An amber colored dropper bottle has the dropper portion positioned next to it, the dropper if full of golden liquid, beyond are a few flowers that are scattered about.

How to Make a Cannabis Tincture: Easy Cold Alcohol Extraction

March 29, 2022 /

Last Updated on August 9, 2023

Come learn how to make your own homemade cannabis tincture using a simple cold alcohol (ethanol) extraction method with our step-by-step guide. I’ve included plenty of photos to make the process as clear and easy to follow as possible. There is also a printable summary at the end – though I don’t think you’ll want to miss the extra tips in the body of the post.

Tinctures are a convenient, discreet, and easy way to enjoy your plant medicine. It’s kinder to your lungs than smoking or vaporizing, and offers more controlled and consistent dosing compared to smoking or homemade edibles. (I love that I can take just a few drops if needed.) You can use this homemade cannabis tincture recipe with any of your favorite cannabis strains, with CBD hemp only, or like we do – with homegrown herb!

What is a cannabis tincture?

A cannabis tincture is a concentrated alcohol-based cannabis extract, often referred to as “Green Dragon” among the cannabis community. High percentage alcohol is used as a solvent to extract the medicinal compounds (cannabinoids and terpenes) from the plant flower or “buds”. Though tinctures are essentially cannabis-infused alcohol, you do not get drunk since only a tiny amount is consumed.

Cannabis tinctures are highly therapeutic. Studies show that cannabis can be used to soothe a wide variety of physical and mental ailments, including sleep disorders, stress, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, muscle tension, joint pain, migraine headaches, inflammation, seizures, cancer, chronic pain and more. Cannabis tinctures can contain THC only (such as THC isolate), a blend of THC and CBD, or CBD alone.

When it comes to CBD, I always use my favorite certified organic full-spectrum CBD oil from NuVita. It’s federally-legal and is the most effective, potent and pure CBD oil I’ve ever tried. It does wonders for my anxiety, TMJ, and sleep issues! (Use code “deannacat” or this link to save 10% off) But if we want something with THC, we make our own tinctures using homegrown cannabis. It’s fun, rewarding, and a great way to save money!

A birds eye view of an amber glass dropper that is laying on its side with various cannabis flowers surrounding it on all sides.

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What type of alcohol to make homemade cannabis tincture?

It is best to use either 190 to 200-proof food grade ethanol (aka ethyl alcohol) or 190-proof Everclear alcohol for this cannabis tincture recipe. Both are strong natural solvents that will effectively strip and separate the desired cannabinoids from the plant material. We use this USDA o rganic ethanol. It is pure food-grade grain alcohol, and doesn’t contain any additives or water.

Lower-proof alcohol (e.g. 80 proof vodka) is a weaker solvent and also has a higher water content than ethanol, which can interfere with the extraction and tincture-making process. You technically can make homemade cannabis tincture with vodka or other lower proof liquor, but it requires additional steps that we aren’t going to cover in this article.

Do not use rubbing alcohol.

A birds eye view image of a hand holding a quart jar of Culinary Solvent organic 200 proof non denatured ethyl alcohol. Flanking the top of the bottle are two separate containers, one is filled with decarbed cannabis and the other is full of the ethyl alcohol.

What type of cannabis should I use?

It’s important to use decarbed cannabis in this homemade cannabis tincture recipe. If you’re not familiar with decarboxylation, it’s essentially the process of heating cannabis to “activate” it (explained more below). When exposed to heat, raw forms of THCA, CBDA, and other cannabinoids are converted to their active forms of THC and CBD – making it psychoactive as well as more therapeutic. (It’s the same reaction that occurs when you heat cannabis via smoking or vaporizing, and why eating raw bud doesn’t get you high).

Aside from that, use whatever cannabis you prefer or have on hand! Choose a strain (or combination of a couple) with traits you personally desire from your homemade cannabis tincture. We use what we grow: well-rounded sativa/indica hybrids that also offer a good amount of CBD. Learn how to grow your own organic cannabis at home here, and shop for seeds here.

For the most therapeutic tincture, I recommend using strains with a well-balanced THC to CBD ratio. If you’re looking for daytime relief with less mental effects, choose a CBD-dominant strain. Yes, you can totally use this cannabis tincture recipe with CBD hemp alone!

A chart diagram that shows the different benefits that different cannabinoids have with many physical and mental health problems people can have. Between CBD, THC, CBG, CBN, and other less known cannabinoids, CBD is the only only one that helps with every condition on the chart such as anti inflammatory, relieves pain/anxiety, antibacterial, inhibits cell growth in tumors/cancer etc. The only condition it doesn't help is stimulating appetite.

Why freeze alcohol and cannabis for extraction?

This homemade cannabis tincture recipe uses a cold ethanol extraction method, also referred to as quick wash ethanol extraction or “QWET”. Freezing the cannabis makes the trichomes detach from the plant material more efficiently. When mixed with cold ethanol, the desirable cannabinoids and terpenes readily extract and combine with the alcohol – resulting in a stronger, better tincture.

Furthermore, keeping the mixture at a very low temperature helps reduce the amount of undesirable compounds in your tincture, such as lipids and chlorophyll. It’s a chemistry thing, but basically the freezing temperature influences the polarity of the lipids and chlorophyll so they’re more likely to stay bound to the plant material (and therefore get filtered out) rather than combining with the ethanol.

When done right, the resulting filtered tincture wash will be clear and golden in color rather than cloudy or green.

Supplies Needed to Make a Homemade Cannabis Tincture

8 grams of decarbed cannabis
6 ounces of 190 to 200-proof food grade ethyl alcohol (ethanol ) or 190 proof Everclear
Freezer-safe glass containers, such as wide-mouth pint mason jars or half-pint jars with lids.
Small unbleached coffee filters, like these ones
Cheesecloth
Digital Scale
Dropper bottles to store your finished tincture. We like these 2-ounce amber bottles; the droppers have mL markers on them for accurate dosing.

Yields: 2 ounces of homemade cannabis tincture

Please note that this is a two-day process, though ingredients are just sitting in the freezer for 97% of that time.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Decarb your cannabis

To decarb cannabis, start by tearing up the buds into fairly small pieces. Then spread it out evenly on a baking sheet. For THC-dominant strains, heat the cannabis in the oven at 250°F for 25 to 30 minutes. For high-CBD strains, bake it for 40 to 50 minutes at the same temperature. (It takes slightly longer for CBDA to convert to CBD than THCA to THC does.) If you’re using a well-balanced THC:CBD strain, meet in the middle at 30 to 35 minutes. See this article for a more in-depth look at decarbing cannabis.

Don’t want to stink up the house? Consider using an Ardent Nova device for an easy, nearly odor-free decarboxylation experience. We just got one recently and love it!

Note that your cannabis will decrease in weight slightly during the decarb process (as it gets more dry). So, start with a few extra grams so you’ll end up with the 8 grams needed for this cannabis tincture recipe. Or, bake plenty so you have enough leftover to make homemade cannabis oil or topical salve!

A pint mason jar is on its side with decarboxylated cannabis flowers spilling out of it onto a washed concrete surface. The flowers have a darker golden brown hue to them after decarboxylation. The cannabis is now ready to make homemade cannabis tincture.

Step 2: Freeze Cannabis and Alcohol (separately)

Use a scale to weigh out 8 grams of decarbed cannabis. Add the cannabis to a freezer-safe glass container with a lid. We like to use a wide-mouth pint glass jar. (Even though it seems more than large enough, the extra room in the jar makes it easier to shake compared to a half-pint jar.) Next add 6 ounces of ethanol to a separate freezer-safe container. Do not mix the alcohol and cannabis yet. Put both containers in the freezer for at least 24 hours.

A half pint mason jar is on the left filled with ethyl alcohol, to the right is a pint mason jar with 8 grams of decarbed cannabis in it, behind and in between the two mason jars is a quart bottle of 200 proof ethyl alcohol. — 6 ounces of ethanol and 8 grams of decarbed cannabis about to go into the freezer (with lids on).

Step 3: Combine Cannabis and Alcohol (First Wash)

After the initial 24 hours (or longer) is up, remove the cannabis and alcohol from the freezer. Pour ONLY HALF of the cold alcohol (3 ounces) into the container of frozen cannabis. Add a lid and shake vigorously for 5 minutes. Wrap the jar in a kitchen towel if it’s too cold to comfortably hold.

This process extracts the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant material, and is considered the “first wash”. We’ll do two rounds total.

Now return the cannabis-alcohol mixture as well as the separate remaining 3 ounces of plain alcohol to the freezer for an additional 2 hours.

A four part birds eye view image collage, the first image shows a decarbed cannabis sitting in a mason jar with the word "dry" at the bottom of the image. The second image shows the jar with the decarbed cannabis and ethyl alcohol in it with the words "add alcohol" at the bottom of the image. The third image shows the cannabis and alcohol mixture from the top and the cannabis is broken down into smaller pieces. The words "After 5 minutes of shaking" are on the bottom of the image. The fourth image shows the jar from the side, it shows a greenish liquid with the plant material sitting on the bottom, some of the plant material is stuck around the edges of the jar. — After the first shake, return this to the freezer.

Step 4: Shake and Strain

Once the two hours are up, it’s time for another shake – and then we strain! Remove the jar of mixed cannabis and alcohol from the freezer, and shake it again for an additional 5 minutes. (We don’t need the jar of plain alcohol at this time.)

Next we’re going to strain the tincture through two mediums: cheesecloth first to filter the larger plant material, and then a finer coffee filter to further remove unwanted lipids and other residue.

First set up the coffee filter straining station. We find it easiest to set a small coffee filter in the top of a separate clean pint glass jar, fold it over the rim of the jar, and then screw on a lid ring to hold it in place. The cannabis tincture takes a while to seep through the filter, so holding it by hand isn’t fun.

Next, put cheesecloth over the jar that contains the cannabis-alcohol mixture (we use the ring trick again) and slowly pour it through the cheesecloth and into the coffee filter jar. See the photos below.

Now return the jar of remaining cannabis to the freezer while the first wash liquid is straining through the coffee filter (about 10 minutes).

A four part image collage of the filtering process of making homemade cannabis tincture. The first image shows a pint mason jar, a hand holding a brown coffee filter, and a mason jar ring laying next to the jar. The second image shows two pint mason jars, one has greenish liquid in the bottom with a cheesecloth affixed to the top being secured with a lid ring. The other mason jar has a coffee filter affixed in a similar manner with a lid ring. The third image shows a hand pouring the greenish liquid through the cheesecloth, into the mason jar with the coffee filter. The fourth image shows the lone jar with coffee filter as some liquid is pooled in the coffee filter while what has been already filtered is sitting in the bottom of the jar.

Step 5: Second Wash & Strain

Now it’s time for the second and final wash. This step helps extract any final remaining cannabinoids from the plant material into your homemade cannabis tincture.

Grab the jar of cannabis that was in the freezer while the first wash strained (for about 10 minutes) and then repeat the washing/straining process from steps 3 and 4. Add the remaining 3 ounces of cold plain alcohol to the cannabis jar, add a lid, shake vigorously for 5 minutes, and strain through the cheesecloth and coffee filter once again – pouring it into the same filter and jar as the first wash.

A pint mason jar with a cheesecloth attached to the rim of the jar is pouring liquid into another pint mason jar with a coffee filter around the rim of the jar. There is some golden liquid at the bottom of the jar with the filter. — Adding the second wash to the same jar/filter as the first wash.

A two part image collage, the first image is a birds eye view of the top of a mason jar. It has a coffee filter sitting in the top of it with the lid ring attached around the outside of the jar. Homemade cannabis tincture is a pool in the filter, it is slowly being filtered through the coffee filter. The second image shows a birds eye view of the top of a mason jar. It has a coffee filter sitting in the top of it with the lid ring attached around the outside of the jar. The homemade cannabis tincture has filtered through the coffee filter, leaving behind brown residue (lipids, fats, and other residue). — Check out all the fats, lipids, and other residue left behind in the coffee filter after straining!

Step 6: Reduce

After all the liquid has strained through the coffee filter into the jar, it’s time to reduce it by about half the volume. Excess alcohol will easily evaporate off, and the result is a more concentrated and effective homemade cannabis texture.

Do this by simply allowing the jar to sit out at room temperature with the lid off for several hours. We place the jar in front of a fan to help expedite the process. Note the volume of liquid in the container when you start (use a rubber band around the jar, or a glass marking pen). Keep an eye on it! Once it reduces by half, add a lid to stop further evaporation – or go ahead and bottle your final homemade cannabis tincture.

A two part picture collage, the first picture shows a pint mason jar filled to about the 5 ounce line with golden brown liquid, a rubber band is wrapped around the fill line to mark where the top of the liquid is. The second image shows the same pint mason jar a number of hours later. The liquid is much darker in color now and has reduced to just over 2 ounces.

Step 7: Bottle and Store

Once it’s reduced by half, transfer the strained cannabis extract to a final storage bottle – such as these amber glass dropper bottles. Amber bottles are ideal since they reduce light exposure, which degrades cannabinoids. Store the bottle in the refrigerator for the best long-lasting quality. Congratulations, you just made a homemade cannabis tincture! Keep reading for usage and dosing information.

Homemade cannabis tincture being poured from a pint mason jar through a small stainless steel funnel into an amber glass dropper bottle.

How to Use or Take a Cannabis Tincture

You can consume your cannabis tincture either under your tongue (sublingually) or mixed with a beverage (oral ingestion). Sublingual consumption will result in more immediate effects, while oral ingestion will have a slower onset but longer-lasting results. See the graphic below.

However, proceed with some caution! 200 proof ethanol is very strong, and I find it causes a burning sensation when applied straight under my tongue. To avoid that, I put a very small amount of water in my mouth first, squirt in the tincture, hold the diluted mixture in my mouth for a few minutes, and then swallow. Therefore my intake is mostly sublingual, but with a little oral ingestion too.

A diagram showing three ways of ingesting cannabis and the onset and duration of the experience. It shows that inhaled cannabis and sublingual cannabis effects are more similar in their effects while oral cannabis consumption is a slower onset, with a longer peak and duration of effects. — Chart courtesy of Periodic Edibles

Strength and Dosing for Homemade Cannabis Tincture

When first trying your tincture, I suggest to start low and go slow. Without lab testing, it’s difficult to say exactly how potent a homemade cannabis tincture is. There are simply too many factors: the initial cannabinoid concentration and strain you used, how long and hot you decarbed it, the efficacy of your ethanol extraction process, and how much it was reduced at the end.

Start with a few drops, and then gradually increase the amount to find your “sweet spot” and desired results. (But wait a couple hours to see how you feel before taking more.) With this recipe, a quarter dropper is a fairly conservative starting point. I personally like to take .25 mL or a quarter dropper (though I’ve taken more just fine) while Aaron prefers about .5 mL or half a dropper. That’s just enough to take the edge off, relax our muscles, and help us sleep better without being too stony.

A dropper is held suspended over an amber colored dropper bottle, the dropper is filled with more than .5 mL of homemade cannabis tincture which is a clear golden color.

That was fairly simple, right?

Well folks, I hope this tutorial was easy to follow – and will enable you to successfully make your own cannabis tinctures at home now. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below. If you found this information useful, please consider leaving a rating/review and pinning or sharing this post. We greatly appreciate you tuning in today. Now go have fun making your own medicinal Green Dragon!

Don’t miss these related posts:

Homemade Cannabis Tincture Recipe

Come learn how to make your own homemade cannabis tincture (aka Green Dragon) using a simple cold alcohol (ethanol) extraction method.

4.72 from 281 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 1 3

Servings ounces

Equipment

2 freezer-safe glass containers, such as wide-mouth pint mason jars or half-pint jars
1 small unbleached coffee filter
cheesecloth
digital scale
Baking sheet
freezer
bottle for final storage, such as 2-ounce amber dropper bottles

Ingredients

8 grams decarbed cannabis
6 ounces 200-proof food grade eylth alcohol (ethanol) or 190-proof Everclear alcohol

Instructions

Decarb your raw cannabis. Tear it up into fairly small pieces and spread on a baking sheet. For THC-dominant strains, heat the cannabis in the oven at 250°F for 25 to 30 minutes. For high-CBD strains, bake for 40 to 50 minutes and 30 to 35 minutes for a well-balanced THC:CBD strain. (I suggest starting with a few more than 8 grams since it will get lighter as it dries.)
Add 8 grams of decarbed cannabis to a freezer-safe glass container with a lid, and 6 ounces of ethanol to a separate freezer-safe container. Put both containers in the freezer for at least 24 hours.
First Wash: After the initial 24 hours (or longer), remove the cannabis and alcohol from the freezer. Pour only HALF of the cold alcohol (3 ounces) into the container of frozen cannabis. Add a lid and shake vigorously for 5 minutes. Now return the cannabis-alcohol mixture as well as the separate remaining 3 ounces of plain alcohol to the freezer for an additional 2 hours.
After two hours, remove the jar of mixed cannabis and alcohol from the freezer and shake it again for an additional 5 minutes. Then strain the mixture twice: first through a cheesecloth and then through a coffee filter into a separate clean container (as shown in this article). Return the jar of remaining cannabis to the freezer while the liquid is straining through the coffee filter (about 10 minutes).
Second Wash: Grab the jar of cannabis that was in the freezer while the first wash strained (for about 10 minutes) and then repeat the washing/straining process from steps 3 and 4. Add the remaining 3 ounces of cold plain alcohol to the cannabis jar, add a lid, shake vigorously for 5 minutes, and strain through the cheesecloth and coffee filter once again – pouring it into the same filter and jar as the first wash.
Reduce the liquid by half via evaporation. Simply set the jar out at room temperature with the lid off for several hours, or place in front of a fan to expedite the process. Note the volume of liquid in the container when you start. Once it reduces by half, add a lid to stop further evaporation – and/or transfer your finished tincture into it's final storage bottle.
Store your homemade cannabis tincture in an opaque glass bottle in the refrigerator. We recommend 2-ounce amber dropper bottles.
Consume the tincture either under your tongue (sublingually) or mixed with a beverage (oral ingestion). Sublingual consumption will result in more immediate effects, while oral ingestion will have a slower onset but longer-lasting effects. **Please see notes of caution and additional information on usage/dosing below.

Notes

Usage and Dosing:

**Ethanol alcohol is very strong and may cause a burning sensation when applied straight under the tongue. To avoid that, I put a very small amount of water in my mouth first, squirt in the tincture, hold the diluted mixture in my mouth for a few minutes, and then swallow. Therefore my intake is mostly sublingual, but with a little oral ingestion too.
Re: Dosage, start low and go slow. Start with a few drops, and then gradually increase the amount to find your “sweet spot” and desired results. (But wait a couple hours to see how you feel before taking more.) With this recipe, a quarter dropper is a fairly conservative starting point.

Keyword cannabis tincture alcohol, ethanol extraction cannabis tincture, green dragon recipe, homemade cannabis tincture, how to make cannabis tincture

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Deanna Talerico

Deanna Talerico (aka DeannaCat) is a garden educator and writer with over 15 years experience in organic gardening. She is a retired Senior Environmental Health Specialist, and holds a M.A. in Environmental Studies and B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources.

481 Comments

jakehole

July 25, 2023 at 2:09 pm Reply

Finally finished my tincture! 7oz of shake decarbed in a mason jar, then washed with 5oz of Everclear. Yielded 4oz of liquid, which I reduced down to 2oz (this took me over five days, even with intermittent fan exposure). Dosed 0.5mL into 12oz of Limoncello Lacroix (absolutely delicious combination) and felt the medicinal effects within 30-40 minutes. Feeling lasted two hours with no following fatigue, although my hunger was at a 10, as is usually the case for me with edibles.

I don’t like the pipette that I have, and since I’m a bartender by trade and intend to ingest this orally as opposed to sublingually, I’m going to put this into a japanese-style dasher bottle and add an equal part of cardamom bitters to make mildly medicated, non-alcoholic cocktails. This is a great way to drink socially if alcohol isn’t your thing, and ensures even after three or four, you won’t be too medicated for comfort (that’s with my measurements, your mileage will most definitely vary!)

Overall, this was an extremely fool-proof way of making tincture. I will definitely be adding this to my regular repetoire.
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 25, 2023 at 2:43 pm Reply
  
  Hi jakehole, so glad the tincture turned out well for you and you enjoy the effects so much! Great ideas on ways to use the tincture in mocktails and such, sounds tasty.
- Lisa
  
  October 13, 2023 at 9:47 am Reply
  
  PROBLEMS WITH REDUCING: Hello, I was excited to complete all the steps in success but the last one. After 8 hours overnight of letting it sit out to reduce, no reduction happened. It started to look cloudy and I feared if I didn’t refrigerate it, it would go bad. So it’s in the frig, waiting for advise on what to do next! Grateful for your help.
  - Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
    
    October 13, 2023 at 6:03 pm Reply
    
    Hi Lisa, did you use 190 proof or higher alcohol and did you set the tincture in front of a fan so you could see ripples along the top of the liquid due to air moving over the top of the tincture? If you used lower proof alcohol, there will be more water in the alcohol which doesn’t evaporate as readily as high proof alcohol. If you used high proof alcohol with a fan as well and it still didn’t reduce, you likely need to heat the tincture using a water bath with an electric rice cooker or electric slow cooker, you cannot use flames whatsoever due to the flammable nature of alcohol. Set the jar of tincture inside the water bath which and heat it until close to boiling, the tincture will start to reduce as the water bath gets hotter. Hope that helps and good luck!
    - Lisa
      
      October 16, 2023 at 8:55 am Reply
      
      Hi Aaron,
      Thank you! I used a little lower proof, 140 and don’t quite understand the fan instructions, it’s supposed to be pointed to blow air directly into the jar? Won’t that blow dust into it? WIth the lower proof I used, at this point should I try the fan method or move to the slow cooker? As an experiment, I tried it as is, and 1 tablespoon had zero effect. So it really does matter the reduction. I’ll be sure and get the higher proof next attempt.
      - Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
        
        October 17, 2023 at 7:37 am
        
        Hi Lisa, we just set the jar in front of a fan that blows air over the top of the jar a foot or so away, it doesn’t necessarily need to blow downward into the jar to get air moving across the top of the tincture. Since you used 140 proof alcohol and it contains more water, I would go for the reduction with heat using a water bath in the slow cooker. Lower proof alcohols also don’t do as great a job of extracting cannabinoids as higher proof alcohols so the efficiency of the extraction isn’t as great, however, you should still end up with a potent tincture after the reduction. Hope that helps and good luck!
Tiffany

July 24, 2023 at 11:21 am Reply

Hi there. I have a question for you. If I triple the recipe, will it come out the same or is smaller quantities better? Obviously, using more cannobis and more alcohol. Thanks in advance
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 24, 2023 at 12:31 pm Reply
  
  Hi Tiffany, yes you can triple the recipe to end up with more tincture at the end of the process. I would recommend straining/filtering into two separate jars to help expedite the filtering process (it can take 30 minutes to 1 hour to filter a regular sized batch), also switching out for new coffee filters for the second wash will help with the second filtering time. If you triple the recipe, evaporate/reduce the final tincture down to 6 ounces total for a similar potency as the original recipe. Hope that helps and good luck!
jakehole

July 17, 2023 at 1:32 pm Reply

Thanks for the recipe, my couple of questions are:

1. Does the Everclear need to remain in the freezer for the full 24 hours? I would imagine that it can only get so cold before the temperature stabilizes, and I would imagine that would happen before 24 hours. My cannabis has been in for about three days or so.

2. Unbleached coffee filters; if I only have regular white filters, would these be okay to use? Or will it leach into the tincture as it filters?
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 18, 2023 at 8:15 am Reply
  
  Hi jakehole, we like to keep the alcohol in the freezer for a full 24 hours just to ensure that it is as cold as the freezer can get it as it will help extract more cannabinoids with fewer other unwanted plant materials like chlorophyl, plant lipids, and waxes. As far as using white filters, that should work out just fine, good luck and enjoy your tincture!
  - jakehole
    
    July 18, 2023 at 1:42 pm Reply
    
    Thanks for the response! I ended up letting the alcohol chill overnight.
    
    My final question, which may have been asked already so I apologize, but I’m leaving the tincture in a jar on top of my kitchen cabinet to reduce while I go to work. Since I won’t be able to watch it until I get home, I’m skipping the fan, and I’ve covered the opening with a layer of cheese cloth to stop any debris or little critters from getting in the jar. If it overreduces, since the cannabinoids are now in solution, can I just add a bit of alcohol to bring the viscocity and potency back down?
    - Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
      
      July 18, 2023 at 3:56 pm Reply
      
      Hi jakehole, that is probably a good call on not using a fan to reduce it if you aren’t going to be home as we find that within 3-5 hours we can get it to reduce by half to 2 ounces or just slightly under. But yes, if it does reduce too much while you are away, you can just add some alcohol back into the tincture and at that rate, you don’t have to use the Everclear, you can use a lower proof alcohol instead which won’t have as much burn to it. Hope that helps and let us know how it turns out!
Brian

July 14, 2023 at 3:07 pm Reply

Couple questions – First of all I highly appreciate you responding to the recipe questions, too often people just forget the post exists after writing it.

First – I’ve tried 3 times to make butter in the past but it always failed and had close to zero potency. Im not sure why, but my wondering there is if its possible to decarb the bud for too long or at too high a temp? When I did butter, I did 285 for 30 minutes and the bud came out very brown. I will follow the recipe here for 250 for 30-40 minutes when I do it though.

Second – I’m waiting on dropper bottles to be delivered, which is 4 days away, but I want to get the process started today. Is there a particular spot in the process that would be a better place to leave it for longer? I.e. should I leave the bud and ethanol in their separate containers (step 1) for 3 days? Or would it be better go to step two and mix after 24 hours in the freezer, shake, and then leave the bud and ethanol mixed in for ~2 days in the freezer?

Looking forward to trying this out and saving my lungs! Thank you!
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 14, 2023 at 6:05 pm Reply
  
  Hi Brian, making cannabutter can have varying results depending on how much cannabis you use and how long you let it cook but we mostly just make cannabis oil to be used in topical applications. We have found making tincture to be a much more reliable way to use cannabis orally. Since you are still waiting for your bottles, I would just decarb the cannabis and then place the cannabis and the ethanol in their own containers in the freezer and wait until you have the dropper bottles. The process of making the tincture is quite easy and you are only actively doing something for 15-20 minutes while most of the time is spent waiting. The ethanol does a great job of stripping the cannabis of cannabinoids where you don’t really need to leave the cannabis and ethanol together for days on end. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the tincture!
Keke

July 14, 2023 at 3:04 am Reply

Hi Deanna, I’m a newbie.
I have 2 questions.
How can i consume final product by inhaling?
And is it possible to do same process without decarb?

I want to consume it by inhaling, that’s why I’m asking.

Thanks,
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 14, 2023 at 9:56 am Reply
  
  Hi Keke, if you are only interesting in smoking, do not make this tincture recipe, just smoke the cannabis to begin with. Only make this recipe if you are interested in taking the tincture orally. Hope that helps and good luck!
Eric

July 13, 2023 at 9:16 pm Reply

Hi. This is a great writeup. Thanks!

I only have 1gram of cannibis to try this with. How much everclear should I use with that much?
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 14, 2023 at 8:00 am Reply
  
  Hi Eric, since you are only using 1/8th of the amount of cannabis for the recipe, use 1/8th the amount of alcohol which would be 1 ounce. Once you are on the evaporation step, evaporate the tincture down to a half ounce and you should be good to go. Hope that helps and good luck!
  - Eric
    
    July 15, 2023 at 11:47 am Reply
    
    It helps a ton. Thanks!
- Latonya
  
  July 15, 2023 at 3:22 pm Reply
  
  Thank you for this recipe. I wasn’t looking forward to the longer process. This worked wonders and very easy.
  - Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
    
    July 15, 2023 at 3:55 pm Reply
    
    So glad you enjoyed it Latonya!
Thomas Stanley Stachelski

July 8, 2023 at 6:17 pm Reply

Can I mix the finished product with a carrier oil like olive or avocado?
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 9, 2023 at 7:52 am Reply
  
  Hi Thomas, I am not sure how well the alcohol tincture and oil will mix but you can reduce the tincture down until it is FECO (Full Spectrum Extract Cannabis Oil) and mix that with 2 ounces of avocado or olive oil and the resulting tincture should be around the same potency as the original recipe. Hope that helps and good luck!
Joseph Dinallo

July 5, 2023 at 8:05 am Reply

Hi Deanna and Aaron, I have done 2 batches of the tincture and achieved 2 different results. 1st one was pretty good with 2 dropper dose. Lasted a long time. 2nd not as good with pretty much same weed. I’m not sure if decarbed enough…how do you tell? I’m about to do 3rd batch with fairly strong sativa buds that I bought at dispensary. I’m worried about the decarb length of time with true buds cut up.
Secondly, can you give an opinion on topping plants? 2 friends wait until just before flowering stage to top. I have a couple that look like they are stretching some due to lack of sun here on cape cod and think topping now might be good. 3 plants are in 10 gal smart bags and are staying outside ( hopefully no one sees them). 4 are going in my grow tent asap. Thank you for your thoughts! Didn’t see way to send pic of them….I appreciate your tincture recipie…I’m an older guy that doesn’t want to smoke as much. Great site 5 stars
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 5, 2023 at 8:36 am Reply
  
  Hi Joseph, we are glad you enjoy the tincture and are finding it a good way to medicate! Have you been able to properly reduce the tincture to 2 ounces or less during the final step of the process? You having varied results between batches could also have something to do with a tolerance build up, when using tincture on a regular basis, your body becomes more acclimated to the specific dose. I have found that even taking a few days off of taking tincture can help as far as that goes. As far as the decarb goes, I would just be sure to decarb for the correct amount of time and temperature that we outline in the article, we have been using this Ardent device for decarbing and it works really well. You can leave the flowers whole and they don’t have as much of a burnt smell when finished as opposed to when using the oven.
  
  As far as topping plants outdoors, you can go either way but most of the time if I top an outdoor plant, I just top it above the 6th or 8th node (depending on how tall it is and how many nodes it currently has) and let them go but I don’t typically do it right before they flower specifically. Growing outdoors usually produces a large harvest either way so I try not to overthink it too much. Hope that helps and reach out if you have any other questions, good luck and have fun growing!
- Joe D
  
  July 7, 2023 at 7:48 am Reply
  
  Hi Deanna and Aaron, I wrote before but forgot to ask about step 5 of the tincture directions. It states that steps 3 and 4 are to be repeated…does that include another 2 hours in the freezer? Thank you! Also, was looking to see if pics can be sent. Wanted to send a pic or 2 of my plants to see if a couple are stretching too much due to not enough sun lately. Again thank you🌞, Joe
  - Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
    
    July 7, 2023 at 7:57 am Reply
    
    Hi Joe, after the initial wash and strain while the portion of tincture is filtering, we put the cannabis back into the freezer with the remaining bit of alcohol. Once the filtering gets close to completion (however long that takes, usually close to 30 minutes or so), we combine the cannabis and remaining alcohol from the freezer, shake for 5 minutes, strain and filter. We will typically use a new coffee filter for the second part as sometimes reusing the old one makes for an even slower filtering step. You can send an email which is in the contact page and include a few pictures as well, hope that helps and have fun growing!
Stacye A Ziegler

July 3, 2023 at 1:20 pm Reply

Hello thank you for the great step by step. This is my first attempt and all is going well and im very excited for the final product. How long does tge reduction part usually take and is the tincture usable while reducing?

Thank you
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 4, 2023 at 8:30 am Reply
  
  Hi Stacye, the reduction time can vary depending on the temperature and humidity of your house. When placed in front of a fan, we can usually get ours to reduce down to 2 ounces or less in 3-5 hours. You should be able to see the surface of the tincture rippling due to the air flow blowing across it, you will just need to check on it every so often to see the progress. You can sample the tincture before it’s reduced but it won’t be as potent and the alcohol present will offer too much of a bite or kick so it won’t be very pleasant. Maybe mix it with some juice but I would just wait until if is fully reduced before you sample any. Hope that helps and good luck!
Brad

July 2, 2023 at 1:34 pm Reply

Hello. Really enjoyed your instructions. First time I made a tincture, the color was green, much like the photo of the dropper in the article above. Next time, using a different strain, the tincture was much darker, more brownish. Potency is similar, maybe a little less. Did I do something wrong? Did I decarb it for too long. It was in the oven for 27min at 250.
- Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
  
  July 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm Reply
  
  Hi Brad, glad to hear you enjoyed the tincture and even made a second batch! The color can vary by strain and maybe some other limiting factors, freshly harvested cannabis may contain more chlorophyll and be more green in color than cannabis that has been harvested for awhile and starts to age into a darker more golden color. If the tincture is a little less potent, it may have not have had as much THC to begin with or you possibly evaporated off more alcohol in your first batch which will increase the potency as well. In all, I don’t think you did anything wrong at all, each batch will just vary slightly from the previous. Hope that helps and enjoy!