Learn how you can make your own weed tincture using everyday ingredients.

In this article, we will teach you how to make a cannabis tincture. Cannabis tinctures are a popular and effective way to consume cannabis. The repeal of antiquated marijuana prohibition laws has resulted in a recent resurgence of interest in weed tinctures by everyone from wellness-oriented cannabis users, to medical marijuana patients, to home DIY enthusiasts. In general, tinctures are made using plant leaves, bark, or fruit soaked in alcohol to yield a concentrated extract. Besides cannabis, tinctures encompass everything from iodine found in first aid kits to vanilla extracts used in baking.

What is a Cannabis Tincture?

A cannabis tincture is an alcohol-based extract made from cannabis and alcohol. Interestingly, marijuana tinctures were the standard form of cannabis medicine until marijuana prohibition in 1937. They are a perfect entry point into smokeless consumption for both medical and recreational consumers.

The Benefits of Using a Cannabis Tincture

For cannabis users who do not wish to smoke, tinctures are an excellent option, as they allow drop-by-drop dosing so that one can closely manage his or her consumption. If you're new to cannabis consumption, marijuana tinctures are perfect if you aren't sure about the amount of medicine you need and you would like to experiment with different precise doses. Furthermore, tinctures are a highly discrete option for consumers who do not want their clothes or hair to smell like smoke. For example, a weed tincture is easily concealed in your pocket or purse. Tinctures also offer a healthier, low-calorie alternative when compared to other edibles, as well as longer shelf life than most other cannabis products. Additional benefits include:

• Effects begin quickly: In contrast to edibles, which typically take an hour or more to kick in, marijuana tinctures often produce effects within 15-30 minutes.
• Convenient dosing: Tinctures are an excellent way to determine the proper dosage for your wellness goals. A dose can be measured with an eyedropper and adjusted based on how you feel.
• Versatility: Unlike cannabutter and cannabis oils, tinctures can also be instantly added to foods and drinks without adding calories.
• Simple preparation: Making your own marijuana tinctures is an excellent DIY project if you don't have a full kitchen or prefer simple infusion methods.

The Best Way to Take Weed Tincture

Although a THC tincture can be ingested or applied topically, the most efficient administration route is sublingual. This is because glands and blood vessels under the tongue allow faster absorption into the body, and the THC can kick in much faster.

How to Make a Cannabis Tincture

High-proof, food-grade alcohol is the best choice for a making tincture. You can also substitute the plant-based oil glycerin instead of alcohol if you wish to avoid it. However, chemically speaking, "tincture" refers to a solution whose solvent is ethanol. Consequently, a tincture made with glycerin is less potent than one made with alcohol because it is less efficient at bonding to cannabis compounds.

What Is the Best Type of Alcohol for a Tincture?

When infusing alcohol with THC, be sure to choose alcohol that is both high-proof and safe to consume. It is best to have higher alcohol content to dissolve cannabis resin properly. A minimum of 150 proof is ideal, but preferably 190 or 200. Avoid using alcohols with lower proofs, like vodka. Everclear is an excellent alcohol to use for making tinctures since it is safe for consumption and highly potent. Products like isopropyl alcohol are not intended to be consumed and should never be used when making a tincture—save that for cleaning your pipes!

Cannabis Tincture Recipe

Cannabis tincture can be made in as little as two hours. Of course, the longer the cannabis soaks, the stronger it will be. When first learning how to make a weed tincture, your first time can be intimidating. So, it's probably best to make a small batch first.

Equipment:

• Cheesecloth
• Baking pan or cookie sheet
• Dark glass dropper bottles
• Glass Jar
• Grinder

Ingredients

• 5 grams of cannabis flowers, buds, trim or shake (1/8th of an ounce)
• 4 oz of a high-proof spirit of your choice (such as Everclear, Bacardi 151, or another high-proof liquor).

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Hand grind and decarb your flowers. For best results, use a hand grinder to avoid a powdery consistency. Next, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, bake your ground buds in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 250°F.

Step 2: Combine the decarbed flowers with the alcohol in a mason jar.

Step 3: Close the jar and shake it once a day for a few weeks.

Step 4: After soaking, strain it through a coffee filter.

Step 5: Pour the weed tincture into a dark glass bottle and store it in a cool, dark place. It's possible to keep THC tinctures for months or years.

How to Make a CBD Tincture

Making a CBD tincture is easy. Simply use this same recipe with CBD flowers instead of weed, and voilà, you've got a potent CBD tincture.

How To Dose and Consume a Cannabis Tincture

When making tinctures, consistency is key. Making two batches with different potencies will result in different doses. Be sure to note the amount of alcohol and cannabis you used for each batch for effortless replication the next time. It is easy to measure your dosages after you've made the THC tincture. For easy micro-dosing, place 1 mL under your tongue. You should notice the effects within 20 minutes. To avoid feeling uncomfortably high, ramp up your dosage slowly. For example, start with 2 mL the next day, and so on, until you find the dose that suits you.

What to Make with a Cannabis Tincture?

Several types of meals and drinks can be made using marijuana tinctures once you discover how to infuse alcohol with THC. Infused tincture ideas include:

• Gelatin
• Ice creams and sherbets
• Juices
• Veggie Dip
• Salad dressing
• Soups

How to make Golden Dragon QWET Freezer Tincture

With the quick wash extraction technique (QWET), you can make a Golden Dragon cannabis freezer tincture in about 15 minutes. By infusing high-proof grain alcohol with frozen cannabis flowers, this unique tincture produces a lighter flavored, less intense (but still highly potent) extract.

The Importance of Freezing When Making Tinctures

In the Golden Dragon QWET tincture process, freezing the cannabis flower is very important for various reasons. First, it must remain cold or as close to freezing as possible the entire time. Here are a few reasons for freezing:

• Effective removal of trichomes: During the QWET process, the goal is to separate as many trichomes as possible from the plant matter. Trichomes contain the cannabinoids THC, CBD, CBG, etc. During freezing, the trichomes of the plant matter become brittle, allowing them to break free from all the plant matter, resulting in a more potent final extract.
• Eliminates chlorophyll taste: Freezing cannabis prevents green-hued chlorophyll from being absorbed by the alcohol tincture. We're trying to steer clear of chlorophyll's color and intense earthy flavor with this method.
• Effective for removing wax and lipids: Freezing also removes wax and lipids, often referred to as 'the undesirables.' When the flower is frozen, the wax will remain frozen and is easily filtered out during the straining process. The result is a 'cleaner' end product, free of waxes and lipids.

Golden Dragon QWET Freezer Tincture Recipe

Step 1: Put the decarbed flower in a mason jar alongside the alcohol inside the freezer. Allow them to freeze overnight.

Step 2: After removing both from the freezer, pour the cold alcohol over the frozen flower. Close tightly with lid.

Step 3: Gently shake the mason jar, but avoid shaking it vigorously. Refreeze for 5 minutes.

Step 4: After 5 minutes, remove the jar from the freezer, shake gently, and put it back in the freezer. Repeat this step once more for a total of three times.

Step 5: Take the tincture out of the freezer and strain it through the cheesecloth. If desired, repeat the alcohol wash process a second or third time. When finished, transfer to a dark glass bottle. Cannabis tinctures are an excellent option for those looking to consume cannabis without the drawbacks of smoking or edibles. This means more discretion on your part and fewer calories than other edibles like cookies and brownies. Plus, they're shelf-stable, so there's no need to worry about spoilage.

Get Started on Your Cannabis Wellness Journey

Have you started your cannabis wellness journey? Jointly is a new cannabis wellness app that helps you discover purposeful cannabis consumption so you can achieve your wellness goals with cannabis and CBD. On the Jointly app, you can find new cannabis products, rate products based on how well they helped you achieve your goals, and track and optimize 15 factors that can impact your cannabis experience. These 15 factors include your dose, the environment in which you consume cannabis, who you are with when you ingest, how hydrated you are, the quality of your diet, how much sleep you got last night, and more. Download the Jointly app on the App Store or the Google Play Store to get started on your cannabis wellness journey.