procedure). I like to place a pizza stone in my oven before I turn it on. This helps hold the heat of the circulating air in one spot and helps maintain the temperature very evenly; but this option is entirely up to you. The cookie sheet will work fine.
Next, loosely grind your buds using the food processor or grinder. The bud wants to be shakey, with some popcorn nuggets floating around. Not powder, and not even as fine as broken up with your fingers. A gloved hand and a pair of scissors also works well for this step.
Next, dump the contents of your grind directly onto your cookie sheet. {NOTE- if you used the food processor, be sure to bang out the bowl for kief}
Place the cookie sheet into the oven at 205°F for 45 minutes. When the time is up, congratulations, you have effectively converted your smokable weed into orally active weed.
Step 2: Freezing your Flowers
The next step is a bit crucial. Once the bud has finished the decarboxylation process, it is very important to allow significant cooling time. To do this, I allow 30 minutes out of the oven for the bud to come to room temperature. I then place it in a small glass mason jar and nestle it in the ice maker in my freezer. Allow at least two hours for the freeze to take place. I allow a 24 hour freeze. What this step does is it hardens the trichomes enough to the point where they easily detach from the plant material into your solvent. Not allowing significant freeze time can result in loss of potency, wasted product, and unhappy times. Just put it in the freezer.
Step 3: Extracting the Medicine
Once your bud has been frozen, measure out 1.5 fl. oz of your frozen Everclear using the standard shot glass. A shot and a half is equal to 1.5 fl. oz. Add the alcohol into the mason jar containing your frozen herb. Assemble the lid and shake vigorously for a few minutes. This process is essential, as the sudden and constant agitation of the mixture will cause rapid release and solubility of the trichomes we are trying to harness. After 3-5 minutes of shaking, return the jar to the freezer for 4 hours, turning it over every 30 minutes.
Step 4: Straining the Extract
Place a sheet of doubled over cheesecloth over a glass bowl and create a well. Secure the cheesecloth to the bowl using a rubber band, or a friend's hands. Pour the contents of your mason jar into the bowl, collecting every last drop. When the drops stop, CAREFULLY remove the rubber band (I use a pair of scissors). Ball up the remaining herb and SQUEEZE out the remaining alcohol. At this stage you are ready to move on to step 5.
Step 5: Assembling our Lab
{NOTE- If your kitchen is not well ventilated, DO NOT attempt this step without first purchasing an electric food warmer and using it outdoors. We are reducing everclear, a highly flammable solvent, and do not want any explosions when making medicines!!!}
Fill your double boiler with water and bring the water to a rolling simmer. We are trying to create steam, and at the lowest temperature possible.
Step 6: Making the Elixir
Add the cannabinoid filled everclear to your double boiler and allow the liquid to reduce. This process may take up to 20 minutes. When the alcohol smell is no longer, and the liquid has turned syrupy, you can add the honey. Using a wire whisk, gently incorporate the reduced medicine mixture into the honey. The honey will become thin and watery over the heat. After about 30 minutes of incorporating, the mixture can be removed from the steam. Quickly transfer the completed elixir into your glass tincture bottle using the rubber scraper and the metal funnel. If the measurements were correct, your bottle should be completely full.
Step 7: Encapsulating the Mixture (OPTIONAL)
One bottle full of elixir yields approximately 30 capsules. Using the dropper included with the tincture bottle, carefully fill each capsule with the elixir. They will not melt the gelatin and keep indefinitely in a cool, dry place. This step should be done for a medical patient who can not smoke, and hates the taste of honey. This step is optional because as mentioned earlier, the elixir is DELICIOUS.
At this ratio, each capsule contains approximately 100mg of cannabis; which, if using high quality bud - and decarboxylated correctly - should create roughly a 20-25% THC content. This means that each capsule contains somewhere from 20mg-25mg THC. Since I live on the east coast, I do not have access to quality assurance testing, so these numbers are an estimate. But play around with different strains that you know well, and you can create an extremely potent elixir.
The amount of cannabis used in this recipe can be interchanged with up to 7g per 1 fl. oz.
Enjoy!
AC's Golden Honey Elixir
Yields 1 fl. oz [30 capsules]
Prep Time: 5 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1.5 fl. oz 95% Everclear, frozen
3 grams decarboxylated cannabis, finely ground (almost powder)
1 tbsp. local honey (local honey has been found to make you healthier, but regular honey works as well)
5-10 drops of your favorite flavoring (natural lemon extract works wonderfully in this recipe but it is optional)
Materials:
[1] small glass mason jar
[1] cookie sheet
[1] oven in a well ventilated area
[1] grinder
[1] food processor
[1] standard shot glass
[1] freezer
[1] double boiler (substitute for a glass pyrex dish that fits securely over a pot of boiling water)
[1] 1 fl. oz glass dropper/tincture bottle (can be bought at the local health food store)
[1] rubber scraper (spatula)
[1] wire whisk
[1] glass bowl
[1] metal funnel (small enough to fit inside the glass tincture bottle)
[30] empty gelatin capsules (optional)
cheesecloth
Procedure:
Today we are making an elixir. The abstract here is to isolate the cannabinoids from our plant material in a suspension of alcohol, reduce the alcohol down to a very small percentage, and suspend the remaining cannabinoid extract in honey. This mixture is delicious and nutritious in its raw state. It makes a great sweetener to a morning cup of tea, a fantastic vessel for carrying other medicinal herbs, or simply as a delicious treat dispensed right into the mouth! When encapsulated, this elixir makes fantastic supplements to be taken in the mornings, afternoons and nights. Just one capsule three times a day has been enough to reduce my smoking consumption from 10g a week to 4g. For me, this is preventative medicine, and it is a hell of a lot more frugal to medicate using this recipe, and using edibles made with my Canna-Coconut Oil recipe. Combined, you can create cost-effective medicine for yourself and feel well 24/7.
Step 1: Decarboxylation
In order to create a potent elixir, you must first understand the medicine. Cannabis flowers in their natural dried state contain very small percentages of THC. In fact, freshly cured cannabis flowers contain a very large concentration of THCA, or 2-COOH-THC. This molecule is not psychoactive, which is why eating raw cannabis does not get you high. In order to create an edible form of your bud, this heat-based conversion process is essential to creating a proper product. Decarboxylation is the process in which the COOH group is removed from the chain, leaving tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. Once the flowers have been decarboxylated, they can begin releasing their resinous trichomes into our solvent. More on that later.
Begin by preheating your oven to 205°F (I find that any temperature below 212°F but above 180°F is appropriate and effective for this procedure). I like to place a pizza stone in my oven before I turn it on. This helps hold the heat of the circulating air in one spot and helps maintain the temperature very evenly; but this option is entirely up to you. The cookie sheet will work fine.
Next, loosely grind your buds using the food processor or grinder. The bud wants to be shakey, with some popcorn nuggets floating around. Not powder, and not even as fine as broken up with your fingers. A gloved hand and a pair of scissors also works well for this step.
Next, dump the contents of your grind directly onto your cookie sheet. {NOTE- if you used the food processor, be sure to bang out the bowl for kief}
Place the cookie sheet into the oven at 205°F for 45 minutes. When the time is up, congratulations, you have effectively converted your smokable weed into orally active weed.
Step 2: Freezing your Flowers
The next step is a bit crucial. Once the bud has finished the decarboxylation process, it is very important to allow significant cooling time. To do this, I allow 30 minutes out of the oven for the bud to come to room temperature. I then place it in a small glass mason jar and nestle it in the ice maker in my freezer. Allow at least two hours for the freeze to take place. I allow a 24 hour freeze. What this step does is it hardens the trichomes enough to the point where they easily detach from the plant material into your solvent. Not allowing significant freeze time can result in loss of potency, wasted product, and unhappy times. Just put it in the freezer.
Step 3: Extracting the Medicine
Once your bud has been frozen, measure out 1.5 fl. oz of your frozen Everclear using the standard shot glass. A shot and a half is equal to 1.5 fl. oz. Add the alcohol into the mason jar containing your frozen herb. Assemble the lid and shake vigorously for a few minutes. This process is essential, as the sudden and constant agitation of the mixture will cause rapid release and solubility of the trichomes we are trying to harness. After 3-5 minutes of shaking, return the jar to the freezer for 4 hours, turning it over every 30 minutes.
Step 4: Straining the Extract
Place a sheet of doubled over cheesecloth over a glass bowl and create a well. Secure the cheesecloth to the bowl using a rubber band, or a friend's hands. Pour the contents of your mason jar into the bowl, collecting every last drop. When the drops stop, CAREFULLY remove the rubber band (I use a pair of scissors). Ball up the remaining herb and SQUEEZE out the remaining alcohol. At this stage you are ready to move on to step 5.
Step 5: Assembling our Lab
{NOTE- If your kitchen is not well ventilated, DO NOT attempt this step without first purchasing an electric food warmer and using it outdoors. We are reducing everclear, a highly flammable solvent, and do not want any explosions when making medicines!!!}
Fill your double boiler with water and bring the water to a rolling simmer. We are trying to create steam, and at the lowest temperature possible.
Step 6: Making the Elixir
Add the cannabinoid filled everclear to your double boiler and allow the liquid to reduce. This process may take up to 20 minutes. When the alcohol smell is no longer, and the liquid has turned syrupy, you can add the honey. Using a wire whisk, gently incorporate the reduced medicine mixture into the honey. The honey will become thin and watery over the heat. After about 30 minutes of incorporating, the mixture can be removed from the steam. Quickly transfer the completed elixir into your glass tincture bottle using the rubber scraper and the metal funnel. If the measurements were correct, your bottle should be completely full.
Step 7: Encapsulating the Mixture (OPTIONAL)
One bottle full of elixir yields approximately 30 capsules. Using the dropper included with the tincture bottle, carefully fill each capsule with the elixir. They will not melt the gelatin and keep indefinitely in a cool, dry place. This step should be done for a medical patient who can not smoke, and hates the taste of honey. This step is optional because as mentioned earlier, the elixir is DELICIOUS.
At this ratio, each capsule contains approximately 100mg of cannabis; which, if using high quality bud - and decarboxylated correctly - should create roughly a 20-25% THC content. This means that each capsule contains somewhere from 20mg-25mg THC. Since I live on the east coast, I do not have access to quality assurance testing, so these numbers are an estimate. But play around with different strains that you know well, and you can create an extremely potent elixir.
The amount of cannabis used in this recipe can be interchanged with up to 7g per 1 fl. oz.
Enjoy!
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