The re-entrance of marijuana into the mainstream consciousness has come on the back of revelations that the herb has huge cancer-curing potential. Cannabis oil has some major health benefits that you do not want to miss out on, and here is how to do it.
Cannabis is a naturally growing herb that has been used for thousands of years to treat health conditions. The term cannabis is used to describe a product of the of the cannabis Sativa plant that is bred for its potent, sticky glands that are known as trichomes. These trichomes contain high amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol(THC), which is the cannabinoid most known for its psychoactive properties.
Hemp oil is obtained by pressing benefit-rich hemp seeds, is slightly different than cannabis oil, although they both come from the same genus, cannabis, and the same species, cannabis Sativa. The term hemp is used to describe a cannabis Sativa plant that contains only trace amounts of THC. Hemp is a high-growing plant that is commonly grown for industrial uses, such as oils and topical ointments, as well as fiber for clothes, construction, paper and more.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding cannabis oil, but the therapeutic value of cannabinoids is too high to put aside. It does amazing things for numerous diseases such as anorexia, emesis, pain, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders, epilepsy, glaucoma, osteoporosis, schizophrenia, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, obesity and metabolic syndrome-related disorders are being treated or have the potential to be treated by cannabis oil and other cannabinoid compounds.
Rick Simpson, a pioneer in the medical cannabis field has mastered the art of cannabis oil production and released his technique to the world for free. Start with one ounce of dried herb; one ounce will typically produce 3-4 grams of oil although the amount of oil will vary strain to strain. A pound of dried material will yield about two ounces of high-quality oil.
Caution! These instructions are summarized from Rick Simpson’s website. Be very careful when boiling solvent off, the fumes are EXTREMELY flammable, AVOID smoking, sparks, stove tops, and red-hot heating elements. Set up a fan to blow fumes away from the pot, and set up in a well-ventilated area for the whole process.
Method:
- Place the completely dry material in a plastic bucket.
- Dampen the material with the solvent you are using. Many solvents can be used. You can use naphtha, ether, butane, or 99% isopropyl alcohol. Two gallons of solvent is required to extract the THC from one pound, and 500ml is enough for one ounce.
- Crush the plant material using a clean, untreated wood or any other similar device. Although the material will be damp, it will still be relevantly easy to crush up because it is so dry.
- Continue to crush the material with the stick, while adding solvent until the plant material is completely covered and soaked. Remain stirring the mixture for about three minutes. As you do this, the THC is dissolved off the material into the solvent.
- Pour the solvent-oil mixture off the plant material into another bucket. At this point, you have stripped the material of about 80% of its THC.
- Second wash: again add solvent to the mixture and work for another three minutes to extract the remaining THC.
- Pour this solvent-oil mix into the bucket containing the first mix that was previously poured out.
- Discard the twice washed plant material.
- Pout the solvent-oil mixture through a coffee filter into a clean container.
- Boil the solvent off: a rice cooker will boil the solvent off nicely, and will hold over a half gallon of solvent mixture. CAUTION: avoid stove-tops, red-hot elements, sparks, cigarettes and open flames as the fumes are VERY flammable.
- Add the solvent to a rice cooker until it is about ¾ full and turn on HIGH heat. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area and set up a fan to carry the solvent fumes away. Continue to add mixture to cooker as the solvent evaporates until you have added it all to the cooker.
- As the level in the rice cooker decreases for the last time, add a few drops of water. This will help to release the solvent residue, and protect the oil from too much heat.
- When there is one inch of solvent-water mixture in the rice cooker, put on your oven mitts and pick the unit up and swirl the contents until the solvent has finished boiling off.
- Keep your oven mitts on and remove the pot containing the oil from the rice cooker. Gently pour the oil into stainless steel container.
- Place the stainless steel container in a dehydrator, or put it on a gentle heating device such as a coffee warmer. It may take a few hours but the water and volatile terpenes will be evaporated from the oil. When there is no longer any surface activity on the oil, it is ready for use.
- Suck the oil up in a plastic syringe, or in any other container you see fit. A syringe will make the oil easy to dispense. When the oil cools completely it will have the consistency of thick grease.
For dosage information, you can check out more on Rick’s website.
1 in 2 people are expected to develop cancer in their lifetime, this information could be potentially lifesaving. Please share this article to spread the important information around.
Image via The Contrail
