Reducing THC Content in Cannabis Extracts

After months of trying, I have come to the conclusion that my cancer patient has 0, no, nada tolerance for high THC Cannabis Oils. I've tried extracts with White Rhino, Northern Lights crosses, and Blueberry. All are too high in THC and he cannot take them for more than a few weeks, even in very small doses. Although they do alleviate his pain to a point, he is so uncomfortable he stops taking it.

Which brings me to ask this question: If I had access to high CBD Strains such as CBD Crew Nordle and Critical Mass, could I heat the oil and burn off some of the THC? I know THC has lower flash points than CBD so I thought I would ask the question.

I am going to first make the oil using the standard extraction methods but if it's still too strong, I would like to know if i could cook off some of the THC.

Wish I knew.
Lets think on it

A fractional distillation sounds difficult.
Will need tight temperature control in a closed system.
Don't want to just "burn off" THC, it has medical uses.

Might be able to do a column separation, but it will be messy and imprecise.
Analytical chromatography might be doable but requires some skills.
A preparative gas chromatography is ideal, but way beyond my means.
I'm wondering if it would work to separate the components in their acidic form and then decarb with heat.

Also wondering if THC and CBD can be persuaded to become salts.
That might simplify the fractionating.

If we all go ponder this, and do some reading.
We can probably figure this out.

Meet you all back here in a day or three.
Lets see what we can see.

Obligatory Disclaimer:

I am NOT a chemist.
Don't even play one on TV.
I'm just some guy on the net who reads way too much.

Aloha,
Weezard

Thinking about this in it's simplest form, decarboxylation turns the THCA into THC through precise heating. If heated too long or at higher temperatures, the THC starts to degrade into CBN. Thinking maybe I can decarb at a higher temp to degrade some of the THC. I have no way of testing or confirming the results other than trial and error.

Just like you, I am a guy who reads so much on the Internet, it gives me a headache. I usually take in all the information and form my own conclusions. It's worked so far.

Howzit LB?
Had a few thoughts;

If your patient's reaction is actually to THC and THC only, this should be do-able.

(Li'l background for anyone wondering what we are on about.
CBN is an oxidation, degradation product found in weed that's way past it's prime.)

If that's really what you are after, it seems a good start would be to allow the plant to get well into senescence before harvest.
And then expose the old, browned, buds to heat and light for several months to a year.

I've recently had the "opportunity" to sample some forgotten stash.
It was mostly CBN
It had no elevation to it at all, just makes me feel tired and dull.

There are >60 actives, in varying proportion, in the raw resin.
He may be reacting to some, many, or all.
That won't be an easy call.

If it is, indeed THC alone, we need to see how he reacts to say, THCa?
It's not psychoactive until you knock off the carboxyl group.

Grow high THCa strains, harvest too early, and store at low temperatures.
Extract the oil an near freezing and store under refrigeration.
That should give you buds that are predominately CBN, yah?
You could formulate with soy lecithin to enhance the bio-availability and keep the actual oil content low as well.

Won't get him high, and he may be able to tolerate it, but if THCa is not as medically beneficial as THC, why bother?

I may have been reading about this patients reaction on a different board.
It made me wonder how well purged his oil was to begin with?
What solvent(s) was/were used?
Was it then winterized and cold filtered?

I mean, If he is actually reacting the the waxes or traces of solvent, that, we can easily fix!

Still thinkin' and readin'.
Type atcha later,

Weeze

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LBBill

After months of trying, I have come to the conclusion that my cancer patient has 0, no, nada tolerance for high THC Cannabis Oils. I've tried extracts with White Rhino, Northern Lights crosses, and Blueberry. All are too high in THC and he cannot take them for more than a few weeks, even in very small doses. Although they do alleviate his pain to a point, he is so uncomfortable he stops taking it.

Which brings me to ask this question: If I had access to high CBD Strains such as CBD Crew Nordle and Critical Mass, could I heat the oil and burn off some of the THC? I know THC has lower flash points than CBD so I thought I would ask the question.

I am going to first make the oil using the standard extraction methods but if it's still too strong, I would like to know if i could cook off some of the THC.

---

My best advice would be to find a different strain, like Tora Bora, it is high in CBD and low in THC. Something else to consider, if the patient take three equal size doses per day, eventually the patient will build up a tolerance to the oil. This can take up to six weeks, sometimes more. If that is not possible to take three doses per day, there are other options, I do not recommend overheating the product to convert the THC to CBN. That is a no, no in my opinion. You would also be burning off most of the CBD's then the oil would really serve no purpose medicinally speaking. I think there are two better options using the current strains that you have. Harvest early or just harvest the lower buds early. Keep doing it earlier until you achieve the desired potency. Maybe better yet, do not activate the THC with heat. Use less heat than what is required to decarb THC. Many of the other compounds get decarbed at lower temperatures than THC. Then your patient would be consuming THCa and not THC or CBN. I am not sure, but currently I believe that it is CBN that causes a lot of the anxiety feelings, I have not confirmed this though. I think lower temperatures may be the solution or early harvest. Now letting the oil sit too long before the patient consumes it, the oil could naturally slowly decarb to THC. Like six weeks or longer.

Just my two cents. Good luck and God bless.

Yikes!
Just reread my post.

This:

"That should give you buds that are predominately CBN, yah?"

Should have read:

"That should give you buds that are predominately THCa, yah?"

I claim side effects.:stoned:

Sorry 'bout that.

Weeze

Just read story on REALfarmacy.com | Healthy News and Information. Charlotte' s web reduced thc for kids. Might help

I read somewhere that just plain ole hemp has an incredibly high CBD level, was that just propaganda? anyone know?

If you watch the original Rick Simpson video, he made his first oil out of Common Hemp.
Clearly said that it need not be high THC ganja.
Plain ol' hemp would do.
It sure would solve the too high for full dose problem.

I made some "tar" from my male plants that did ablate skin tags.
If I can find some common hemp, I'll make an extract and test the hell out of it.

Legal restrictions will make that difficult to do here, legally.

Anyone out there live in a country sane enough to grow hemp?
Be happy to walk them through the extraction and testing.
It's not rocket science. :D

Aloha,
Weezard

Kentuckey is growing plain hemp and TN has a bill introduced for such as well for 2014 ( I think it is that campaign where I heard about the high CBD level in Hemp)��ya never know, might be easier to get than you think�. ;)