Marijuana or cannabis is a plant whose compounds known as cannabinoids are believed to contain a long list of benefits for the overall health. When they enter the body, they attach to already existing receptors.
This plant is commonly used by a lot of people throughout the world to help them with cancer-related symptoms, to ease chemotherapy side effects such as nausea and vomiting, and to boost the appetite too.
Cannabis Remains Controversial
Without doubt, people from numerous parts of the world are using cannabinoids and their therapeutic properties to better their health. Though there is evidence of their positive impact on patients suffering from cancer and undergoing chemo, this does not exclude the possibility of negative effects. Therefore, it still remains illegal and rather controversial in most of the states.
Some of the potential side effects are higher risk of schizophrenia, lung cancer and asthma when smoked, problems with fertility, pregnancy-related complications. This is why people can benefit the most from cannabis when a doctor prescribes it and they can consult him/her for dosages, best type of cannabis for their health problem, etc.
Since smoking cannabis is not the best way to consume it because of the potential lung damage, a lot of people rely on cannabis oil which is powerful and highly effective. This recipe was created by Rick Simpson, well-known throughout the world for curing his skin cancer with cannabis oil. Learn more about him here.
DIY Cannabis Oil Recipe
*one ounce of dried cannabis usually produces 3 to 4 grams of cannabis oil, but the amount may vary according to the strain*
Important to note:
When you are boiling the solvent off, the fumes are highly flammable, so, be careful. Also, prepare it in a well-ventilated area free of smoking, stove-tops, sparks, and red-hot heating elements. Make sure you have a fan turned on to blow away the fumes from the pot.
You will need:
1 ounce of dried cannabis
2 buckets
2 gallons of solvent
Coffee filter
Rice cooker
Plastic syringe
Stainless steel containers
Dehydrator or a coffee warmer
A wooden stick
Preparation: Put the dry material in a plastic bucket and then cover it with the solvent (isopropyl alcohol, ether, butane, and even water). Using an untreated wooden stick, crush the plant and continue stirring it for around three minutes. While doing this, the THC goes from the plant into the solvent.
Then, transfer the oily mixture in another bucket. Add more solvent to the remaining plant and mash it again for three minutes. Add the oil from this bucket to the previous mixture. Throw away the mashed plant and strain the oil through a coffee filter in a clean container. Now, it is time to boil the solvent off in a rice cooker (this will hold more than ½ gallon of solvent mixture). Fill the cooker with the oil until is ¾ full and turn it onto high heat. Do this only after setting up proper ventilation for the fumes to go away.
As the evaporation happens, add more of the mixture to the cooker. When the mixture lowers for the last time, add some water to keep the oil safe from excessive heat. Once the mixture reduces to an inch, take the cooker with oven mitts and swirl the mixture until the boiling ends. When the content has been boiled off, reduce the heat to low and take the pot with the oil from the rice cooker and transfer the oil slowly into a stainless steel container. Put the container in a dehydrator or in a coffee warmer and leave it for several hours. This will allow the water and volatile terpenes to evaporate from the oil. The oil is ready for use once there is no activity happening on the surface. Using the syringe, collect the oil. This eases the later usage of the oil. Once it cools down, the texture will be darker and thicker.
Sources: