The process of Decarboxylation is a very important part of consuming cannabis of all kinds. Whether you eat, drinks, smoke or rub your cannabis, then it is essential to Decarboxylate your weed before using it! Whether you smoke CBD flower in the evening, make a cannabinoid face scrub or some happy brownies it is a good thing to know the best ways to decarb your weed (CBD or otherwise).
If you have no idea what this process is, then you may be reading this thinking that it is a complicated scientific extraction or curing method? Nope, it is way more simple than that.
What Is Decarboxylation?
The process of Decarboxylation is fundamental to the existence of Cannabis and all of the cannabinoids that we enjoy today. Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction which removes the ‘carboxyl group’ from a compound and therefore it releases carbon CO2. It is basically a way of removing carbon from a compound. In cannabis, this happens naturally in the plant when it is exposed to warm sunshine, as the plant ages or most importantly… when it is burned (or combusted).
An example which will help you understand how important this process is is the transition of THCa to THC. THCa is the raw acid precursor of the THC compound that can be found in the raw plant. The THCa compound is not psychoactive and will not make you high – although it has found to be pretty healthy, it isn’t quite the same as THC. When the THCa compound is decarboxylated during the combustion process (when smoked or warmed in the oven) and turned into THC, which is psychoactive.
The process is exactly the same for the raw CBDa compound- turning it into CBD.
How To Decarb Weed?
Smokers don’t really need to know how to decarb weed, so we assume that you are reading this blog post because you want to produce an edible, a cosmetic product or something else. Which method you use, depends on what you’re producing.
Before anything – you can decarb your weed before doing either of these processes by putting the buds into the oven. It is best to put the buds on a tray in a preheated oven at 100 degrees C. The process can take between 10 and 20 minutes but you are waiting for all of the buds to become dry and crispy. If they are burned you may have gone a little too far and some of the cannabinoids will be destroyed. To remedy this, it may be best to lower the temperature of the oven or cover the buds with tinfoil.
Before adding your buds it is best for them to be ground or broken up well.
For Canna-butter & edibles
There are a couple of ways in which to decarb your weed and create an edible. The important thing to remember is that fat helps your body absorb the cannabinoids so infusing butter with cannabis is a great way to infuse almost anything. Take yourself a nice lump of butter into a pan on low-medium heat. You want to get the butter nice and warm without burning it. Add your pre decarbed/ raw buds into the butter and stir continuously as the ingredients infuse. Stir your pot of golden wonder for between 5 and 15 minutes.
Once taken off the heat, you can add the butter to your baking, spread it on toast or use it in your cooking.
For Cosmetics
The base for many natural cosmetic products is coconut oil. This is by far the best oil to use to decarb your weed when making something for your skin.
Place a good amount of the oil into a slow cooker and set for 65 degrees or medium-high heat. Once the oil has fully melted, add in your cannabis and mix well. Allow this mixture to stir for about an hour and a half. You should be left with a wonderful natural cannabinoid base for any cosmetic or hair product you wish. This is even edible too if you so wish so can use it as an alternative to canna-butter.
