The idea of smoking or vaping cannabis doesn’t appeal to everyone. Thankfully, in this day and age, there are many smoke-free dosing options for health-conscious cannabis consumers to enjoy.
One consumption method that has become especially popular among medical cannabis patients and health-conscious consumers is cannabis tincture. Cannabis tinctures are great for both recreational and medical consumption and provide many more benefits than just being smoke or vapor-free. What is tincture and why should you try it?
What Is Tincture?
A cannabis tincture is a concentrated liquid that contains high amounts of cannabis compounds like THC or CBD. It is made by combining cannabis extract with a liquid base. Cannabis tinctures typically come in small glass bottles and are applied using a liquid dropper. What is tincture made with? Traditionally, tinctures have been made using alcohol, but nowadays they are often also made using oil bases like MCT oil, grapeseed oil, or even olive oil.
It’s important to note that the terms cannabis tincture and cannabis oil are often used interchangeably. You can rest assured that any product labeled as cannabis oil will, in fact, have a liquid oil base, but it’s quite possible that a product labeled as a tincture may too. If the liquid base of your tincture or extract matters to you, then make sure to read the label on your product to see exactly what ingredients it is made with.
How is tincture used? It can be applied sublingually, swallowed, or added to other liquids for quick and convenient dosing. Check out our quick guide for how to use tincture.
Why Use A Cannabis Tincture?
Most people turn to tinctures because they are a health-conscious alternative to inhaling cannabis. In addition, cannabis tinctures are also super easy and convenient to use as they can be applied within a matter of seconds and do not require any kind of paraphernalia to consume. And because they come in an easy-to-carry dropper bottle and do not give off the same smell as cannabis smoke, they are also much easier to carry and more discreet to use.
How Are Cannabis Tinctures Made?
So how exactly are all those cannabis compounds blended into the liquid base? Making a cannabis tincture is easier than most people probably think.
The easiest way to make a cannabis tincture is by soaking ground cannabis flower in high-proof alcohol or an oil base. The process requires placing the ground flower in a mason jar or other glass container and allowing it to soak for several weeks and periodically shaking the mixture up to help the contents blend together. Afterward, the mixture can be run through a filter to strain out the flower, leaving behind a potent cannabis-infused liquid.
Cannabis tincture can also be made using cannabis concentrate instead of cannabis flower. While you can infuse cannabis flower by just shaking the mixture around and letting it soak, infusing a concentrate will require using some heat in order to really blend it into the oil. Here is a quick step-by-step guide for infusing rosin into an oil base (stick to oil bases and never heat alcohol if using this method!).
If you find that you like using tincture instead of smoking or vaping, you should also consider trying out some other smoke-free cannabis products like edibles, beverages, oral sprays, a liquid marijuana shot, or even transdermal patches.
