@fettled6 @the green bandit
Here is the very successful result of a considerable amount of research into the elusive and magical Green Dragon.
The power of the Green Dragon is incredible. The amount of varied effects I have had from dozens of different batches, using dozens of strains of cannabis is just amazing. The Green Dragon is very very useful as both a medicine for those folks with medical ailment, but could also be used recreationally to conserve flower, as the power of the dragon unlocks the true power of Cannabis.
Ingredients:
3.5 to 4 grams of high quality cannabis flower,
OR
7-8 grams of underformed buds and/or trichome coated leaf
2 oz(60ml) Bacardi Rum or Everclear – 151 proof(any high proof booze that is 151 or higher will work, make sure it is suitable for human consumption)
Depending on your location, what you can get might for high proof alcohol might be limited. Some countries, states, and provinces simply don't allow high proof liquor. Either get a friend to score you some, take a vacation and bring a case home, or as last resort(perhaps first resort for some!!) build yourself a liquor still like a Boka Still and make your own. Where you get the booze is up to you, just make sure its high test(75%+)!
Here is a list of north american alcohol that will work well:
151 Proof 75.5% Bacardi Rum
151 Proof 75.5% Everclear
190 Proof 95% Everclear
190 Proof 95% Graves Grain Alcohol
??? Proof Moonshine
Here is a list of European Alcohol that will work well:
Bacardi 151 (75.5% Alcohol)
Devil Springs Vodka (80% Alcohol)
Sunset Rum (84% Alcohol)
Good ol' Sailor Vodka (85% Alcohol)
Balkan (88% Alcohol)
Pincer Vodka (88.8% Alcohol)
Process Summary:
1. Chop cannabis very fine (coffee grinder works great).
2. Place in a shallow pan (a sheet of aluminum foil works great) and bake at 250F(120C) for 25 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and place cannabis in 2 oz(60ml) of 151 proof rum, or 2 ounces of similar high proof alcohol. Use a small wide mouth mason jar.
4. Take a large cooking pot, and put an inch of water and heat it on the stove. Get the water temperature to 170F(76C), and then tune the stove to try to keep it at that temperature.
5. Simmer in a water bath for 20 minutes. Maintain temperature of the rum/cannabis mixture between 168 - 170°F(75-76C). I measure the temperature of the water. You will know you are right on the proper temperature, if you see very light boiling of the tincture, not a hard rolling boil, but just a few bubbles rising to the surface.
6. Strain the mixture and store.
Process details—references and rationalizations:
1. Chop the cannabis
More surface area gives means a faster and more efficient extraction.
2. Bake the cannabis.
This converts THCA to THC via a decarboxylation reaction.
In whole-plant cannabis, THC content is expressed as THCA (tetrahydrocannabolic acid) prior to decarboxylation into THC, which takes place when cannabis is heated in the oven, and smoked or vaporized ingestion. THCA is a mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory but does not have good affinity with our CB1 receptors, so in order to make a THC-rich tincture that has many of the same therapeutic effects as smoked ingestion (including rapid absorption, quick relief and ease of self-titration), we must convert the THCA in the plant matter into THC prior to extracting it through an alcohol soak. (from Vancouver Island Compassion Society
http://thevics.com/cannamist.htm)
Notice also that there is considerable misinformation regarding heating the cannabis. It is true that you don't have to heat it to extract both THC and THCA, but the amount of THC in whole plant preparations is relatively small compared to after decarboxylation of the THCA. So if you want to maximize the strength of your tincture you must heat the cannabis prior to extraction.
3. Use the highest proof alcohol available.
For booze, 151 proof does indeed work very well, 190 proof works even better. I've made batches before, and used more weed than needed. After straining, holding the clear jar up to a strong light shows whether you have used too much cannabis to alcohol ratio, and you will see dusty looking particles settling in the bottom of the jar(trichomes that cannot be absorbed, as the booze has taken all she can captain!!!) Be careful if you get an oversaturated batch of tincture, as potency can be very, very high when you get into the oversaturated trichomes that settle on the bottom of the jar.
4. Simmer the mixture.
This is one of the areas that seems to be most debated. Many guides call for placing the normal cannabis into the alcohol and waiting 2 – 6 weeks. The main concern with heating the alcohol is that it is “explosive” (not exactly true...it is however highly flammable).
The purpose of the simmering is to heat the alcohol mixture to improve extraction rates and efficiencies. Heating during extraction increases the motion of the molecules (basic physics/chemistry) and drastically decreases extraction times. The boiling point of pure ethanol is 173°F (78°C). We will use the water bath to heat the rum/cannabis mixture to just below the boiling point of ethanol.
Heating the alcohol mixture can be done very safely using a hot water bath. You will need an accurate candy or quick read thermometer. Place about 1 inch of water in a wide, vertical-edged pan (9” diameter x 3” high). Bring the water to a low simmer. The rum/cannabis mixture should be in a small (1 pint) mason jar. Do
NOT cover the jar. Make sure you have an exhaust fan over your stove to clear evaporating fumes.
Put the thermometer into the mason jar and place into the simmering water bath. Bring the temperature of the rum/cannabis mixture to about 170°F. The alcohol should be just barely boiling.
You should have the oven fan on high. You will notice that any alcohol fumes are mixed with water vapor from the water bath and vented out the fan. This combined with the fact that you are trying not to boil the ethanol makes the process quite safe.
5. Strain and store.
When you are finished with the extraction you will be left with about 1oz(30ml) of green dragon tincture after you have strained the extract. Notice that one ounce of the alcohol has evaporated.
6. Dosage. Titration.
One milliliter (one full eyedropper) is very nice. Two puts you in space. But you must self-titrate (test it on yourself) as each batch will be slightly different. Effects take up to 1.5 hours to begin (at least in myself) and lasted for 5 hours (1 ML) to 7-8 hours (2 ML).
I place one eyedropper (1ml) of Green Dragon in a small glass. I then add a small amount of water (1-2 ml) and drink. Do this on an empty stomach for best results (about 20-30 minutes before eating a main meal is good).
Everybody is different. It takes me between 30-90 minutes to feel the effects of Green Dragon (depending on how much food is in my stomach).
I had tried a tincture someone had made using the cold extraction method with the same amount of cannabis and found that 5 ml did pretty much nothing.
Using my Green Dragon technique I find that one dropper will bring effects on in 30-90 minutes and last 5 hours with 1.5 hours of lingering aftereffects.
Two droppers gave me a "spiritual dose" (as strong as any brownie I ever had). Effects lasted 7-8 hours with lingering effects for 2 more hours.
This means that 1/8oz of good cannabis yields about 30-34 doses of tincture (1 ML is really all I need).
