I decided to share my cannabis tincture recipe with the fabulous staff at Ladybud Magazine recently as I believe it is better to educate a patient to create their own medicine than to provide it to them for a profit.

Following are easy, step by step instructions on making your own tincture,

As all cannabis enthusiasts know, end products come in many forms, from dried flower for smoking and vaping to dabbing concentrates and making edibles, the ways in which we consume our cannabis continues to grow.

Personally (as an illegal medical marijuana patient), I had made, enjoyed and shared edibles for the better part of 40 years, starting with butter and moving on to oils.  However, upon moving to a “legal” state last summer, I was able to discover my now favorite method, which is making tincture with vegetable glycerin.  I now prefer my tincture for a variety of reasons including how easy it is to use, from sublingually to beverage integration, I see tinctures as the future of edibles. 

I somehow developed a weird eating disorder after the age of 50 and found myself unable to eat any solid food for days at a time.  I was lucky on some days to get a glass of juice or a cup of tea and keep it down.  It was during this time I discovered the joys of food grade vegetable glycerin (VG) as a conduit for my cannabis.     

VG is an inherently sweet, thick liquid comprised of 99.7% fatty esters, made from either palm or coconut oil, while the remaining 0.3% is water and available online (click here to shop Amazon).  It is, in my opinion, a better option to make medicine with than alcohol as I no longer choose to have alcohol in my home.  It also offers the benefit of not blowing your house up, as the recipe I am about to share is made in a crock-pot. IMPORTANT NOTE:  ALWAYS USE FOOD GRADE VEGETABLE GLYCERIN WHEN MAKING EDIBLES – learn about the different types here.   

For this article, I created a batch of VG with heady trim I bought at Vincere’s Compassion Club, about a half gallon of USP Kosher Vegetable Glycerin for $13.99, a packet of cheesecloth and clips and a crockpot. 

As with any edible, I begin with decarboxylation of my trim (baked on a foil lined sheet tray at 220 (f) for 52 minutes) until nice and toasty.    

If you are unfamiliar with the decarbing process, simply put, it increases the potency of your medicine, changing your THC into CBN and bringing out other terpenes. I never make an edible without decarbing first.  NEVER.

As with any recipe, start with gathering your supplies.  You will need:

One crock pot with warm setting

One package of cheesecloth

Clips to hold cheesecloth

Bowl with pourable spout

Decarbed trim or flower

Vegetable Glycerin

For this example, I used approximately ⅓ pound of trim with ½ gallon of vegetable glycerin.  After decarbing, add your trim/flower to a crockpot and cover with vegetable glycerin.  Stir well to incorporate, set on low.  Let the mixture come to temperature (you should now have brown color liquid and the smell will begin to permeate the air), turn the crockpot to warm and let the mixture continue to cook for 12-24 hours, stirring well occasionally, to loosen up those terpenes. Turn off the crockpot and let cool to room temperature.  You will be handling the materials, so grab a pair of non-powdered gloves if sticky hands are not your favorite thing. 

Once cooled, line spouted bowl with several layers of cheesecloth, securing with clips. Slowing spoon contents from crockpot (I wouldn’t pour it, too precious to waste if it spills) in bowl.  Gather a good amount and wrap the cheesecloth around the top, straining the tincture from the cloth slowly. 

This process may need to be repeated, depending on the amount of material you are working with.  When I wring it out, I only put in as much as I can hold in both of my hands.  Be patient, take your time and wring every single drop of medicine out.  As far as I can tell, the material and cheesecloth can not be recycled or used again, so I take care to discard it away from pets and children.

Once you have all of the material wrung out, pour into canning jars, taking care to use new lids and rims for food safety.  They seal, but not exactly like when canning food (the little button on top won’t pop – you aren’t actually sealing the jar in a warm bath).  Store in a safe, dark cupboard as they will stay good for several weeks, ensuring you have your own, homemade medicine on hand at all times. 

I find 2 tablespoons in the morning mixed with orange juice or tea is sufficient to control my pain and other issues for the entire day, while my adult daughter (who is new to using THC for seizures and headaches) puts a teaspoon in a cup of tea at bedtime.  Her sleep has increased and her seizures have decreased.  Need I say more?  Make it easy – make your own!  

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