Tincture: removing the greens or not?

There are two methods--the COLD method and the WARM. The COLD is reccomended. The alcohol (EVERCLEAR) needs to be kept in the freezer before you start, then after the bud is added, you shake the crap outa it for three-to-five full minutes, then back into the freezer. Every day, shake it. then BACK to the freezer.

Optimal potency is reached at 90 days of freezing and shaking daily. Then, strain out the green stuff.

In theory, 4-8 drops under the tongue should be the dosage. However, in practice, the potency depends entirely upon how potent your starting bud is. Im sure you're using top quality bud, but you started with five GRAMS? That isnt enough. You need to start with no less than 1/4 oz and a full oz is better....because chances are, the liquid you end up with will have to be evaporated by HALF to acheive the potency you want, that is, 4 drops under the tingue.

I made tincture using 12/2 oz of excellrnt TRIM in a Mason jar, using a full PINT of Everclear. I confess I forgot to shake it every day, but I did shake it at least 4 times a week for 90 days. I strained off the green stuff and squeezed it our ot the cheesecloth, leaving me with a little over half a pint. 8 drops had NO effect at all on me, but a friend who weighs about 100 pounds and doest smoke weed said she could feel an effect. So, I reduced it down to half---and STILL 8 drops had no effect on me.

Im guessing my mistake was using TRIM instead of BUD. Next time I make it, Im gonna use 1/4 oz of pure bud. IF that produces a good tincture, I'll use a full oz the next time.

However, no matter how great your bud is, 5 grams wont make more than maybe 3-4 doses, amybe less. 90 days is a long time to wait for so small a return.

One thing that confuses hell outa me is, if you read the instructions on how to make HEMP OIL, they say that washing the bud twice with solvent removes the THC-filled trichomes. So....WHY does it take 90 days, then, if you're making a tincture? That doesnt make sense! Seems to me that IF it's true that two washings with alcohol removes ALL the trichs, then theoretically, a tincture should be the same---TWO good shakings, then straining oughta do it. But...whether it makes sense or not, the accepted directions for making a tincture require many days of vigorius shaking to remove the trichs from the bud.

Anyway, I suggest you google, "How to make marijuana tincture" and read up on both the COLD and WARM methods.

The small amount of bud you're using should at least let you TEST it---and see IF you think it's worth using a lot more bud to produce a reasonable amount of tincture.

Me, I was pretty dissapointed, LOL....but again, Im hoping my mistake was trying to use trim.

The thing is, I KNOW good trim makes GREAT cannabutter! I can take a couple oz of good trim and make enough cannabutter for 12 brownies....and each brownie can be shared or just cut in half. So....Im wondering WHY the cannabutter is so much more potent? I mean....the trim is "free", in that I would just be throwing it away, you know? But if I have to use BUD, that's a whole nuther thing if I want tincture. In other words, IF it takes more than 4 drops, it aint worth the cost. I dont care how hard you squeeze the cheesecloth, LOL....if you start with a full pint of Everclear, you will recover a little over half that amount. Then, if you have to evaporate half of that....it gets damn pricy to make a good tincture.

Please let us know how yours comes out---Im willing to sacrifice an oz of bud IF the end result is 4 drops is enough.

TL

 

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I guess it depends on who's directions you use, then. As I said, I was pretty dissapointed with my results. Sounds like you've done better than me if you've made tincture several times.
1-2 ml is considerably more than 4 drops....do you swallow it? Rather than put it under your tongue? I dont thinka ml would absorb under the tongue, so Im guessing you swallow it. The only diff being that evidently it takes more to get off via the digestion process, whereas the under the tongue method goes directly into the bloodstream. One ml is the same as 1 cc. There are 16 "minims" (drops) in a cc. So, a ml is 4 times the under-the-tongue dose. This suggests that quite a lot is lost thru the digestion process.
Doesnt matter--let us know how it comes out.

Yes, 90 days seems like a helluva long time to me. I dont understand why it isnt just as potent after a couple of vigourous shakings, let alone agter 3 months. If you're making Hemp Oil, they say washing the bud twice will remove all the THC from the bud and release it into the solvent. If this is true....then WHY should it take more than two good shakes for tincture?
Not to even mention that I DID wait the full 90 days, LOL...and still wasnt impressed. On the otherr hand, I havent tried just swallowing a CC or two. Hmmm. Maybe I'll try that.

Ive made QWISO many times....and I shake for 60 seconds! So....I dont get why making tincture is different. Seems to me, whether you're making oil, QWISO or tincture, the point is to release the THC from the bud and into the solvent....right? so it seems like tincture oughta be as potent after 60 seconds of shaking.

In other words....beats the shit outa me. If it works, go with it. Just be sure to let us know! If I make it again, I'll use good bud, no trim, that's for sure. But I am definitely looking for the 4 drop potency, under the tongue. The real reason I want tincture, actually, is for a friend of mine who suffers from insomnia, plus he has lung problems and cant smoke anymore. I'd like to make him a tincture using an Indica to help him sleep. Herijuana, maybe.

Good luck and let us know what works.

TL