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Are Cannabis Tinctures Effective?

Updated August 21, 2022

Today, tinctures are popular for a wide variety of reasons. For instance, some children use cannabis tinctures as a method of medication for epilepsy. Tinctures are also popular with cannabis patients who do not want their medication to give off an odor, or those who medicate with specific doses of THC or CBD throughout the day.

But many patients are wondering, do cannabis tinctures actually work? In this article, we’re going to investigate whether or not cannabis tinctures are effective.

What is A Cannabis Tincture?

To answer this question, we should first figure out what is in a cannabis tincture. A tincture is an alcohol or glycerin-based liquid form of concentrated cannabis.

Often, cannabis tinctures have a green color due to the chlorophyll that comes off of the cannabis flowers in the alcohol solution. This is the reason some call this form of medication “Green Dragon”.

When you buy a tincture from a legitimate dispensary, it will generally come in a dark glass eyedropper bottle with information about its potency on the side.

Are Tinctures Effective?

Yes, generally tinctures are well regarded as an effective way to medicate with cannabis. In fact, cannabis tinctures have been used throughout history, as they were popularly used as a pain-relieving medication in the United States 19th and early 20th century.

However, the effectiveness of these tinctures depends on many factors. For instance, the quality of the flower used to create the tincture can affect its potency, as well as how well that cannabis was decarboxylated. If you want to be sure that you’re getting the right dosage of THC and CBD in your tincture, be sure you purchase a tincture that was tested for potency.

How to Use Tinctures

Using a cannabis tincture to medicate is very simple. To ingest your tincture sublingually, simply drop your desired dosage of tincture underneath your tongue and hold the liquid there for about a minute or two before swallowing it.

You can also simply drink your desired dose of tincture by itself, or even mixed with food or another drink.

How to Make Cannabis Tinctures

Are you ready to start making your own tinctures? If so, you’ll be happy to learn that the process can be surprisingly simple.

Here is an easy recipe for making tinctures:

  1. First, you must decarboxylate* your ground up flower.
  2. Mix the flower with a high-proof variety of alcohol (most use everclear) in an appropriately-sized mason jar.
  3. Seal the jar and store it in a cool, dark place (your fridge or freezer would work perfectly) for about a week.
  4. Shake your tincture once per day.
  5. When you feel that the alcohol has been fully infused, strain your tincture (cheese cloth or a coffee filter work best) and assess the potency by taking a small dose (about one drop) and waiting a few hours to feel its full effects.

🎉 Congratulations, you have made your first cannabis tincture! 🎉

* The term 'decarboxylation' refers to the chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl (COOH) group and releases carbon dioxide. To achieve decarboxylation, all you have to do is apply some heat and the effects produced are fascinating.

There are many different ways to make cannabis tinctures. While methods like this one leave your tincture in the freezer to infuse, other methods will have you heat up the tincture during the infusion process.

Whichever method you choose, know that your tincture will only be as good as the herb that you put into it. So if you’re looking for a high-potency tincture, you should either use a larger amount of low-potency flower, or a smaller amount of the highest potency flower you can find.

Closing Thoughts

Tinctures can be a fantastic form of medication for cannabis patients. These alcohol-based concentrates can deliver high-potency medication with no odor to cannabis users who don’t want to smoke their cannabis, or to those who need a more accurate dosage of THC or CBD.

However, the potency of cannabis tinctures is difficult to verify without proper lab testing. To be certain that you are getting the most effective medication, it is best to purchase cannabis tinctures from reputable dispensaries who have testing information about that specific batch of tinctures.

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