Part 3 - The science behind it.
The key to making effective capsules is in the THC extraction process.
In short, the secret is to expose the bud, keif or hash to prolonged, low heat (simmering) in an oil or butter high in saturated fat* in order to thoroughly break down the structure of the resin heads and allow the THC to bind to the fat molecules.
If the temperature is too high, you run the risk of losing potency due to the vaporization/evaporation of the THC (if the smell is strong, youre doing it wrong). Too low, and you wont convert the inactive compounds into active, or allow them an opportunity to effectively combine with the oil/butter.
This fat is then added to the capsules, which once swallowed, release the concentrated THC directly into the stomach for maximum absorption into the bloodstream.
*The type of short chain fatty acids that are found in Coconut oil and Ghee (clarified butter) are excellent conductors of THC, and much easier for the human digestive system to metabolize. Therefore, where possible, go for an oil or butter high in saturated fats rather than monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Although theyll still work, much of the potency will be lost, requiring much greater amounts of weed to eaten in order to achieve similar results. As coconut oil is far cheaper than good weed, youre better off investing in a jar.
This step is the most important part. Heating the weed must occur to decarboxylaize it.
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 during cooking, 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 mixture 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 consuming
Part 4 - Now the how to
I usually recommend using hashish or kief over Bud when cooking, because it is a quicker and simpler process of conversion, and the effects are (slightly) more predictable. However, if you only have access to Grass dont worry, you can still make them just as easily using the following method.
Grass method:
Due to the difference in THC strength, youll need to use 1.5 grams of good quality well cured bud in order to match the potency of 1 gram of hash or kief. Firstly, remove any stems, seeds or obvious leaf material* then grind to as small a grain (powder) as you can manage, then just follow the rest of the steps as detailed below.
The Canna-oil Method: If using a Slow Cooker (Crock pot).
The beauty of slow cookers is you can pretty much switch them on and forget about them.
Typically, a slow cooker will have 2 or 3 settings (low, medium and high).
Due to the size of these cookers I recommend placing your oil/butter in a much smaller oven-proof container otherwise itll just make a thin coating on the bottom of your pan.
In my case I use an eggcup (or a coffee cup when making larger quantities) the shape makes it easier to siphon off the oil and to scrape out the residue.
Simply set the cooker to low, add the ghee/oil and then the hash/kief or bud and leave to slowly simmer for the required time.
1 hour for hash.
1 and half hours for kief.
2 hours for bud.
The Canna-oil Method: If using a Pan and Mixing Bowl
Pour around three inches of boiling water into your cooking pan, then sit the mixing bowl in the water so that its floating just off the bottom (very important), add the oil or Ghee (clarified butter) to the mixing bowl and let it melt, then add your hashish, kief or powdered bud and dissolve slowly while keeping the lid on and the boiling water just barely simmering beneath.
Floating the mixing bowl in the water and keeping the lid on prevents burning off the THC which evaporates/vaporises at high temperatures.(over 180. The boiling water keeps the butter/oil at the perfect temperature of around 170 degrees centigrade (boiling point) to slowly wring out every last molecule of spacey goodness!.
This step is the most important part. Heating the weed must occur to decarboxylaize it.
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 during cooking, 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 mixture 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 consuming
