How To Make Concentrated Cannabis Oil

[OldMedUser]

Thank you anyway. I've recently made some fresh harvest oil with Olive oil as a carrier following SweetSue's method.
Just curious if you had any knowledge or opinion on how much the Olive oil extracts.

I found an article in the National Library of Medicine on this, but those abstracts have always given me a headache trying to understand.

From an article I read ages ago MCT or coconut oil does a better extract and both are very healthy. Handles heat better than olive oil too. You can put bud or sugar leaf etc into it to cook for an hour at say 200F then raise the temp to 250F for a half or so to decarb then strain and use right away.

MCT stays liquid at room temp, is extracted from coconut oil and has no coconut taste if that's an issue. A lot more expensive than coconut oil tho. I keep a bottle of MCT in the fridge and add it to smoothies, soups, sauces or squirt some on a plate of pasta etc. No taste really to affect your favourite recipes like coconut oil would. Doesn't harden up and stick to the insides of your blender like coconut oil either.

Ever feel chilled inside where even a warm house or warm clothes won't help? A heaping spoonful of coconut oil will warm you up from the inside in 10min.

I try to eat 25ml or more of coconut oil every day as a brain protectant. Found out about 7 years ago when I made contact with my birth mother's kids that she was diagnosed with dementia at age 65 and died at 75 just 6 months before I made contact. I'm 69 now and so far so good.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

From an article I read ages ago MCT or coconut oil does a better extract and both are very healthy. Handles heat better than olive oil too. You can put bud or sugar leaf etc into it to cook for an hour at say 200F then raise the temp to 250F for a half or so to decarb then strain and use right away.

MCT stays liquid at room temp, is extracted from coconut oil and has no coconut taste if that's an issue. A lot more expensive than coconut oil tho. I keep a bottle of MCT in the fridge and add it to smoothies, soups, sauces or squirt some on a plate of pasta etc. No taste really to affect your favourite recipes like coconut oil would. Doesn't harden up and stick to the insides of your blender like coconut oil either.

Ever feel chilled inside where even a warm house or warm clothes won't help? A heaping spoonful of coconut oil will warm you up from the inside in 10min.

I try to eat 25ml or more of coconut oil every day as a brain protectant. Found out about 7 years ago when I made contact with my birth mother's kids that she was diagnosed with dementia at age 65 and died at 75 just 6 months before I made contact. I'm 69 now and so far so good.

Thanks!
I actually have some organic MCT here. I don't even know what I originally bought it for. I'll need to check the shelf life on that. Hadn't thought about using it for the oil. I don't mind the taste of coconut oil, but I don't like that it hardens up.

 

[Justin Goody]

If you’re going to use the oil for making lotions or salves, (or don’t want it to harden) grapeseed oil is the best carrier for skin absorption. I’ve used coconut and it was fine but the science favors the grapeseed oil in that case.

For edibles coconut is great 99/100 times as long as you don’t mind the tiny coconut taste that is inevitably there

 

[Lady Cannafan]

If you’re going to use the oil for making lotions or salves, (or don’t want it to harden) grapeseed oil is the best carrier for skin absorption. I’ve used coconut and it was fine but the science favors the grapeseed oil in that case.

For edibles coconut is great 99/100 times as long as you don’t mind the tiny coconut taste that is inevitably there

Some of it was intended for a salve.
If I remember right, when I made cream many years ago, the coconut oil left my skin greasy. Grapeseed oil absorbed much better.
I hope this isn't too off topic for the thread. If it is, moderators proceed to spanking.

 

[94xjjohn]

I'm staying up too damn late again but oh well.

I reviewed the procedure and the only significant difference to what I do is the choice of solvent and wasting all that alcohol by evaporating it off where I would run it through one of my 3 stills and recover it for future use. I figure I should be able to recover over 90% of my solvents whether ISO. naphtha or even ethanol if I used that. At $40+ for 750ml bottles of EverClear here I'd need a buttload of cash. I already have 20L of fresh USP grade ISO plus another 10L of reclaimed ISO to be fractionally distilled over brine to clean it up. I won't need vacuum for that but have the glassware now to run vac and continuous feed of the solvent oil mix under vacuum to keep temps down so it doesn't decarb at all during processing. I will be using that as is for a lot of medicine. I haven't even set everything up as there is no good place to do that until I nuke this house and make some room.

I'll try and set it all up and get some pics soon. I had it set up but didn't have all the fittings in the same size so had to use adapters to make it all work. No vacuum or fractionating tower at the time either. I'll be filling that bowl with cheap canola oil for a heat source and got an 8" x 8" lab jack so i can adjust the depth of the oil around the 2L, 3-neck boiling ball by raising or lowering the hotplate and bowl full of canola oil. I used to have an electric heating mantle for a 2L boiling ball but can't find it anywhere.

For quick, small batches.

Getting some naphtha in the 12L pot still. Can dump all the used pot in that still and heat it enough to cook the ISO out of it and get that back as well. I filled the still right up with 3 cans of that stuff and kept the lowest bp stuff separate for more cleaning and use. Had to make gaskets out of solvent resistant gasket material from the auto parts store. The silicon ones it has swell up with naphtha like the countertop still does so I can't use naphtha in that at all. A test run popped the gasket out when it swelled up and solvent ran down the side. Was trying it outside on a steel table and had a fire extinguisher at hand. Lots of training in hazardous materials handling too.

It's too bad you have to go through all that just because you can't legally buy clean ethanol. I can't buy 200 proof alcohol living in California FROM any source in California, but I can buy it from out of state. Seems very weird to me.
We (me and I guess others) use the same countertop still you use. I put mine on a scale so I know the exact time to stop when the oil/alcohol is just right to pour out of the still, boil off the small amount of alcohol left, and raise the temp to the point of total decarb at 245Fdeg. Easy.

 

[420]

These guys used to sponsor us Extractohol is the Highest Proof Ethyl Alcohol - Food Grade Ethyl Alcohol

Says they ship to California Shipping Terms & Conditions

 

[94xjjohn]

I know it’s been a while and I’m grateful to see the activity due to email notifications mysteriously reactivated. I won’t be chiming in too much so as not to clutter the wealth of information already available in this thread that has been nothing short of a miracle for helping to save lives or at least ease the suffering for countless individuals. I will only add for now that if you go back to the beginnings and work your way forward there is truly no need for anything more than paying attention to detail and a desire to live and help others do the same. When I started on this journey to save myself and my father I never would’ve dreamed either of us would still be here so many years later but we both are and as healthy as we ever could’ve dreamed. He’s now 82 and still going strong so there are miracles. On the flip side we’ve lost some to cancer that had metastasized to the bones before treatment that all we could do was help ease the suffering. I’ll be happy to answer specific questions that haven’t been covered in depth already for those who made the effort to start from post 1. And more than happy to attest to the successes or not so successful outcomes but I admonish everyone to put in the effort so that you and yours can become the next miracle and testament for survival. I would love more than anything to hear and see testimonials for the more challenging ailment such as bone cancer and cardiovascular diseases whether our wonderful oil helped or not and what methods of administration worked or didn’t. Love and respect to you all!

Hey budnoob3
I believe we both learned how to make the oil from the same people at the same time !! I stopped my prostate cancer in 2015 and am still (knock on wood) without the devil c.
I've been a cannabis caregiver ever since and cancers I've lost to are bone and lymph. I have cardio problems myself (stints) and most of the info I've found about cannabis re cardio is not very positive. Hopefully, someone with cardio expertise will jump in here. We could use some good news in this regard.

 

[94xjjohn]

These guys used to sponsor us Extractohol is the Highest Proof Ethyl Alcohol - Food Grade Ethyl Alcohol

Says they ship to California Shipping Terms & Conditions

I can confirm. Tesla Labs. Yuma.

 

[InTheShed]

I've been told that the Olive oil only extracts about 60% of the cannabinoids.

This webpage has an analysis that might be helpful (about 1/3 of the way down):

How To Make Cannabis Infused Oil | Ardent Cannabis

If you've ever wanted to learn how to make cannabis infused oil, you've come to right place. We will teach you 3 ways to do it, plus give expert tips!

ardentcannabis.com

Here's the chart if you don't want to read the link, though beyond the sales stuff there's a lot of interesting info on it:

 

[KingJohnC]

"Medium Chain Triglycerides or MCT oil is a modified base where 10% are medium chain triglycerides vs coconut oil which is 2% medium chain triglycerides. MCT oil is used by athletes when in a fasted state Medium Chain Triglycerides are an incomplete fat source where additional fats are selectively burned from fat stores that fill in and are burned as fuel.

Coconut oil has one of the highest heating point before turning rancid and is stable at room temperature.

These guys used to sponsor us Extractohol is the Highest Proof Ethyl Alcohol - Food Grade Ethyl Alcohol

Says they ship to California Shipping Terms & Conditions

Ethanol 190 proof 95% alcohol is perfect!"

 

[OldMedUser]

This webpage has an analysis that might be helpful (about 1/3 of the way down):

How To Make Cannabis Infused Oil | Ardent Cannabis

If you've ever wanted to learn how to make cannabis infused oil, you've come to right place. We will teach you 3 ways to do it, plus give expert tips!

ardentcannabis.com

Here's the chart if you don't want to read the link, though beyond the sales stuff there's a lot of interesting info on it:

I'm wondering about the 'Amount of decarbed flower placed in 1oz of of oil' column.

Does 2g - 400mg mean they used 1.6g of flower? Very odd notation that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Edit: I checked out the link and the 400mg refers to how much THC was in the 2g of flower.

A chart further down in the article puts the top 3 oils for total extraction of 0.5g - 100mg of flower as:

Butter 93%

Avocado 92%

MCT 91%

#4 - Grapeseed came in at only 81%

An odd thing is they did a 4g - 800mg test on 4 oils but only MCT was a duplicate and only scored 87% which I think would mean it had reached it's maximum limit as to how much THC it could absorb so keep the ratio down a bit so meds aren't left in the used pot. I always saved that stuff to add some to smoothies as it has a lot of the infused oil left in it you couldn't squeeze out.

I think the takeaway from this is you want to go with the one that can take up the most medicine regardless of it's health benefits so for vegans it's either Avocado or MCT. I like my butter but it's short shelf life compared to the other two counts it out for me.

Really informative post @InTheShed so thanks for that!

 

[OldMedUser]

Medium Chain Triglycerides or MCT oil is a modified base where 10% are medium chain triglycerides vs coconut oil which is 2% medium chain triglycerides. MCT oil is used by athletes when in a fasted state Medium Chain Triglycerides are an incomplete fat source where additional fats are selectively burned from fat stores that fill in and are burned as fuel.

Coconut oil has one of the highest heating point before turning rancid and is stable at room temperature.



Ethanol 190 proof 95% alcohol or above is perfect.

To get ethanol to 100% a drying agent must be used to get the last of the water out and the second you open the container it's pulling moisture from the air. It's also going to absorb any bit of moisture left in the plant material too so won't be 100% for long. 95% ethanol like Everclear is more than adequate to extract all the cannabinoids and more.

Weird thing is my wife bought vanilla beans to make her own vanilla extract and you have to dilute the Everclear about 50% before adding the beans. Like making a tincture they have to steep for at least a month I believe. I just went to ask her about the time interval but she's gone to sleep earlier than usual. It's only 1:15am here.

 

[KingJohnC]

All solvents must be caped, moisture is absorbed and dilutes high proof alcohols.

 

[KingJohnC]

Their is also a consideration when selecting your fat source the unique health imparting qualities of each.

 

[OldMedUser]

How do most of you use your oils in edibles?

A couple of years ago I hunted down and ordered CBD and THC gummie molds, bought 3 different 2kg bulk Jello powder, (the ones with real sugar and not toxic sweeteners), Potassium sorbate, guar gum and another gum I can't recall at the moment, flavourings and all sorts of other related stuff. Still haven't made gummies but did make a batch of chocolates with the CBD one. Each half-sheet of molds make 192 - 4ml gummies/chocolates for a total of 768ml of filler needed to do the whole sheet. See how nicely it fits in the tray/cookie sheet.

The THC one has the emblem that goes on legal pot products here in Canada and they make them for many states too and lots of other shaped molds. Made in China molds but sold by PJBOLD.com in MO. They can even have made custom molds but I bet that's pricey and only something a commercial maker is going to do.

Funny and embarrassing story. When I first got the mold and the CBD wasn't backwards I fired off a testy email to them bitching about how CBD would be backwards on the candies. They said they got a lot of calls about that but those 3 letters are shaped such that it comes out right on the candies too. DOH!

I hunted for gummie recipes all over and couldn't find one I thought would do the trick scaled up and nothing that was for a batch that large. Instead I got some good Belgian chocolate, heated it up in a double boiler then dumped the whole mess on the sheet and spread it around with an icing spreader I got when I bought other candy making stuff.

You can see where I sprayed Pam on just the first 3 rows to see how that worked. Don't do that. The goo won't stick to the silicon and it messes up the look of the candies.

One problem I had heard of when making gummies is the mixture hardening up before all the holes can be filled. A couple years before this I bought the wife this really good cookie sheet with a fitting rack and a large sheet of silicon. I just wanted the silicon sheet.

Turns out that cookie sheet's rack is the exact same size as the gummie molds. I put my 2-burner hotplate on top of the stove, levelled it well then put water in the very shallow pan and set the rack over it. Played around with the controls and used my variac to get the water temp around 150F so the gummie mold stayed nice and hot while I spread the chocolate mix around.

Then scraped it flat on top exposing the edges of the cavities so they weren't all hooked together once cooled. Once I was done I just turned off the heat and let it all cool down. Stuck it in the freezer for a bit too long and ended up with white frost or whatever they call it when the cocoa butter gets froze and shows on the surface. Doesn't affect the taste or quality so no biggy. I had some mix left over and made another 10 or so the next day.

The sheets were only $39.95 US each but with shipping and exchange to northern Alberta it put a $150 CAN dent in my Visa card. About another $150 for all the other stuff too.

I bought one of those silicon squeeze bulbs for filling one-by-one but looked at the job and said fug this. Ok for a few but I'm not standing there like a bozo squirting goo into little square holes for an hour or more. My back starts screaming after 5 min when bent over like I would be doing that. That's why I can't do dishes. Really.

The next batch of oils I make will be getting lab tested for potency so I can be more exact on the amounts of which cannabinoids are in each candy. I have about 7 or 8 lbs of hemp tops from the farm down the road. Asked one of the farmers working in the field after it was all chopped down and he said take all the tops you want but don't mess up the rows. That will be my CBD only oil and I've been wanting that for ages. Probably only around 6% CBD but almost zero THC so I can send a bunch of chocolates to my 96yo mom for her aches and pains. Lives out in Chilliwack, BC with my sister in a nice gated community just a 5min bike ride from the river I fished since I was a little kid with my grandpa. 20 hour drive for me.

I have 3 or 4lbs of regular pot and about the same of 2:1 CBD:THC pot taking up space in the freezer. There are different strains of each. Probably best to break each type up and mix it together really well then take say 100g of each and make small batches the same way I'll do the bulk of it. Then I could send in a sample of each much sooner than doing all of each type one at a time. I can get a better deal as a senior and more than one sample at a time. Regular price is $60 just for potency testing. Their are certified thru Hellth Canaduh to do cannabis testing.

I like the chocolate really well but I should either make some gummies or sell all that stuff online while it's still good.

Got carried away again and probably should have opened a thread for this. Too late now.

 

[OldMedUser]

Their is also a consideration when selecting your fat source the unique health imparting qualities of each.

Most of the time you are only eating 5 - 10mls for your dose of medicine so I'd think better extraction trumps the particular health benefits of your extraction oil. The more healthier oil can be eaten in other things like smoothies or recipes in much larger quantities.

For myself I'd probably go with MCT oil at 91%. One percent less than avocado oil isn't significant and I think the MCT is cheaper but it's pricey too.

I wish that chart included whole coconut oil as I've done a few batches of that. One batch was almost 2L of coconut oil. 1 tsp caught me a good buzz.

If extraction levels were not a concern which oil would you prefer to use?

 

[Azimuth]

If extraction levels were not a concern which oil would you prefer to use?

I make most of my stuff into Dust. Doesn't have the greatest taste but mellows a bit after a good cure.

 

[StoneOtter]

How do most of you use your oils in edibles?

Your chocolates are yummy! Since you asked, I put my weed (Candida) in a magical butter machine to process and fill size 00 caps with cbd oil. Olive is my oil of choice these days. 90 mg a day. Does wonders for arthritis and other inflammation related things. No decarbing so it retains cbda. That's the anti inflammation aspect I'm looking for.

 

[KingJohnC]

I tolerate cannabis well, i find 19% THC -23% THC content in cannabis minimum effective for me continue functioning normally.

We must combine healing essence and re encourage the body's naturalistic healing channels.

Did you infuse the the pre bought chocolate or combine an infused fat?

I caution candy and sugars are treats with little nutrition and detrimental to health. Sugars greatly alter a body's natural energy metabolism turning circulating sugars normally fuelling body functions to long term fat storage and altering the body's metabolic function.

A semi sweet chocolate, reducing the added sugars combining with an infused butter and lecithin is used to aid absorption of nutrients.

Traditional fats Generally Regarded AS Safe butter, olive oil, coconut oil. We believe wholesome traditional meals are how health is normally imparted and regular exercise is how the natural system of health is maintained. We believe nutritious natural organic foods restore our bodies health.

I believe that the quality of the essence extracted combined with the properties of the fat carrier influence health imparting qualities rather than extraction efficiency and then an individuals digestion with edibles.


420Motoco recommends directly attaching Concentrated Cannabis Oil to be absorbed orally through the gums

Cannabis Oil Medicine Dosing Tutorial

 

[OldMedUser]

I make most of my stuff into Dust. Doesn't have the greatest taste but mellows a bit after a good cure.

I must have read that thread when it started as I have likes all down the first page. Forgot all about it tho.

I have a cap filler gizmo for 50 - '00' caps so would probably cap it up but maybe not.