GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Feel free to correct me where I may be wrong, but I started this about two days, finished it and tried it today, so if I'm wrong somewhere, it still worked. I'll be doing more later that acid thing has got me thinking, I think I can make it a bit stronger still.
Green Dragon Process Exp. 1
By TryptamineScape
October 19, 2007
This is my first experiment in creating the perfect Green Dragon method. The recipes and methods I??ve found to alter and convert the Marijuana plant all worked very well. What I??m doing is not an experiment with a new method, but rather an experiment combining the existing methods of Marijuana alteration and conversion in order to perfect a Green Dragon method. Though a slight lengthy process, it??s not very complicated and was done with everyday household and kitchen items. What was produced worked very well. I will use the Green Dragon again at a later time to document dosage and give a trip report.
Supplies:
Coffee grinder (or something to chop the cannabis very fine)
7g Cannabis (I used the buds and the stems, putting the seeds aside)
Mortar and pestle (which I guess could be substituted with any bowl and something to mash the piss out of the weed)
Razor blade
Small baggy
Small hammer
2oz pure grain alcohol (Everclear, PGA, Moonshine, etc.)
Aluminum foil
1oz lemon juice
Panty hose
Process 1.
Begin by making sure the 7g of cannabis is dry. Wet cannabis will be hard to work with and take much longer to manage cooperation with.
The first thing I did was a variation of the kif gathering process, only I didn??t separate the kif from the plant matter. I allowed the two to bind into a mash of sorts.
Taking the 7g of cannabis, I broke it up by hand then ran it through the coffee grinder. Once it was ran through the coffee grinder, I scraped what kif was on the blades into the grinded weed/kif. I then ran all this back through the grinder. Once again I scraped all the powder and residue from the grinder. This left me with a nice, finely ground and powdery weed/kif mixture.
Next, I took my powdery weed/kif mixture and grinded it further by hand in the mortar and pestle. What I had left was a very fine, slightly sticky, powdery mash of what used to be buds. This should be almost as fine as kif alone, if that tells you how much grinding and mashing it should go through.
Process 2.
Taking the mash, I then put it into the small baggy and made sure I packed it down to the bottom as tight as I could get it without busting the bag.
Then, I rolled up the excess bag very tight into a small log of compressed weed/kif mash.
I proceeded to abuse the mash with a hammer. The objective is to beat it into a log of compressed and condensed ??hash?.
Be sure not to hit the bag extremely hard. The point isn??t to beat the weed into submission; the point is to semi-gently coax it into binding into an oily log. Don??t hit it very hard or the bag will just tear and you??ll have to start that over after you scrape your weed up from wherever it got blown to. I??ve found that it??s better if you hit it with the hammer and instead of pulling back to hit again, you mash a little. After about four or five hits, turn the bag over and repeat. It should go like, ??Hit, mash, Hit, mash, Hit, mash, Hit, mash, flip back over, repeat.? When the mash condenses, keep rolling the bag up tight. Don??t allow it to get too lose.
When this is done you??ll be left with a nice oily log of the mash.
Process 3.
I preheated oven to 325 degrees F.
Then I broke up and spread the mash out onto a sheet of aluminum foil.
Once the oven was preheated, I put another sheet of aluminum foil on top, making a sandwich of the mash between the two sheets of foil. I didn??t fold the edges up to close it, I left the sides open.
I placed this into the oven and baked it for about 5 minutes. Once the entire kitchen smelled like weed, it was time to take it out. This process is called decarboxylation, which is to remove the carboxyl group (univalent COOH, present in organic acids) from the organic compound. This is what converts the THCA to THC. Decarboxylation isn??t necessary, however converting the THCA to THC prior to the extraction process will add a strength to the final product.
I removed the mash from the oven and immediately placed it into 2oz of the room temperature alcohol (which is in a glass jar with no lid). By immediately going from the oven to the room temperature alcohol, I??ve cooled the mash down rapidly. This, I thought, would keep the acids bound into larger crystals until I got to the water bath process (just to make sure I lost absolutely nothing in evaporation in the few minutes it was in the open?might not be necessary).
I stirred the mash into the alcohol to get a good mix.
Process 4.
I placed the jar with the alcohol/mash into a pot of water on the stove.
I began to simmer the water around the alcohol/mash mix for 20 minutes.
As it simmered I learned two things. 1.) If there??s too much water in the pot, once it begins to heat and simmer the glass jar wants to float off; and 2.) The glass is hot, so when it starts floating, don??t stop it with your hand. I ended up using tongs to hold the jar in place. For future reference I noted that I will use a heavier glass or less water.
I maintained a steady temperature of 170 degrees F in the liquid inside the glass jar the entire 20 minutes.
When it was done simmering and the alcohol was down to about 1oz, I took it out of the water bath and strained it through a normal kitchen strainer.
After I strained it like that, I took the mash and squeezed it through a panty hose.
Just to be sure I got it all, after squeezing it through a panty hose, I divided the mash and squeezed each half through the panty hose individually.
What I ended up with was 1oz of a nice darkish green liquid that smelled a lot like Cannabis.
Process 5.
I then let the liquid set in the dark at room temperature for 24 hours.
After the 24 hours was up, I added 1oz of lemon juice to the liquid and returned it back to the water bath process for 30 minutes. This is the process of Isomerization, which is a conversion of a compound into an isomer of itself. The lemon juice acts as an added acid, while the extracted carboxyls (THC, Cannabinoids, etc.) act as the organic acid. The base is the alcohol. The addition of an acid to a mixture of organic acid and base will result in the acid remaining uncharged, while the base will be protonated. This adds hydrons to the atoms, which, in this case, increases its hydrophilicity (the ability to bind with water).
This time, I slightly covered the entire water bath pot. I left just enough room for some of the vapors to escape on one side. This increased the temperature closer to boiling inside the waterbath.
After this I added a bit more alcohol to raise the level back up some.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
This sounds a lot like the process I used, but there are a few differences. I didn't do as much grinding or processing before the extraction. I did the decarboxylization process at 200F for 20 mins instead of 325 for 5 mins --- just a bit worried about vaporizing anything good. I only did the lemon juice process on part of the extract as sort of an experiment, and I'm not sure if it made a difference yet --- still need to do some more tests. After I have the extract, I add enough more Everclear, water and sugar to make a liqueur --- I like to measure my doses out in a shot gless, instead of an eyedropper.
So how were the results? How much does it take to make a dose? How does it taste? How did you consume it?
Thanks for the post. After I finish my experiments with the lemon juice and added cooking time, I'll post my process too.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Very good post! I make green dragon with a recipe much like yours... anyway, i have some questions...
-Why to compress the ground weed?
-Does 20 minutes of simmering in alcohol is enough? I "reflux" the weed in alcohol for one entire hour... by "refluxing" i mean i put a dish covering the jar with alcohol, so the evaporating alcohol condenses there, and comes back to the jar. Doing so, its possible to heat it for long periods of time without having to add more alcohol to fill the space left by the evaporated alcohol.
-Why to wait 24 hours until the next step?
-Does 30 minutes of isomerization is enough? When i do it with hash oil, i need at least 2 hours to get a "decent" amount of isomerization... once i did it process for several different times, and get this (aproximate) results:
Started with 100% indica (Ind):
With 1 hour of isomerization: about 50 Sat/50 Ind.
With 2 hours: about 70 Sat/30 Ind
With 3 hours: Indica effects were almost unnoticeable. And it seems some THC started to decompose.
The amounts are estimates on the feeling of the high i get with the oil. They are completly subjective. But i think they have some use.
BTW, calling the process isomerization is somewhat erroneous. None of the cannabinoids is actually an isomer of THC. The reactions that actually happen are hydrogenation, enolization (sp?)(enol to cetone), and such...
Anyway, enough of questions for now... the imporant is that you go HIGH from it... did you? :thumbsup::stoned:
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coelho
-Why to compress the ground weed?
I read somewhere that an easy, and from the sound of it, ancient way of bringing the oils that are inside the plant to the outside is to take two hot rocks and mash and grind the weed. It essentially just makes hash oil with plant matter still in it. I read somewhere on this forum that someone made hash by taking the kif and beating it with a hammer until it was an oil I assume. I just combined those two processes because in my mind it would just be more efficient and time saving to do an extraction with the weed already processed a little.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coelho
-Does 20 minutes of simmering in alcohol is enough? I "reflux" the weed in alcohol for one entire hour... by "refluxing" i mean i put a dish covering the jar with alcohol, so the evaporating alcohol condenses there, and comes back to the jar. Doing so, its possible to heat it for long periods of time without having to add more alcohol to fill the space left by the evaporated alcohol.
the way you did that would probably be better, I was afraid I would hurt it or lose potency recooking for a long time. So next time I'll do it your way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coelho
-Why to wait 24 hours until the next step?
I just wanted to be 100% sure the alcohol had time to work, even though it was heated to speed up the process, I just wanted to make sure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coelho
-Does 30 minutes of isomerization is enough? When i do it with hash oil, i need at least 2 hours to get a "decent" amount of isomerization... once i did it process for several different times, and get this (aproximate) results:
Started with 100% indica (Ind):
With 1 hour of isomerization: about 50 Sat/50 Ind.
With 2 hours: about 70 Sat/30 Ind
With 3 hours: Indica effects were almost unnoticeable. And it seems some THC started to decompose.
The amounts are estimates on the feeling of the high i get with the oil. They are completly subjective. But i think they have some use.
BTW, calling the process isomerization is somewhat erroneous. None of the cannabinoids is actually an isomer of THC. The reactions that actually happen are hydrogenation, enolization (sp?)(enol to cetone), and such...
I did get high, the amount of "isomerization" I did might not have done anything, like I said, I was just starting small because I'm not sure when I'll start to destroy the very chemicals I'm searching for. My chemistry knowledge isn't that great, I'm learning as I go. Alot of things might can be done better in my process. All I did was combine the things I've read and do it my own way. I will be more than happy when someone takes my way, and perfects it even further. I like this teamwork, haha.
I did get high, so I didn't destroy anything. I haven't actually compared it to the other ways of making it yet, but I know it works. The dosage I used was about 1.5 or 2 tbsp...I'm using an unmarked eyedropped, so I'm just guessing about how much would fit in there. It was a very nice high. I had the feeling if I doubled the dosage I'd be physically paralyzed, just laying on the floor drooling while my mind was zipping around somewhere out in space. I had some slight visual things going on, I can't quite put a finger on the explanation...I guess fuzzy, vibration...something of that nature I guess, alot like if I had taken a xanax bar and smoked a blunt or something, except the mind high was more intense. My body was noticeably changed, my vision a little different, and other than that I was verily stoned to say the least haha. I know there could be more though. The more could be where I puke everywhere and wish I were dead, but I felt there was more I could reach nonetheless.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
oh and I just squirted it into some orange juice, had a funny after taste, but not anythign I couldn't easily do again.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Sorry for triple posting...but...
I also read that for some acid extractions, salt is used to keep the acid from hurting some of the weaker plant chemicals. I'm not sure, how, where, or how much salt is used, but that might be something to think about with the lemon juice idea as well.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Quote:
Originally Posted by TryptamineScape
I read somewhere that an easy, and from the sound of it, ancient way of bringing the oils that are inside the plant to the outside is to take two hot rocks and mash and grind the weed. It essentially just makes hash oil with plant matter still in it. I read somewhere on this forum that someone made hash by taking the kif and beating it with a hammer until it was an oil I assume. I just combined those two processes because in my mind it would just be more efficient and time saving to do an extraction with the weed already processed a little.
Hm... now i understand. It seems a good idea, even if a bit lenghty...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TryptamineScape
The dosage I used was about 1.5 or 2 tbsp...I'm using an unmarked eyedropped, so I'm just guessing about how much would fit in there. It was a very nice high. I had the feeling if I doubled the dosage I'd be physically paralyzed, just laying on the floor drooling while my mind was zipping around somewhere out in space. I had some slight visual things going on, I can't quite put a finger on the explanation...I guess fuzzy, vibration...something of that nature I guess, alot like if I had taken a xanax bar and smoked a blunt or something, except the mind high was more intense. My body was noticeably changed, my vision a little different, and other than that I was verily stoned to say the least haha. I know there could be more though. The more could be where I puke everywhere and wish I were dead, but I felt there was more I could reach nonetheless.
How much of this doses (1.5-2 tbsp) can you get from the amount of green dragon you did make?
Or, how much weed you would need to make one of this doses you did drink? And how was the kind (indica/sativa) and quality of the bud?
BTW i understand VERY well what you felt during the experiences... some things you described i would feel also but couldnt describe in words like you did... green dragon is trippy indeed... :stoned:
Quote:
Originally Posted by TryptamineScape
oh and I just squirted it into some orange juice, had a funny after taste, but not anythign I couldn't easily do again.
Well... im assuming that the taste of the alcohol dont bothers you... for me, its the worst part. The aftertaste (which for me feels very bitter) is the easy part... I have to drink without breathing, as cold as possible, and always mix with something for easing its taste... i usually use coke, but ive noticed that acid things makes the bitter taste less noticeable... before i started to use coke (in the good sense :p), i used pure lemon juice, LOTS of sugar and ice... and yet was hard work drink it...
Also, you may have noted that adding green dragon to any drink makes it murky, cloudy... It turns the beautifully black coke into a murky brown ugly looking thing, which resembles a magic potion... And the soft greenish lemon juice becomes a murky dark green thing... even more evil-looking than the coke...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TryptamineScape
Sorry for triple posting...but...
I also read that for some acid extractions, salt is used to keep the acid from hurting some of the weaker plant chemicals. I'm not sure, how, where, or how much salt is used, but that might be something to think about with the lemon juice idea as well.
Does you mean general acid extractions, or cannabis acid extractions?
I know they are used to extract other psychoactives (unmentionable here), but never heard about acid extractions of cannabis... what makes sense, as acid extractions usually are used to extract psychoactives that are alkaloids, which behaves like bases, and so are turned into usually soluble salts when react with acids.
But the THC is not an alkaloid, its an alcohol, so it doesnt form salts when react with acids. Thats why we extract it with organic solvents, because its the only way.
So, the lemon juice is used only during the "isomerization"... the standard recipes says to use stronger acids, but maybe lemon juice is already enough...
BTW, destructing THC is not very easy. So, dont worry about it. If it resists the heat of a flame, and can arrive at our lungs, some few hours of a hot bath are just a piece of cake for it! ;) :stoned:
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coelho
How much of this doses (1.5-2 tbsp) can you get from the amount of green dragon you did make?
Or, how much weed you would need to make one of this doses you did drink? And how was the kind (indica/sativa) and quality of the bud?
Oh, I misunderstood the question the first time. I made about an ounce, give or take, I'm working with kitchen stuff, so pardon my inexact measurements. I tried to keep it as close to an oz overall as possible, about 1/4 cup or so I believe would be more exact. The weed I used was pretty potent, but I wouldn't know what to call it. I just bought it fairly cheap for this experiment because I didn't want to waste my good stash if I messed it up. Judging by the high when smoked I'd have to say it's more on the sativa side. It's got more of a nice energetic high. It's really good for wake and bake in my opinion. If that helps any.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
I just realized how much more thorough I need to be when I rewrite this for the next exp.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Well... i think my question was confusing indeed... what i meant was: How much green dragon did you make (the volume of the final product, ready to drink), and how much of it did you drink?
From your post, i understood that you did make one oz of green dragon, and drank 1.5-2 tbsp of it. Does it is right?
BTW... if the high you got from it was more energetic, sativa-like, its probable that the weed was almost 100% sativa, OR that the isomerization worked well... cause drinking weed make the effects more bodily, more indica-like, even when the weed is more sativa-like. I never understood well why is so, but its what happens with me.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
well the high from the green dragon was definitely more bodily...the more energetic high I got was from smoking it. In answering the question of what type of weed, I said it probably more Sativa because when smoked it's more energetic. Drinking made it quite bodily and lazy, along with the other things I mentioned.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Yes... but... does my assumptions about the amounts of green dragon were right?
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coelho
From your post, i understood that you did make one oz of green dragon, and drank 1.5-2 tbsp of it. Does it is right?
:stoned:
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
yes haha, I'm going to actually use a tablespoon tonight to see if that's right, it might could be more, but tomorrow I'll let you know for sure haha.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
If you had enough patience, you could count how many teaspoons there is in one ounce... like... measure one tspn, drop it in a cup, measure another, drop in the same cup, and so, and so... until you have filled one ounce in the cup. You could use water instead green dragon, as its just for measuring the volume... and it would be very useful for know the amount of weed there is en each "dose" you take.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
that's a good idea...last night I did it again though and actually used a tablespoon and I used 2 to get nice and high and for the hell of it I did another one...I must have fallen asleep or soemthing...either way 3 tbsp I would say is my threshold on this particular mix.
GD Process Exp1 (lenghty)
