Cannabis Capsules â?? A step-by-step guide.

[thecreator]

Big up yourself man!

[Flameon]

Sorry, two more questions:

1) If only making about 12 capsules, how do you even begin to divide up the little amount of residue left over from a hash/kief conversion? Is the residue an essential part for each capsule to be strong?

2) How good does the hash have to be? I know I'm not buying soapbar, but at the same time, I'm not living in Morocco or the middle east, and I sure as hell don't have any nederhash or lab hash connections, so at the most, it's decent quality Moroccan hash. Will this still suffice to 12 fairly potent capsules? Perhaps I should use 1.5 grams of this decent hash?

Thanks man!

Hi Aristotle and thanks for the interest

I use the handle of a plastic coffee stirrer to scrape up the residue and divide it up between the capsules (I think you can just see it in one of the pictures), it takes me around a minute or two. As to how important it is to add the residue, perhaps I need to experiment with that, as so far, I've always added it just to be sure.

If you're planning on making your capsules using Coconut oil or ghee, I'd stick with just 1 gram of hash. Assuming it's half decent-ish (it doesn't need to be nederhash quality), it'll more than do the job.

The pictures in the guide are from a recent batch of twelve I made using a gram of average Moroccan hash (hence the dark colour of the oil), yet even so, just one capsule was enough to knock a friend of mine on his ass for nearly 5 hours, and he's a regular toker. The three I took had me hallucinating and out of it for around 10.

Generally they're so strong I tend to have to plan very carefully when I take them. i.e. If it's for a Saturday night I'll take them at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. The full effects will start a couple of hours later and wear off in the early hours, 2 or 3 in the morning.

Anyhow, I hope this helps, and I'll look forward to hearing how you get on.
Cheers :jointsmile:

[Weedhound]

Howdy Flame,

Couple of q's.....if you were to let the stuff cook longer than two hours (i'm using bud and a crockpot) would it hurt your mixture?

Also...if you double your ingredients should you increase the cooking time?

And is there a specific temp you want to reach? In the other capsule thread it talks about cooking the bud at a temp of 300 F.....you are talking much lower.....temps around 212F. Do you know why the big difference in temps?

Thanks for any info Flame. I really LOVE this thread and am getting some coconut oil and will be trying it today. :thumbsup:

[Flameon]

Hi again weedhound and thanks for the questions, there good ones!

To answer the first, the reason for simmering bud for two hours (as opposed to say 1 hour for hash), is purely to allow enough time for the heat to break down the cellular structure of the granular (powdered) plant material, thereby releasing all (or most) of the THC into the oil. With hash, due to the production method, most of the resin heads are pre-crushed before you begin heating it.

Regarding the issue of temperature, that's a tricky one, and is a little bit more subjective, but here goes.
I initially started making my own cannabis capsules after reading 'The New Prescription - Marijuana As Medicine' by Martin Martinez, but wasn't entirely happy with the results or the method described, particularly the temperatures he advocated.

Although the 'boiling' point of THC is around the 200 degree centigrade mark (392 fahrenheit), most experts cite 140 degrees centigrade (285 fahrenheit) as the point that THC begins to evaporate/vaporise, so going beyond this point, even for short periods 'can' affect the potency.
I say 'can' because in some respects the oil acts as a barrier to prevent THC loss by trapping it (some will escape though).

To get even more technical (sorry), here's a guide to what happens to your bud when cooking and at at what temperatures:

a) Between 46 and 50 degrees centigrade (114 to 122 fahrenheit) the inactive THC acid starts to decarboxylate into active THC. (a good thing).
b) At between 50 and 75 degrees centigrade (122 to 167 degrees fahrenheit) the CBD starts to melt (also a good thing).
c) Once you go over 75 degrees centigrade the resin heads start to melt (essential).

The beauty of using a crock pot for this type of cooking is:
firstly, you don't have to watch over it all the time, and secondly, it's a stable, regulated temperature that ensures you get consistent results.

i.e. on a 'low' setting your 'simmering' your bud at around 80/85 degrees centigrade (176 to 185 fahrenheit), which means you'll have converted the inactive compounds into active, melted the resin heads and allowed the THC to bond (at a molecular level) with the saturated fat. But, not 'burned off' any of the THC. Thereby retaining maximum potency.

So, assuming you don't exceed 140 degrees Centigrade, you're fine to cook your bud longer. If it starts to smell strongly however, keep an eye on it.

Lastly, there are some medical and scientific studies that compare the different effects of temperature on the kind of high you'll experience (dependent on the percentage ratios of the CBD, CBN and THC that's left in your oil after cooking), but I'm still working on that element. But as a rule of thumb (for now at least), the lower temperature ranges give more of a head high, the higher temps, more of a sedated, couch lock effect.

God, I hope this makes sense. lol, if not, keep asking.
Cheers

[Weedhound]

Damn Flame you're an encyclopedia on this!! What GREAT info. Once I can rep you again (I've been trying...) I'm going to rep you about 20 times for this post and all you great information.

THANKS!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::jointsmile:

[indicagrower]

i got a question....what happens when bubble gummers that can't handle the high after eating these pills start freaking out and showing up in the ER's all over the country?? do you not think the law will retaliate(sp?) and inpose stiffer marijuana laws

(i'm not riding anyone..just thought it was worth mentioning)

[Weedhound]

Well here's my thought on that. While I strongly applaud Flame for sharing this info.....I seriously doubt that he's the first person in the world to try this stuff and that said info has probably been around for quite awhile. You can in fact search this forum and find TONS of variations of the same recipe going back through here. Why aren't they flooding the ers now?

The information is there. It's BEEN there for quite awhile. With the internet there really is NO excuse not to at least find SOME information on things you want to know. But even before the web etc....mj's and crockpots and cooking with cannabis have been around for years. I'm always amazed that folks walk around completely in the dark about the everything in their world when, with MINIMAL exertion these days .....they could be SO much better informed.

Not riding anyone.....just thought it was worth mentioning.....

[Flameon]

i got a question....what happens when bubble gummers that can't handle the high after eating these pills start freaking out and showing up in the ER's all over the country?? do you not think the law will retaliate(sp?) and inpose stiffer marijuana laws

(i'm not riding anyone..just thought it was worth mentioning)

Hi guys

indicagrower, you make a good point, and it's one that's given me pause for thought previously.

I always try to post responsibly, and have tried to balance the two guides I've put up by including warnings on the likely effects and how to counteract them.

I.E:

N.B: Effects will start to â??kick inâ?? after about an hour and a half, and last for around six to eight hours (depending on how many you took). Should you begin to feel overwhelmed you can shorten the â??tripâ?? and reduce its effects by eating sugary foods, or drinking fruit juices rich in vitamin C.

The reality however, (as you say) is that it's almost impossible to prevent kids from experimenting with drugs, but in defence of this thread, and indeed this website as a whole, it does not promote, endorse or allow postings relating to any other kind of substance.
Certainly not the kind of cheap household items kids can easily get hold of, and harm themselves with today.

Obviously a site aimed at an adult (over 18) audience will, to some extent, attract the attention of minors if they're determined enough, all we can do is try and educate them to behave responsibly and inform on the dangers of cannabis use.

Finally, if they're going to, it's probably better that they eat too much cannabis than try anything else more harmful. After all they'd need to eat least 46 pounds (21 kilograms) in one sitting to do themselves any real harm (if they could afford to buy that much).

[Weedhound]

Flame one other questiion....do you happen to what the temp of the high setting is on a crockpot? Mine has low and high....but no set temps listed in manuel.....right now I'm googling it. I'd love to try something with a bit more of a body stone.....and am wondering if the high setting on the crockpot would be a good temp or too high?

[Flameon]

Hi weedhound

A typical slow cooker operates at 80°C (176°F) on low, to 90°C (194°F) on high. I'd be surprised if your 'high setting' was over this temperature by more than 5°C. So you should be fine.

I've never cooked beyond four hours using this method (I've struggled to find out what, if anything, happens to the THC when cooked for long periods), so I'm going to have to simmer a batch for two hours, remove it, then put half back and cook for a further two hours and compare the difference in effects.

I'd be interested to know how yours goes, especially if you experiment.

Cheers
Flame :thumbsup: