E-Cigarettes: A How-To With Canna

Loading 510 cartos with straight hash oil..



You NEVER vape or smoke cooking oil, it is VERY different from the concentrates or 'oils' we smoke! It is very dangerous and unhealthy, your lungs are not meant to process lipids, this is how you get permanent scarring, reduced lung function, and even lipid pneumonia which can be very hard to cure and causes damage in and of itself. Most likely, you're experience an additional 'buzz' from oxygen deprivation. Please, understand the materials you are using and read a tutorial first. We don't even blend lecithin in with glycerin tinctures specifically meant for vaping, for the very same reason; due to its lipid/fat content.


You are supposed to be vaping glycerin hash tinctures, in your vapes and e-cigs. Anything else is unhealthy for either you, your atomizers or both.

 

That is because you should not be diluting your solvent, with water It can certainly potentially cause your tincture to go cloudy, certain flavoring elements do also, but you should not be diluting your solvent with anything that glandular material is not soluble in, until after you've effectively produced your tincture.

If you're using everclear anyhow, rather than using it in tandem, you could always perform an extraction first, then use the concentrate (or extract, if you choose not to evaporate the alcohol) with your glycerin.


As it is, your glycerin is likely already contaminated with some amount of water. It has the ability to absorb up to 20% its weight in atmospheric moisture.

In other words, before you use it, it's a good idea to bring your glycerin up to heat and for a period of time allowing it to 'steam off' some of that excess liquid, particularly if your glycerin appears very runny rather than thick and viscous.


From the CannaPharm; http://forum.grasscity.com/incredib...h-candy-canna-bombs-more-24.html#post11628262



-Glycerin Tincture-












(Glycerine, Glycerin, Glycerol)




Preface:

Glycerin tincture tends to come out best after it's been stored for several weeks, even if it's been heated, and almost regardless how long you heat it for.



Glycerin and oil have very different properties, and function very differently from one another as far as glandular breakdown goes. It is not as powerful a 'solvent' as a good pure oil, or a high proof alcohol, it is less capable of breaking down glandular material at such speeds, but it is still a powerful dehydrant, and when additional, even gentle heat is continued beyond a certain point it can rapidly degrade in potency, -before bioavailability can be achieved-.

My own preferred process involves about 5 - 6 hours of gentle heating, at 180 - 200 f, then at least two to three weeks of aging if not more, in a warm room-temp location, before being removed to a cool storage facility, wine cellar, or freezer.

If you're a perfectionist, completion can vary by a week or two, depending on the qualities and condition of the material used. But don't fear... most folks just getting started, are pleasantly satisfied with their results immediately after the initial heating!



Continued Heating:

I've tried going overboard on the heating, but I've never gone any further than perhaps 24 total hours of heat, over the course of several days.. as safe as they usually are, you should never leave your crock on over night, or while out of the house. It's a good idea to be either in, or right near the kitchen when something's going on!

Using a crock pot and temps of approx. 130 - 140 f, I noticed that unlike an oil, after 24 hours the finished batch (and other similar, but slightly briefer experimental batches), didn't have nearly the potency I expected from a much-less-heated batch, even after I'd given it additional sitting time. It was kept at a warm room temp, and we continued sampling it for a few months just to ease my mind that under-heating wasn't the issue, and it only degraded from there. At no point between heating, and sitting, did the over-heated batch reach the desired potency, meaning degradation had occurred. There was definitely a point where the added heat, gentle though it may have been, became counter-productive.

In comparison, an edible oil does not degrade nearly that much or that noticeably, under similar gentle conditions.Glycerin is a bit more finicky than oil, you either need to accept the wait, or accept the slightly inferior level of potency it's at after gentle heating.


After experimenting with less heat, and more or less time, over the years I've only had maybe a dozen batches come out almost-perfect immediately after heating and bottling. And each batch was made a little differently.
Depending on exactly how well the herb was decarbed beforehand, and with the actual glandular material from each individual plant being subtly different, the process can really vary if you're looking for perfection, when in the same circumstances an oil would only vary in a very subtle way.


This is why I strongly recommend stopping short, and completing your tincture at room temp, especially if you're a perfectionist or if you're looking for a certain experience from your tincture (the sooner you stop, the more cerebral and uplifting the effect).
It is much easier, and less tedious to test every other day or so at room temp, rather than heating, cooling, opening, testing, and re-heating your tincture, for hours and hours on end, until the material you used happens to become as bioavailable as possible. It's much easier (and more sane, lol) to just bottle it, let it break down at milder more gentle temps, while checking on it every few days.



Storage After Completion:

With the proper storage immediately after it reaches a peak in bioavailability and potency, it tends to stabilize, and then lasts for at least the better portion of a year if not longer, seemingly without changing in potency at all. I only keep mine in a wine cellar, at around 56 - 60 f depending on the time of year. I generally never have a batch sitting around longer than a year, opting for oils more often, and I've never had a batch degrade noticeably in those conditions. If you keep it at a too-warm room temp, you may notice a detectable drop in potency after a period of months.

It can however, be stored successfully for years, and years, if frozen. Glycerin works very well as a sort of a 'time-stopping' preservative when the temperature is lowered, even if just below 55 f.

In laboratory use, it's often utilized as a cryoprotectant to preserve cellular integrity and to prevent further chemical action/reaction or degradation, when various samples are frozen at specific and sub-zero temperatures, and are then brought back to functioning temperatures... this is good news for us, whether you have a common home freezer, but especially for those with more expensive equipment: When you reach you preferred level of potency, or effect, immediately portion out several bottles so the entire batch does not need to be removed for individual use, and 'freeze' them! No further, noticeable chemical reaction, or degradation should occur during the time your tincture is exposed to freezing conditions.


After a year or so, even if properly-stored and frozen, oil can sometimes get a little 'funky' (particularly butter/milk fat, more so than vegetable oils). But glycerin tincture will last almost indefinitely if kept in a freezer, in an equally air-tight container.

Glycerin is also a bacteriostatic agent.. meaning that, it does not kill already-present mold and other bad pathogens, but it can halt their growth and reproduction if they happen to be present. It can help the digestive tract recover from bacterial infection by slowing down the infections ability to 'breed and spread', giving the immune system and the mildly bactericidal contents of the stomach a better opportunity to take it down.


So if it's been heated and it ends the process sanitary, and if you bottle it sanitarily, the glycerin should cause your tincture to stay sanitary, even without refrigeration.






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You will need:

- Glycerin

- Canna - leaf, flowers or hash

- Cheese Cloth; two pieces folded into quarters, and still large enough to work with


- Storage container/s

- Foil



- A small ceramic, or pyrex dish



Or, - a Crock Pot



Optional - Lecithin can be used, but it is an oil/fat, so if you're looking for a 'fat-free' tincture, you certainly don't need to use it. It can speed up the process slightly by promoting bioavailability, also giving it a slightly more 'oily' appearance.

If lecithin is used, your tincture can no longer be used in vaporizers or e-cigs; inhaling oil in high concentrations, is not healthy.


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Choosing Your Glycerin:


You only want to use Food Grade glycerin. You do NOT want anything labeled USP grade(U.S. Pharmacopeia). All food grade glycerin, is USP grade when it leaves the factory, but not all USP glycerin is still food grade, once it's been repackaged.



There are only so many USP grade glycerin suppliers around the globe, and they provide the huge chains such as Rite Aid, Wal Mart, and others, with their glycerin to be repackaged, and re-labeled.



It is only food grade, if during every change in container, from the manufacturer to your home, it was stored in glass or plastic containers which are also food grade.



If it leaves the factory, and eventually makes it to the store shelves with USP still on the label, that means anything from the storage vats it rested in during, and after shipping, to its current container, couldbe made from plastics which leach hazardous toxins which are harmful and toxic if ingested, but not if applied topically and within reason, to the skin. Oral toxicity is nothing to play around with, we're not supposed to eat foods stored in certain containers for a reason.


And glycerin, can make toxins more bioavailable, just as it does with our canna.


You wouldn't want to drink juice or water, if it had been stored in certain materials, so you certainly don't want to drink glycerin from those materials.


Wondering how risky it is?



E-cigs only supply the user with around 1-2ml of glycerin, per cart. People who are sensitive to plastic contaminants, have been sent to the ER from severe toxicity, after using USP grade glycerin from vendors such as Rite-Aid and Wal-Mart. Some of them don't finish a cart before suffering dizziness, sweating, vomiting.

Those vendors have done nothing wrong: their bottles make no mention that their contents are suitable for anything besides topical use, and clearly state USP.



Folks who continue to consume such products, who don't feel noticeable, or severe effects from consumption, are not necessarily immune to the damage those toxins can cause down the road. When you eat something toxic and 'still feel OK', it's not wise to automatically assume that you are OK, or that you always will be with repeated use.



When a cough syrup is manufactured with USP grade glycerin however, it left the manufacturer headed directly for a medical facility which strictly intended on using it for pharmacological purposes. And where it hasn't changed hands between companies, and its sole purpose upon exiting the factory is medical, the medical industry sticks with the term USP.











Prepping your Glycerin, and your Herb:

- Pre-heat your glycerin in a crock pot, the oven, or a double boiler at 200, un-sealed, to try and evaporate a little of that water content out... you want to do this before adding your canna, to reduce the risk of vaping off more fragile/volatile potency.

Glycerin can absorb and hold 20% its original weight in atmospheric (or intentionally-added) moisture. I realize many folks may not know what it should look like when it's pure, but if it seems 'runny' or watery, it's diluted and probably wasn't bottled correctly. It works much better as a solvent, if it's pure.



- Grind your material. If using sticky chunks of hash, break up into smaller pieces (don't worry about making the pieces dry-sift-small; you'll be able to stop the process several times, allowing the tincture to cool, and manipulate it further to break it up and help expose it). Decarb briefly in your dish, as described in several other recipes (page one).


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Oven Directions: (easily modified for use with a Crock Pot.... pointers below)



- Add your warm glycerin (if using it, add your lecithin now. A half teaspoon, per every 2 - 3 Tbsp glycerin) to your dish of decarbed material.












- Seal well.










- Heat at 180 - 200 f, for 4 - 6 hours (more time at the lower temp-range, and less time if heating closer to 200).



- At LEAST once during the process, stop heating, and allow to cool for 10-20 minutes. Open to stir the mix, and press the solid herb with the back of a spoon (or if not using herb, mash any potential chunks of hash, if there are even any clumps left still stuck together at this point), just to help manipulate that glandular material, and be sure everything is 'exposed' to the glycerin nicely.





- Re-seal, place back in the oven and allow time to pre-heat and to get your material back up to temperature, before continuing your timer.


- Once finished, remove from oven, and allow to cool slightly again before opening once more, to strain.





Straining:

I like to have two separate sections of cheese cloth, folded in quarters, one that I place the portions of glycerin-filled herb in directly, for squeezing, and another just below the first, resting over the opening of the container I'm filling, to catch any stray debris that may get forced through the first folds of cloth. Either use a rubber band to secure that second piece of cloth in place, or set down a metal strainer first, and simply line it with the cloth.


Tip - If you dampen both cloths, with pure glycerin, then squeeze and wring out as much as possible before you begin straining, you won't leave nearly as much potency behind in your cloth.

Tip - The smaller the amount of herb in the cloth, the more tincture you'll be able to squeeze out of it. Meaning when you make a lot all at once, using many grams (or oz's) at a time, if you try to hand-squeeze as much herb as possible, all at once, you won't be able to get as much out.

If you were to then divide that large wad of 'squeezed' herb into portions, and re-squeeze those portions individually, you'd be surprised how much is left behind and how easily it comes out with just the smallest bit of pressure.


So it's best just to squeeze a single, very-heaping teaspoon at a time. If you're only processing a gram or two to begin with, you shouldn't have much to worry about.










We'll get into flavoring your tincture, and bottling it for different applications, including -Sprays-, and -Lip 'Bomb'- ('balm' ) and others, very soon.....
































































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Ratios and Dosing:

You have many options, based on the materials you are using, and the outcome you desire.



This portion of the tutorial has been intentionally saved, until you've been walked through the process, so you understand what you're working with, and you can make an informed decision how you want your tincture to turn out.



Edible Tincture:

If you want a 'sweeter' tincture (due to the volume of glycerin per dose), made more for edibles, sweetening drinks, and glazing meats and veggies, you'll only want to use about a gram (flowers), per liquid oz.

That's, "1.0 g : 1.0 fl oz ".

There are just under 30 ml per fluid oz, and there are 6 teaspoons per fluid oz.

Remember, your -actual- personal dose is determined based on your personal smoking tolerance; you should need a bit less than you would normally smoke, to achieve the same, or an even more powerful edible (or sublingual) effect, if made properly.

Most average tokers will need less, at least to begin with, but to keep things simple math-wise, a 0.35g dose, (which is a kind of 'industry standard' average dose per edible when using flowers and the frosty adjacent leaves, for those patients who regularly medicate with edibles; starting with half is recommended for those very new to the edible experience... but I digress!), at 1g : 1fl oz, a strong dose will be just a hair over 2 teaspoons, or 10ml. With 6 teaspoons in a fluid oz, for most patients that's 3 quite-strong doses.

That's a nice, potent sweet tea! But, due to the sheer volume of glycerin, it's not very ideal for under the tongue (sublingual) or cheek (buccal) absorption.


Sublingual (and buccal) Tincture:

If you want a more concentrated tincture, suitable for sublingual or buccal use, you're going to want to consider using at least 3 grams, per liquid oz. Depending on the quality/frosty-ness of the material used, that's between 9 and 12 strong doses per liquid oz, and 2 - 3 ml tincture per dose, assuming you get at least 3 doses per gram. When trying to absorb your dose sublingually, you really don't want to be using more than 2 - 3 ml per dose. Even that's a little excessive (I have some atomizer/sprayer bottles that only hold 3ml!). You'll notice it's so much herb, that the glycerin seems almost only to dampen it. But you will still be able to squeeze most of it back out, especially if warm while straining.



Really though, the best option for a sublingual tincture, is to take it a step further and use hash, or a concentrate. You don't need to strain when using concentrates, and even using dry sift hash, there's much less space taken up by inert plant matter, so it's far easier to pack a much larger punch, in just a teensy, tiny amount of tincture. When using hash or a concentrate, the process is exactly the same as when using herb, you can very briefly and gently decarb first, and continue to process basically as usual. With BHO/'hash oil' concentrates, where it's already gooey, tacky, and the activate material has already been extracted, you may reduce the time you would apply heat by two hours, and consider it a process of promoting bioavailability.



Tip - Just like making oil, you can save the 'waste' herb for processing with fresh glycerin, to make a weaker batch, or a base-batch. This is especially good to do after making a more concentrated oil/tincture from herb; a thin tincture with more glycerin, leaves behind less. The thicker the herb-mix and the more concentrated the tincture it produced, the more active material there is left behind in that herb, to still collect.
If you add just enough glycerin to squeeze more out, you can use it right away as-is for sweetening drinks or for making icing or frosting with confectioners sugar for cakes, eliminating the need to add more material (and consequentially more heat, which can degrade the potency already available).


Tip - Tinctures made from herb/flowers, more often than not, I use only in edible recipes, low-temp dishes/cooking.

Tip - Just because it's been concentrated for sublingual use, it doesn't mean that you can't still use it to lace some tasty recipes..


A spray here or there, at your very favorite restaurant, is a super fun way to medicate


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Crock Pots... things you should know:


When cooking in the oven, as soon as a certain temperature is achieved, your oven has a thermometer and knows to ' shut off ', and it will not continue heating, until the temperature has declined adequately.


With a crock pot however you have several settings, usually between 2, or a dial of '10'+ settings, all of which mean 'constantly on', each providing a different level of heat output.

A response from a slow-cooker/crock pot manufacturer:

" We can not specify temperature ranges for the "High" or "Low" settings. Our slow cookers differentiate "High" and "Low" by wattage. These wattages are set to ensure that a standard food load (as described in AHAM spec SC-1-1979) will reach a safe internal temperature within approximately four hours. The wattage required to do this is different for different models, and many variables are involved; (start temperature, food load, room temperature, etc.). Eventually slow cookers will reach a maximum temperature, however the temperature will be different for different environmental conditions and different food loads. Given enough time most food loads will reach the same maximum temperature on both 'Low', and 'High'. "


This means that there is a little more effort, or guesswork, when using a crock pot.

Your best bet, to eliminate the guesswork:

A candy thermometer, situated in such a way that it's gauging the temperature off-set from the middle (the coolest portion) of the pot.

The sides receive the most heat, so you're better off keeping a close 'eye' on their maximum temperatures, rather than the cool middle. Keep an eye on your temperature as it climbs; once it reaches 200 f or so, shut off your crock pot. When it declines below 185 f, turn it back on.
Using a low heat, rather than high, will reduce temperature spikes, potential degradation, and keep you from needing to switch 'on and off', as frequently.

You should never leave a crock pot entirely unattended while on.


Meaning you should be in the kitchen, or at least awake and at home, checking in every so often. With that in mind, adjusting the temp from 'on' to 'off' and back again, should hardly be any more tedious than if you'd planned on just setting it and leaving it on, like you would to cook food... as safe as a crock pot usually is, you still need to keep a cautious eye on what you're doing in the kitchen.


Points on using a crock pot:

- Use the lowest setting, or lowest setting/s.

- Internal candy thermometer.. should the temps stay reasonable, and if the glycerin was properly prepared and the material decarbed, you should have no visible steam forming on the interior of the lid, or loss of visibility.

- Fabricate a foil rim around the ceramic lining with a kind of indent just where the rim of the lid will touch all the way around, to seal the lid in place, but leave the center exposed so you can visually check your thermometer through your clear lid. If you've lost your original lid, or if it wasn't clear to begin with, you'll have to trust a simple timer (or your watch), and just try turning your lowest setting on for 45 minutes, and off for 15, until completed.

- Heating your glycerin before use is important to help evaporate some unnecessary moisture. This gives you a more pure, and more efficient, edible solvent. If using a larger volume in a crock pot, don't bother doing it in advance, and re-bottling or allowing it to cool again before use. Instead, be ready to add your herb right away... this saves you from spending more time in the future, just waiting for it to re-heat.








For a moment, I'd like to go into Lecithin a little bit... it's great stuff.



This should help explain why it's so great, and why it facilitates bioavailability for our purposes.... I use 'NOW' brand, lecithin.

• Nervous System Support
• Supports Brain & Nerve Function
• Integral for Energy Production
• Vegetarian Product

" Lecithin is a naturally occurring compound found in all cells in nature, plant and animal. It plays a major role in almost all biological processes - including nerve transmission, breathing and energy production. The word Lecithin is taken from the Greek Lekithos, which means "egg yolk". A fitting name for this essential nutrient, for the egg is considered a symbol of life, strength and fertility. Lecithin is important for all of these biological functions and more.
Our brain is approximately 30% Lecithin. The insulating myelin sheaths that protect the brain, spine and thousands of miles of nerves in your body, are almost two-thirds Lecithin. Even the heart has a high concentration of Lecithin. Lecithin is composed of many different components, including Choline, Inositol, Linoleic Acid, Phosphatidylserine, beneficial fatty acids and triglycerides. These valuable constituents of Lecithin are vital for the proper functioning of many metabolic processes. "



People having difficulty absorbing cannabinoids, will especially benefit from the inclusion in their oils and tinctures, and more importantly, they could very likely NEED more lecithin in their diets, to begin with!


Just remember, lecithin should not be used in any tincture which you plan on vaping or using in e-cigs.... or, if you intend on incorporating your tincture into a recipe for hookah shisha.
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And that's, that!



It's a busy time here, and it's taken me about two months to finish working on this tutorial, and on a half dozen or so recipes and tutorials using glycerin tincture, for all the (very patient!) folks, who requested them. I lost an external hard drive last winter containing easily a hundred or so equally painstakingly-written recipes, and photo tutorials, some of which I'd planned on posting here, and even more for the book.


That's probably an understatement thinking back on it, but I really feel a bit better thinking I didn't lose more, considering the time it took to compile them (and how long it's taking me to recover, one by one).


Don't worry.... I'm still holding out on you As of right now, I have close to 12 GB worth of photo tutorials on the way for the thread. And that's not counting what I'm saving for publishing.


Expect something in soft (but maybe, in hard) cover, in 2012.... and that's just the beginning.




Thanks for bearing with me, everyone



(Just once more, where we are currently in the e-cig thread, I will mention NOT to use lecithin, in glycerin tincture intended for use with e-cigs. Good luck!)