How to Make a Homemade Cannabis Tincture

Cannabis tinctures can be used in various ways and is an essential item if you're a cannabis enthusiast. Unfortunately, cannabis tinctures aren't always legal (even in states with legalized medical or recreational weed), and not every dispensary is guaranteed to have some in stock. If you find yourself in this situation, or too far from the nearest dispensary to justify many visits, or if you are simply the DIY type or want to save money, having a good homemade cannabis tincture recipe is a solid option. Follow the instructions below to start making your homemade cannabis tincture!

The Benefits of Homemade Cannabis Tinctures

First, let's briefly go over what a cannabis tincture is. Cannabis tinctures are highly concentrated cannabis extracts created using high-percentage alcohol as a solvent to extract cannabinoids and terpenes from plant matter (flower). More or less, cannabis tinctures are cannabis-infused alcohol. However, you won't receive any effects from the alcohol because of how little of the tincture is consumed at a time.

Cannabis tinctures provide a wide variety of benefits associated with cannabis as a whole, and because of their concentration, it doesn't take much to feel the effects. Cannabis tinctures are believed to alleviate side effects associated with stress, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, eating disorders, chronic pain, inflammation, seizures, and much more. Of course, cannabis tinctures, depending on the weed used to create them, also provide an enjoyable high. Tinctures do not have to contain THC, however, and can be made with CBD-exclusive strains that are federally legal and without any psychoactive high.

While you can purchase tinctures at dispensaries (and some brands produce excellent tinctures), there are many reasons you might want to consider making your tincture at home. First, you can create tinctures with THC if you live in a state that doesn't allow for the retail sale of such tinctures. You can also save a lot of money. Because tinctures take several extra steps, including packaging, they can cost much more per dose than straight-forward flower. You can purchase cannabis flower and high-proof alcohol and create your own (we'll go over how to do this in just a moment) for a much lower cost per dose.

Dosing Your Homemade Cannabis Tincture

As we mentioned before, tinctures are highly concentrated, which means a little bit can go a long way. Too much at once, especially if you're new to cannabis, can result in an uncomfortable experience. To start, we highly recommend using just 2.5 to 5 mL at a time. As you become more familiar with how your homemade tinctures affect you, you can up the dosage. Keep in mind that the psychoactive effects are largely dependent on the strength of the strain you used to create the tincture.

If you're wondering how to make Everclear tincture not burn, we recommend adding it to another drink or food. Of course, making edibles with alcohol tincture is also a viable option. If you choose to make edibles with your tincture, consider adding it to butter or a batter and stirring it thoroughly for proper distribution and dosage.

How to Make a Homemade Tincture

Ingredients You'll Need

• 8 grams of decarbed cannabis (of your choice)
• 6 ounces of ethanol (200-proof) or Everclear (190-proof)
• Glass Containers (freezer-safe, such as mason jars)
• Small, unbleached coffee filters
• A cheesecloth
• A digital scale
• 2-ounce dropper bottles (ideally with mL markers on the dropper for accurate dosing)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Remember that you can make your cannabis tincture recipe Everclear or ethanol-based. Either way, how you go about the process will remain the same as long as the proof is above 190.

1. Decarb Your Cannabis

First, you must activate the cannabinoids (such as THC) in your cannabis. To do so, heat your cannabis on a baking sheet in the oven for roughly 30 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're using a CBD-dominate strain, bake your cannabis for 40-50 minutes at the same temperature. There are also specific decarb machines you can purchase if you're planning to do this often and want to make the investment, such as the Ardent Mini or the Levo C.

2. Freeze Your Cannabis and Alcohol Separately

Use your digital scale to weigh out 8 grams of decarbed cannabis, then add it to a freezer-safe glass jar (make sure you secure the lid tightly). Then, add 6 ounces of your alcohol in a separate freezer-safe container. Keep both jars in the freezer for at least 24 hours.

3. Combine Your Cannabis and Alcohol

Remove your jars from the freezer and add 3 ounces of your alcohol into the cannabis jar. Securely close the lid and shake for roughly 5 minutes. Then, return the cannabis-alcohol mixture and the remaining 3 ounces of alcohol to the freezer for two more hours.

4. Shake and Strain

Remove the cannabis-alcohol mixture from the freezer and shake once more for 5 minutes. Then, take a coffee folder and situate it in the mouth of another jar (make sure it's securely fastened). Next, you put cheesecloth over the mouth of your cannabis-alcohol mixture jar and slowly pour the contents through the coffee filter into the new jar.

5. Second Wash and Strain

Now, repeat steps 3 and 4, adding the remaining 3 ounces of unused alcohol to the cannabis left over from the cannabis-alcohol mixture. You'll shake the new mixture for 5 minutes and strain it through cheesecloth into the coffee filter jar as well.

6. Reduce

You now want to reduce the contents of your filtered jar by half. Allow your jar to sit at room temperature for a few hours without its lid. If you want to quicken the process, set your jar in front of a fan. Additionally, make sure to keep an eye on your tincture - once it gets to half, put a lid on your jar and begin the final steps. If you let it sit for too long, all the alcohol will evaporate, and you'll lose your tincture.

7. Bottle and Store

The final step is to transfer your strained cannabis extract into small dropper bottles. Amber bottles are best because they reduce light exposure, and you'll likely want stoppers that measure mL so that your dosages are accurate. Then, make sure you know how to store tincture bottles. Keep them in the refrigerator for the highest, long-lasting quality. It's that simple!