does curing increase the potency?

They use to use dry ice back in the 60's and 70's to increase potency, because the bud was shit back then. Can be seen in the doco ' Mexico Gold'....
THey use to compact it with dry ice in paper bags.

I believe curing the bud does increase the potency, probabably not by much, but would be more potent than not curing it.

 

it converts certain chemicals in the bud to give the bud an overall higher quality, not only in potency, but appearance, smell, taste, etc.

 

Yes Jimmy, thru the process of decarboxylation, curing does improve the high, taste, smell and burning qualities of your harvested marijuana!

Gee golly, sir, what's decarboxylation?!

Well Jimmy, the THC molecule comes in many forms. In it's naturally occuring state in the plant, it will FUCK you up. But, after harvest if you store it in the right conditions a CO2 molecule will break off from the THC molecule making it more psychoactive and bioavailable.

WILLIKERS. What does all that mean for me??



































YOU GON' GIT HIGH!

 

just concurring with the others that yes it does increase potency.

 

Definitly best way is putting all you bud in mason jars, or some type of jar that is airtight.

 

How does putting it in those mason jars help exactly?

 

yeahh!? what magical process happens when nugs are packed in a mason jar?

 

any air-tight container will work. even "tupperware". i'm to believe that something that isn't transparent might work better as light is said to degrade thc. just my .02 though.

 

to my understanding by placing in mason jars for curing allows the remaining moisture within the bud to even out, and allowing excess moisture to evaporate. this creates a "sweating" effect and this is why it is nessesary to open the jar for a few mins each day - to allow the excess moisture to leave.

Over several days, this leads to evenly dry, chlorophyl (sp??) free weed

this is just from reading and my own basic scientific knowledge, so correct me if im wrong...

 

My 3rd harvest Id say yes after many different types of plants. It seems you can really start to tell around 10 to 14 days curing.

 

I want to play devil's advocate here, or rock the boat so to speak.

Curing does NOT improve potency. It technically loses potency.

The THC breaks down in CBN and the various other cannabinoids and terpines as it cures leaving you with less THC, but smoother, better tasting smoke with a high that lasts longer.

 

Akhans, that was my belief as well

 

so less THC but a better high? how does that work?

 

there is more then one chem in your grass that effects how you feel, with THC just being the most potent of the blend

 

Evening out the moisture could affect the way it burns also, which could potentially affect the potency. It's true, THC degrades over time even when properly stored, but in the short term curing does seem to increase potency from my experience. Decarboxylation as someone mentioned.

Ed Rosenthal in CannabisCulture said: "Marijuana produces THCA, an acid with the carboxylic group (COOH) attached. In its acid form, THC is not very active. It is only when the carboxyl group is removed that THC becomes psychoactive."

From Mycotopia:
"Before drying, decarboxylation of inactive THCA acid into delta9 THC has not yet occurred. During the curing (drying) process, the COOH bonded to the THCA is released. The result is marijuana’s psychoactive compound delta9 THC. The material must also lose its water molecule for decarbox to occur."

 

My thoughts on curing and its effects on the overall high is that once a bud is cured properly it burns smoother. So your getting the full potential of the smoke.