Making your own medicinal cannabis oil is very safe. The pure oil has been shown to be effective in relieving the ailments of many people suffering from various conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, chronic joint pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients who have obtained the prescription benefit from its powerful pain relieving effects; the oil must be applied in small quantities to the skin or consumed orally (1-3 drops per day).
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare and Equip the Workspace
Step 1. I choose the place to work
When preparing cannabis oil you need a safe and spacious place.
- It should be a well-ventilated area, so open all windows or use fans to help the air flow.
- A fire extinguisher should be handy, as the alcohol you need to use as a solvent is very flammable, as is the oil you will be extracting.
- If you want to use a stove, you will also need a connection to the electricity or gas system.
- If you prefer to use a rice cooker, the room you have chosen must have an electrical outlet.
Step 2. Get the materials
To make cannabis oil, you need medicinal marijuana and a solvent.
- Get 30g of medical marijuana. If necessary, you can replace it with 60-90g of pruned leaves.
- Purchase four liters of pure food alcohol, at the highest strength you can find, to use as a solvent. This will evaporate during boiling, leaving a pure and very strong medicinal marijuana oil. Do not use alcohol that is not suitable for human consumption, such as denatured.
Step 3. Gather the tools
During the extraction you will need several tools. These are:
- A medium-sized glass or ceramic bowl (do not use plastic ones);
- A large wooden spoon;
- A tool to filter. You can choose to use: a muslin bag, a sack for soaking cereals, a pair of clean tights, a cheesecloth, a chai tea strainer or a coffee strainer paired with a strainer;
- A container to collect the liquid, such as a two-liter bowl;
- A silicone spatula;
- Pots for the bain-marie (if you use the stove) or a rice cooker and a wax heater;
- Plastic syringes for oral use.
Step 4. Consider wearing protective gear
Extracting medicinal marijuana oil could prove to be a dangerous process; be cautious and consider protecting yourself with these devices:
- Respirator with filter for paint vapors or mask with activated carbon;
- Gloves other than latex;
- Oven mitts or pot holders;
- Goggles.
Part 2 of 3: Extracting THC from Medicinal Cannabis with a Solvent
Step 1. Immerse the marijuana buds in the solvent
Transfer them to a medium-sized bowl (whether it's glass or ceramic) and then pour in the food grade alcohol. Continue adding the solvent until the buds are submerged in a 2-3 cm layer of liquid.
Step 2. Stir the mixture
Take the wooden spoon and mash the cannabis in the solvent for 2-3 minutes. The constant movement allows the alcohol to absorb the THC from the marijuana.
Step 3. Filter the solvent and bud mixture into another vessel
Take the filter of your choice and a second container. Put the filter on the latter and carefully pour off the dark green liquid.
- If you have decided to use a bag or cloth, squeeze the contents to extract all the liquid.
- The liquid is a compound of alcohol and resin extracted from medicinal cannabis.
Step 4. Repeat the procedure a second time
With the first soak you have extracted about 70-80% of the resin from the buds. A second "wash" allows you to recover the residual THC.
- Transfer the contents of the filter to the medium-sized bowl.
- Add more solvent to completely submerge the plant material.
- Use the wooden spoon to mix and mash the alcohol and marijuana mixture for 2-3 minutes.
- Put the filter back on the second container that already contains the green liquid from the first maceration.
- Carefully pour the contents of the bowl onto the sieve and let all the liquid transfer to the second container.
- A third wash is not necessary.
Part 3 of 3: Remove Solvent and Store Cannabis Oil
Step 1. Bring the mixture to a boil in a water bath
When it comes time to boil the alcohol compound, you have two options available. The first is to use a bain-marie system and a stove, which is a very safe method.
- Fill the lower pot with water.
- Pour the dark green liquid into the top pan. If this is not large enough to accommodate all the alcohol, you will need to top it up as the level drops.
- Turn on the stove on a high flame and wait for the liquid in the upper pan to start boiling.
- Once the green liquid starts boiling, turn off the heat immediately, as the alcohol is evaporating. The heat of the boiling water in the lower pan will allow the evaporation process to continue.
- Let the contents of the upper pan simmer for 15-25 minutes. Occasionally scrape the edges of the pan with a silicone spatula. If the mixture stops boiling but still feels very liquid, you can turn the stove on to low again. When bubbles form again, you will need to turn off the flame again.
- Once the mixture turns into a thick, green syrup, it means all the alcohol has evaporated leaving the medicinal cannabis oil. The process is completed.
- Remove the top pan from the bottom pan and wait for the oil to cool. During this time it will continue to thicken.
Step 2. Evaporate the solvent with a rice cooker
If you don't have access to a stove, you can use this appliance in place of the water bath system.
- Fill the rice cooker ¾ with the alcoholic mixture. If you have a lot of liquid, you can add it as the level of that in the appliance drops.
- Set the rice cooker to maximum temperature or choose the "white rice" option.
- Let the mixture continue to boil and the alcohol evaporate.
- When the mixture begins to thicken and dark green in color, put on a pair of oven mitts and remove the pan from the appliance by gently shaking the contents. When you notice that the bubbles on the surface of the oil decrease a lot, it is time to remove the mixture from the rice cooker.
- Transfer the liquid to a metal or glass dish.
- Place the plate on top of a wax heater. Turn on this tool to allow the solvent residues to evaporate.
- When the oil stops boiling, you can remove the plate from the wax heater. The absence of bubbles indicates that all the alcohol has evaporated from the medicinal cannabis oil and the process is complete.
Step 3. Fill the syringes with medicinal oil
To make it easier to use, store it in plastic syringes. Aspirate it slowly by pulling on the plunger. If you have more oil than the syringes can hold, pour it into an airtight glass container. Store syringes and containers in a cool, dark cabinet.
Advice
- Marijuana oil is for medicinal purposes only.
- It is used to relieve symptoms associated with anxiety problems, bipolar disorder, colitis, diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, nausea, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, depression, liver inflammation, cancer, neurological disorders and for reduce neuropathic pains.
- You can dilute medical marijuana oil with olive or coconut oil to reduce its strength, use it in cooking or apply it to the skin.
- To make an effective one, you only need to use the female plant.
- Hemp seed oil is not medical marijuana oil.
- Medicinal marijuana oil is also called cannabis oil or hash oil.
