Have you seen a THC tincture on a shelf and wondered what secrets their little opaque glass bottles contained inside? Cannabis tinctures, available in THC, CBD and hybrid formats, are little vials of cannabis essence that allow you to medicate quickly, accurately and discreetly on the go.
Already used by tens of thousands of recreational and medicinal users, tinctures are quickly becoming the preferred consumption method for tokers looking for a versatile and accurate way to do get their THC, CBD or hybrid kick of weed.
Here’s what a THC tincture is and why it’s worth trying!
What is a THC Tincture?
A THC tincture is an alcohol-based cannabis extract. Also known as a green dragon tincture, a THC tincture uses a solvent, most often alcohol, to extract weed’s desirable compounds into a consumable product.
There are many kinds of tinctures, but our favourite is the cannabis tincture. These amazing tinctures allow for precise dosing so that you get the medical benefits or recreational effects of cannabis without having to smoke or vape.
THC and CBD tinctures allow for precise, accurate dosing in a variety of potencies and formulations, from THC: CBD hybrid products to either pure THC or pure CBD. Many will also come with an included dropper allowing you to infuse your favourite beverages, foods and snacks with weed!
How are Cannabis Tinctures Made?
Making tinctures is actually a straightforward process. Compared to other at-home extracts, creating a THC tincture at home is a relatively quick, easy, and safe process. The method uses food-grade alcohol to extract the plant’s cannabinoids- and so it should only be performed somewhere with excellent ventilation (like outside).
Commercially, manufacturers start the process by grabbing some high-proof alcohol and cured decarboxylated cannabis flower. The quality of the cannabis affects the quality of the tincture so it’s important to source high-quality flower from the start.
Generally, high-proof grain alcohol is used to strip the buds of all their desirable compounds. Manufacturers submerge the buds in the solvent solution and routinely agitate it to ensure that everything has been removed from the bud.
For a THC tincture, high-THC flower strains or kief are used to guarantee high THC extraction. CBD tinctures, on the other hand, rely on hemp flower that’s high in CBD.
Once the cannabinoids have been extracted, the solution undergoes a purification process to evaporate the alcohol, chlorophyll and plant matter that might have seeped into the mixture. The process itself will differ from manufacturer to manufacturer but generally speaking, it involves filtrating the mixture through a fine sieve and evaporating the solvent before more minute purification steps are completed.
What are the Benefits of Using a THC Tincture?
The benefits of using cannabis-infused alcohol include not using a food-grade oil, such as MCT oil. Cannabis oil products can cause stomach discomfort for some people, but tinctures avoid this issue. Compared to other ways you may consume cannabis, tinctures are quick, easy, and efficient.
Furthermore, you can bring your cannabis tincture bottle with you wherever you need to go—no having to worry about getting your daily doses at the correct times. Your cannabis tincture is always just a few seconds away.
Whether you use a more potent tincture or a less potent tincture depends partly on your goals.
Medical cannabis patients may be seeking much higher doses than the average recreational weekend use, for example. Having this variety in potency gives consumers and patients more options to meet their needs.
Now, let’s not forget about the cannabis itself. These benefits are not exclusive to cannabis tinctures, but they are easier to attain than many with other cannabis products. In terms of benefits, here are two major health benefits of THC that people often seek:
Pain Reduction
Pain is a complicated beast that can severely impact quality of life. Far too many people suffer from persistent or chronic pain issues that prevent them from living their lives. Tinctures are a potent option in the fight against pain problems. Cannabinoids more broadly have shown plenty of promise as potent analgesics that can help people manage symptoms, increase quality of life, and improve everyday functioning.
Insomnia Relief
There are few things worse than not sleeping when exhausted—laying there thinking about everything you have to do but won’t have the energy to get done. Well, insomnia can be managed, and cannabis tinctures are one treatment many people prefer. While more research is needed to draw any firm conclusions, there are indications that cannabis can help manage insomnia.
Easy & Accurate Dosing
Compared to vaping and smoking weed, cannabis tinctures are a much more accurate and reliable way of dosing with cannabis. When you smoke or vape weed, there’s no easy way to determine how much THC or CBD you’re actually consuming.
On the other hand, ingestible cannabis products, such as edibles, tell you exactly how much or how little cannabinoid content you’re getting with each full dropper. Whether your objectives with cannabis are recreational or medicinal, we think that everybody is able to appreciate not having to guess how much weed they’re using when they’re getting high!
How to Use THC Tinctures
Cannabis tinctures are incredibly easy to use, with a variety of ways to use them. One of their biggest draws is that they offer a sublingual way to deliver cannabinoids into your body. Sublingual absorption, or absorption that takes place beneath the tongue, works faster than traditional metabolization or eating. While not as fast as smoking or vaping, tinctures definitely work faster than edibles.
Here are some other fun and creative ways you can use THC tinctures in addition to dosing it beneath the tongue!
Mixing Into Food and Beverages
Cannabis tinctures are alcohol-based but that doesn’t mean they have a strong alcohol flavour. For the most part, the somewhat astringent and alcoholic taste of the tincture will barely be noticeable, even if you dose it directly into your mouth. The lack of flavour that tinctures have opens up the door for many creative culinarily possibilities. From mixing a few drops into your morning coffee to infusing a sauce with a kick of THC, the versatility is nearly limitless!
Eaten as Capsules
Tinctures come in glass bottles, which don’t make them particularly easy to carry around on your person. Filling gelatin capsules with tinctures to make THC pills makes them portable and allows you to take them whenever you need to!
Eaten As Is
We’ve mentioned this before but we’ll mention it again – you can always take the tincture as is! THC tinctures work faster than other forms of edibles since they don’t need to metabolize by the stomach. If you’re looking for fast relief or a quick, recreational high, dosing a THC tincture directly into your mouth is the best and fastest way.
THC Tinctures Vs. CBD Tincture
The only difference between a THC and CBD tincture is the primary cannabinoid they contain. With tinctures that focus on THC, you are generally getting lots of THC with little to no CBD. You may also find balanced tinctures that contain equal THC and CBD inside a tincture. But, far more often you’ll discover CBD-only tinctures as an alternative to the THC ones.
When a tincture contains THC, it will get you high. CBD, on the other hand, does not cause the impairing cannabis high we know well. Instead, CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that provides a suite of health benefits. There is not enough time to explore all the ways a CBD tincture can benefit you. Trust us when we say the list is long and worth exploring!
THC Tinctures – Worth Trying
With their fast activation time and versatile consumption methods, THC tinctures are definitely worth trying if you’re looking for a quick, accessible and accurate way to medicate with cannabis. Available in a variety of strengths and formulations, cannabis tinctures can be used both medically and recreationally to great effect. If you want to know exactly how much THC or CBD you’re consuming, there’s really no better method than using a tincture!
If you see a tincture for sale at your favourite dispensary, consider giving one a try. You might just thank yourself later!
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