CannaPharm Medical Oil Book Update & Holiday Edibles & Bowls - Oct2012~thru~Jan2013

Just a quick photo-dump update, sharing what I've been up to lately... lots of edibles, frosty nuggage, and hash... things
have been pretty hectic, but I've been thinking of you all, often!


I've received many PMs and requests over the last few months for progress updates, and an ETA on the CannaPharm
book, as well as requests for updates in the thread; don't worry, I've been putting every spare moment I have into getting it
done!


Things have been very busy, locally, with old and new patients. I'm already beginning year two of my trial grows with the
MBS strain, from the Wizards of Oz, and I've been teaching a few more local and online classes on growing and cooking each
month, than I was this time last year (more than I can handle comfortably to be honest!). I also was recently asked to speak
at a new 'Marijuana World Summit', which (I believe) I will accept.

So things have been busy!




I'm completing the final-final draft of the first volume (had formatting issues which delayed the pre-holiday release), but
the holidays and their consequential meals and treats gave me plenty of extra ammo to squeeze in.
A few of the below recipes will be available in the CannaPharm thread, and the rest, as well as a dozen or so more, including
fresh, streamlined and 'more-concise' oil tutorials, will be included in the first book!



As always, the oil and tincture updates will be available for free, online; they are the most crucial aspect in any edible, and
everyone deserves to know how to medicate properly.

Availability of information, for those who need it most, is the main reason I was not just apprehensive to accept publishing a
book, but why I was totally against it, and why I instead devoted the last twelve or thirteen years to assisting as many people
as possible within the community online, where anyone with an internet connection or a town library can have access.
People need free access to the most important information, just as much as they need affordable access to their meds.

Making donations and providing assistance to those who need it most without any concern for compensation, have been
rules I've governed myself by.... which could explain my car-less-ness, and the fact I'm living in a foreclosed house, hoping
every day that I don't get the word I'm on the streets.


Finally publishing should improve my spirits concerning the above... in spite of anything I've been through, medically
and with the quality of my life, I think the book will make me feel a little more proud of the footprint I've left on the world,
when I can't be around to help anymore.



But if it wasn't for the motivation I received here, at GrassCity, there would never have been even a thought about a book!
In spite of my initial stubbornness, you folks convinced me to see that, internet aside, there is definitely value in having a hard
copy of the information, in-hand, while working in the kitchen.



So thank you.


I truly hope that I can meet your expectations, and that the paper version of the CannaPharm helps to make your own
canna kitchens, all the more functional!




Anyhow, without further ado....





All the dishes in the photo below, including the berries and the cranberry punch, were VERY potent... a bit too much
when combined, for a few people (this does not include any of the 'unadulterated' dishes, that guests brought ).







Some New Year's Eve shots...











The oil below began with a strong batch of mixed indica hash oil, cut down, to decrease and level out potency, with
our favorite canna oil of the season made from the popcorn buds of the TRCP#3 (creating a powerful dose per cap, for
most patients, or a three or four cap dose for myself).

Each jar and bottle below, along with a few smaller gift bags with caps and chocolates, were given to the local
patients most in-need and those who had suffered the most hardship this year... enough for most to medicate daily, until
at least spring!



Another Xmas, or New Year bowl of MBS....



Had a very small group here for Christmas, these were the medicated dishes.... the Moose Pops contain 4 solid doses for
most patients, the Hashy Bars contain 4 - 6 doses (these were also given as gifts!)....



Half are 'Holiday Candy Cane' flavor, such as the fellow with the painted toenails, the rest were Original, Orange, and Amaretto.




More New Year's Eve, shots....






Project TRCP#3 flowers, with POG#8 shatter....
















Blueberry Widow.... greasy with terpenes *droool*!







More MBS, with it's wonderful helices of various purple-blue-red anthocyanins, throughout the trichomes...










I made SIXTEEN of these ChiCanna Cordon Bleu rolls for brunch, with and without shrimp (lol ), New Year's Day!






Those who wanted to toast, rather than kiss at Midnight, did so with these, and another drink included in the book....





Now some Autumn and Halloween stuff's...


Healthy Ghosts, with omega oils, alfalfa, hemp protein, collagen and more!




Some not-so-healthy, and very decadent, Canna EYEBALLS with Raspberry HASH-Blood Jell!








And some 'Restaurant Style' Chinese Chicken Noodle Hash Soup, with little Jack-o'-lantern Hash Truffles....




Another New Year's Even bowl or two.....







A Lemon Haze shatter drop, on MBS...











And finally, a treat I've been making all year thanks to a GC member request (I'm finally following through on the pics &
tutorial, so look out for the book! )....

Hashy Meringue Mushrooms!

There's nothing fungal, or psychedelic, about these little 'hash oil imbued' fellows... in case anyone was concerned





And again, here are the crucial oil recipes for anyone who needs them now;

Yes- The oils recipes CAN be followed using clarified butter, and if you're using pre-vaped bud, just skip decarboxylation
where activation has already taken place, and continue processing -just- as described in the tutorial, to promote complete
extraction, and most importantly, bioavailability!

BadKat's Highly Activated & Bioavailable, Med-Grade Cannabis Concentrate (Edible & Smokable recipes included...
similar to Phoenix Tears/RSO & BHO, but bioavailable and made with food grade/drinking alcohol. The tutorial can ALSO
be used for making edible & bioavailable oil from any BHO or other concentrates you may already have!
You may dissolve in alcohol and transfer the solution to oil, or manually agitate as-is, in warm oil, then continue
heating -just- as described to form a bioavailable solution.)

-Medical Grade Cannabis Concentrate-






BadKat's Highly Activated & Bioavailable, Med-Grade Hash Oil (starting with dry-sift hash, same as capsule recipe,
oil can also be used for cooking)

Med-Grade Hash Oil






BadKat's Highly Activated & Bioavailable, Med-Grade Canna Oil (starting with flowers/bud/trim etc)

Med-Grade Canna Oil







And that just about concludes my 'little tease' preview


I just want to thank you all, again, for being SUCH an inspirational, motivational community! Like any family, there are the
trouble-makers and black sheep, but for the most part I wouldn't have this place any other way... I love you guys!




Hope you all have a Happy New Year! - BKS

 

Glad you like! And thanks for the kind words

 

I try not to give ratios of herb for any of the recipes, or even suggest what I like to use anymore myself, because the dosage per recipe/serving is patient dependent and we had a TON of greening out early on, and on the other end of the spectrum, we'd have a few patients with requirements higher than my own, who would need two doses at a time.


Everyone smokes and eats a different amount, so just like you wouldn't use a pasta-strength oil, in a batch of brownies, you wouldn't give two patients (one with triple+ the dosage requirements of the other, for instance) the same strength oil!

But a concentrated oil is still a good idea for anyone though, as far as usefulness goes, because if your tolerance is low, or if the recipe requires more oil than you've made (but you still have more than enough total doses), you're then able to make up for the remainder of the fat required, by using the specific oil source that the recipe calls for.... so you can use coconut oil for your canna/hash, and once that's done, if you still need another few spoons or quarter cup to complete the recipe, you can use your oil in the correct dosage PLUS the butter or lard that the recipe suggests.


So if you're not making it for a specific recipe, or you're going to be making a few cups or gallons of oil for multiple recipes, you don't need to think "OK, how many servings will this make, how much oil does it require, and how many doses should I add to it".



A concentrated oil can be used for any (well, more ) recipes, because you can use less of your oil if needed, and add more fat.

A weak oil on the other hand, will have more limitations... if it's too weak for a particular recipe, you're left to cut it with a stronger oil, or save it for another time.





Just remember how many total doses are in X-amount of oil (label your jars/bottles so you remember!), and when the time comes to it, separate the number of doses needed based on how many servings your recipe makes, and if it falls short on the fat content, add X-amount of the additional fat the recipe requires, to make up for the rest.




Long story short (I know, I know.. I probably could have left it at this ) I've found that 16g+/- per cup of oil is usually a good guideline for flowers, as far as strain-ability goes. A higher or lower glandular content can allow you to add very slightly more or less herb... just like you'd be able to add more hash to the same oil, when compared to flowers, the greater the resin content in your flowers (where glandular material more dense than the inert plant matter) the slightly more you can get away with adding, without hurting your oil return upon straining.


When finished you can save yourself some effort by letting most of the oil drip out on its own, by placing everything in a screen and cheesecloth, suspended over a holding pan.
Once it's your turn to step in after the dripping has stopped, you'll get the most return by squeezing the smallest 'wads' of oily plant matter, whether manually or with the aid of a press... if you squeeze too much material all at once, it will feel 'empty' or like you just can't get any more oil out, but if you divide that same bit into smaller portions, there's always some squeeze-able oil left inside (you may need to gently re-heat it midway through if you're working with a lot and it cools... hot oil, even those that stay liquid at room temp, strains more easily than cold oil).

Oh, we usually add 1tsp of lecithin granules for every 3Tbsp of oil give or take, but if you're just experimenting with it now, you can make small batches and try using a little more or less, just to see what works best for you, before investing your time and efforts in producing an entire gallon+ of oil.




Here's the excerpt on dosing from that link:

 

You guys crack me up! I would adopt, or at least cook for everyone, if I could!


If that 'GC Island' concept I keep reading about ever gets off the ground, maybe I'll show up with some oil and a few ingredients every once in a while.


But seriously, who knows what the future will bring, especially if things keep moving froward with legalization... I would definitely be interested in pitching in at a GC member function.

A potluck dinner, perhaps?

I prefer it infused with the oil, but a few patients have reported some success when taking solid lecithin supplements an hour or so before their medibles, and liquid 'oil' lecithin (which is not the kind we use for processing; it contains a fraction of the amount of lecithin gram for gram, where it is suspended in a soy oil) 15 - 20 minutes beforehand, if lecithin has not been included in the oil.

This gives the body ample time to break down the lecithin, when in solid pill form, and then integrate it into the surrounding tissue which can effect permeability and absorption of any subsequent chemicals or nutrients.


Both lecithin and oil or oily foods work similarly in this way, when taken in advance, which is why you'll hear many people suggesting to have a small meal or snack with a light oil content, when possible, forty minutes to an hour or so before taking a medible.
Besides manipulating the first pass effect, by tiring out the liver and depleting a portion of the enzymes which (for many people with 'normal', or fully functional livers) can over-metabolize and burn off cannabinoids, by eating something with a tiny bit of oil, your cell walls will be 'lubed up' and ready to pass additional chemicals much more readily.


As a result, when your cannabinoids are individually and properly 'encapsulated' in a persistent layer of lipids, and your cell walls and liver are primed, you can begin to achieve the onset of therapeutic benefits after consumption, in as little as 10 - 15 minutes!

That's much better than the old two-to-three hour onset you'll hear people suggesting for most water-butters and street edibles!


Unfortunately many clinics and caregivers are still following the old recipes, so that kind of wait and variability is not entirely unheard of in the medical community, either.


-----


But as for adding it to your oil now, where it's already made....


To infuse lecithin with any available cannabinoids, to make both available at once so they may work in tandem, it requires adequate time and gentle heat.


**** But I would be hesitant to suggest heating it any longer, if it is already provides the type of effects you're looking for. ****



If you're happy with the level of cerebral effects and/or sedation that you're getting from your oil now, or if you haven't tried this particular batch but you're familiar with making oil, and with heating for as long as you have, then you won't want to heat any further at the risk of causing cannabinoid conversion and degradation.

If that's the case, you'd be best off taking lecithin supplements in advance, and then adding lecithin to your next batch of oil, at the beginning of the process, so it has the opportunity to be fully dissolved, suspended in your oil, and can play its role in encapsulating or coating your cannabinoids.


Then if you've tried both ways, you'll have the benefit of deciding which you prefer.

A few patients over the years have preferred lecithin separately, or they will request two batches of oil for different purposes, one with lecithin, and one without (oddly, for contradictory reasons... some insist it kicks in faster, others suggest it helps them regulate the length and duration of their effects. Our bodies function and metabolize very differently from one another, for genetic, hormonal, and even environmental reasons due to, among other things, the varying food and chemical exposure we've had since birth..... it's why we have different caloric intake requirements, and why medications, chemicals and supplements can effect us differently).


(And about continued heating.... Additional and even gentle heating, before 'notable' degradation or much loss in total cannabinoid content takes place, will gradually convert THC, one of the most heat-sensitive of the primary cannabinoids, to CBN, which also raises both the ratio of 'CBN : still-available THC', & 'CBG : still-available THC'... when too much of this occurs, as a result, the oil will produce meds better used for sleep purposes.
And if you're a recreational user, or someone who wants to medicate even with some powerful narcotic effects, but you still want to remain somewhat aware and alert, or functional, then it's best to avoid over-heating. Very old or poorly stored herb, with naturally degraded/converted cannabinoids, will do the same when made into oil.

These oils, are responsible for the times when patients or rec-users will complain that their edibles put them to sleep, whether at low or high doses, before they have the opportunity to enjoy the effects. Very low doses will seem to do either nothing, or they'll eventually put you to sleep, while high doses just knock you out faster, and for a longer duration )



-----


As far as topicals go, both lecithin AND the MCTs (particularly capric, caprylic and lauric acids) in coconut oil, are used pharmaceutically to enhance transdermal application of chemicals.


Once you've made your oil, if you want to skip making it into a firmer solid and 'less-greasy' form, you can begin applying it at whatever strength works best for you, directly to the affected areas. It's as easy as that!



But you can very easily combine your oil with everything from fancy store-bought and 'designer' cosmetic lotions, creams and butters, or you can make your own using essential oils, cocoa butter, mango butter, shea butters, hemp seed oils, avocado oils, aloe gel, beeswax and more!

The lecithin already in your oil, makes it VERY easy to whip and blend into other substances, to form a homogenized suspension of ingredients.


The benefit of adding waxes, and butters and oils with higher melting points, is that your medicine can be retained closer to the skin for a longer duration, and although it does not eliminate it (so avoid brushing against things!), it reduces wipe-off or waste.


*** Waxes and other ingredients can decrease the immediate effects. They contain components which are somewhat less 'available', or are even entirely unavailable to your skin; they remain on the surface longer and behave as protectants and sealers, and of the available content your skin can only absorb so much, in so much time.

HOWEVER: they can also allow you to apply higher doses all at once, and can prolong the overall length of therapeutic benefit, reducing the need to re-apply quite so frequently, if reapplication is required at all after the first application of the day! ***



For immediate effects: use your regular coconut/lecithin canna oil, as-is, and to protect the medicine from being wiped away if you plan on being busy, and if you'd like to speed absorption further, cover the area in plastic wrap or a nitrile bandage, and if possible, submerge the area in very warm water, or cover with a heating pad or heated blanket.


I have my spine and hips treated a few times a month this way; oil coat, plastic wrap, then a heating pad will be rested from one area to the next, or (my preferred way) I'll have a thermal massager covered with a nitrile glove used on me.... it's heaven!


-----



Again, I had a few minutes so that was probably WAY more than you wanted or needed to know... I really struggle with one or two sentence responses!


To be honest, I think it still makes me feel uncomfortable just 'telling people what to do', even just as an offer of advice. It makes me feel, I don't know.... pushy, even after all these years



I compensate by adding why I come to the conclusions that I do, so that whoever needs help can make informed decisions, related to their questions, and sometimes even beyond what they were asking for.

It's easy to get impulsive when you're cooking, because experimenting is fun and impulsiveness has brought us some of the best dishes (and some of our greatest inventions!), and it's even easier to panic when you're half-way through doing something with rare or valuable ingredients, and you get stuck.....


When you've heard a tip or just a bit of the 'why', even in passing, you sometimes won't even realize until you're finished how much it helped you through a tight spot in the kitchen, when you had to make a tough call, ASAP, and no one was around to ask!

 

Whether you're making a huge batch, or a single serving, the time and temps should remain the same, for the most consistent results between doses of the same strength or content, taken from each batch.



The problem, and why it definitely seems like a good idea to increase time with larger batches, is the even exposure of heat.



We counter this problem, first, by always decarbing the thinnest layer of material possible, probably to within 1/8 of an inch for dry-sift, and 1/3" - 1/4" for ground flowers, which increases the surface space (creating even heat exposure, when instead compared to a thick or dense pile, or layer of material, where the outer edges would invariably be much, much more 'complete', long before the internal area).


If this was about two chickens, or turkeys, then unless you plan on rolling them flat, you'd definitely need add more time to get the job done, and cook through the center of the larger of the two birds (well, they're hollow, but you know what I mean ).




And secondly, always pre-heat your oven AND your oil, and bring both up to temperature before adding your herb... be sure that you're quick with replacing or re-closing your foil or oven bag seal, if you don't want much odor or terpene-loss.



- If a small amount of herb, goes into a small amount of heated oil, and then into an oven that is regulating the temperature in that same area, it will continue to heat the contents consistently near that temperature.

- If a large amount of herb, goes into a large amount of heated oil, and then into an oven that is regulating the temperature in that same area, it will continue to heat the contents consistently near that temperature.



In the end, whether the portion is large or small, you've just given each batch virtually the same exposure to heat and oil.




---


And always remember that, while the effects of your oil can be controlled to a certain extent, the outcome is still very much strain dependent.


If you can keep your heat exposure consistent, by using those little tricks, then you should notice a much bigger difference between two batches of oil, of the same size, when made from two different strains, than you'd notice between very large and very small batches of oil, made using the same herb.

 

Here's an excerpt from the concentrate tutorial that may help concerning heating times and the outcome or effect, it goes into a little more detail than the canna oil tut..... and if the herb is obviously older, maybe bricked or brown, and if you're going for 'cerebral' sensations and functionality, then less (heat/time) is better! The older the herb, the closer to a 'level 5' it likely is.


(I'm sorry if the formatting is funky.... I copied right from one thread to here, which usually isn't a problem, so I'm not sure why it looks odd now. Maybe it will fix itself when I click submit...)




"The below describes the 'range' of effects provided by different levels of activation, their benefits, and the desired outcome for the

patients who choose them.


Starting with:


The least activation, producing a bioavailable solution of mostly carboxyl-intact acid components; Continuing right through to

decarboxylation, and active cannabinoids and chemicals, free of their carboxyl groups; And finally finishing with

degradation and the byproducts of degraded THC.







1.) - Some patients require 'inactive' but bioavailable THCA, CBNA, CBDA and the other (to us) 'inactive acids', and in

flowers those doses can range from .05g to as high as 4.5g, without 'doping up' or intoxicating a patient much, if at all even

at the highest doses. These are cold tinctures, processed with material that is as fresh as possible, without decarbing.

Cold, but most importantly bioavailable extractions (more than just 'juicing' plant matter is required!), provide powerful

anti-cancer/mutagenic, anti-seizure/spasmodic benefits and they provide wonderful pain relief without reducing sensation

of touch, they reduce swelling and inflammation even in lower doses, and especially at higher doses, and they provide especially

wonderful relief for specifically for MS, Parkinson's, as well as for generally frail patients, and also for those suffering

from seizures.

Where it takes literally only a day or two to build up a tolerance to the highest of doses, and these oils and tinctures do

not make a person feel overwhelmed, they are wonderful for treating patients who suffer from very powerful seizures,

and similar attacks. Cannabis is incredibly non-toxic, an incredibly larger dose may be given to both provide relief, and

to control the symptoms of more intense attacks, preventing further injury.

These oils and tinctures are also somewhat mood elevating, but still, for the most part it's without that medicated feeling.

You will have very good pain relief, without losing your sensation of touch.





2.) - The first sensations (following a cold tincture that has had no activation) of an oil or tincture with only limited or partial activation

and decent bioavailability, are primarily cerebral.

In higher doses, these under-processed edibles can cause some mild anxiety and even paranoia in some patients; hyperventilating,

'room-spins', racing-mind/thoughts, even vomiting, these are not uncommon side-effects of over-consumption of THC

and trace amounts of THCA, when they are consumed in quantity, minus some of the important experience-regulating byproducts,

of degradation.




3.) - Then, some patients want to feel relaxed, nicely buzzed but still functional, and they need something that elevates their

mood without gluing them to the couch. In which case edibles decarbed and processed in oil, as described in most of

the tutorials here, are a great place to start.



For those first starting out with edibles, I make sure their first few doses are about half of what they'd normally smoke in

a single session, or in a single day if they are heavy smokers. Once they know what to expect, the average dose most

people are satisfied with (but at the sane time they are not too overwhelmed by), is right around the same amount used in a

24 hour period. It's strong enough to either keep them from smoking quite as much in a day, or it actually out-right replaces

their smoking for the day.



So if you smoke a gram a day, you'll want to eat between a half gram, to a gram in a well-processed edible. I like to split

my daily dose into two to three smaller doses. Sometimes I take them in quick succession, sometimes I spread them

out, and finish with a 'sleeper'... Deciding what level of processing you need, can be the tricky part.






4.) - The longer you heat in oil (to a certain extent, up to four or five hours), the more 'body intensive' the sensations

will become, without a noticeable diminish in potency.

At these levels of activation you have highly effective pain relief, that can sometimes be powerful enough to effect

sensitivity to touch.... for instance if you have a low tolerance, you may notice that you become clumsy, or 'loose and wobbly'

on well-activated oil, you may lose some sensation of touch.

Four to six hours in oil at 220 f, or longer, and I'm either stuck to the couch, or falling fast asleep!




5.) Any longer than a few hours at such temperatures will noticeably reduce THC content. But while 'perceived potency' diminishes, and

the ratio of THC begins to fall, the material becomes overloaded with byproducts of degraded THC, primarily in the form of

delta-8-THC and CBN, and when combined they are powerfully sedative.

While their effects may seem weak during the time you can keep your eyes open, these oils and tinctures usually knock a patient

out cold within 45 - 60 minutes, leaving them well rested upon waking the following morning (or afternoon)!"