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How to Make Cannabis Coconut Oil

Cannabis infused coconut oil is becoming a highly sought out product in the cannabis market, and for good reason.

By Ed GreenPublished 7 years ago 5 min read
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Cannabis coconut oil is abundantly used for edibles, topical salves, body care products, and much more. What makes coconut oil so special? When using cannabis for cooking or in oils, the road to success lies in the high amounts of saturated fats in your extraction medium. The most common medium, butter, contains a fat content of around 60 percent. Olive oil contains only 20 percent. The fatty acid content of coconut oil, on the other hand, is 80-90 percent. This exceptionally high concentration of fatty acids give cannabinoids a potent binding agent to latch onto during the extraction process. Consequently, cannabis products infused with coconut oil are much more effective than cannabis products made with other commonly used mediums. And that’s not all. The benefits of cannabis coconut oil are extensive… and impressive!

Ingredients required:

  • 7 grams of cannabis buds or 28 grams of trim material
  • 2/3 cup of coconut oil
  • 1 tsp of soy or sunflower lecithin (optional, but recommended)
  • 1 cheesecloth

Yield: You should yield around ½ cup of cannabis coconut oil.

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Buds must be finely ground and spread evenly onto the cookie sheet.
  3. Bake at 220 degrees for one hour. This begins the process of decarboxylation, converting THC-A into THC. Baking for half an hour longer will produce cannabis coconut oil with more sedating effects.
  4. Place the ground up cannabis buds, soy, or sunflower lecithin and coconut oil in a crock pot. Set the crock pot temperature to LOW. Stir mixture and cover. Let it sit for a least three hours. NOTE: Coconut oil solidifies at room temperature. Make sure you turn it into a liquid before measuring out the 2/3 cup of coconut oil needed. Simply place the oil in the oven while the cannabis decarboxylates and wait for it to liquefy.
  5. Let the coconut oil in the crockpot cool… but leave the lid on. You should expect this to take some time. Be patient.
  6. When the crockpot cools enough so that it is warm (not hot!), the oil is ready to be strained.
  7. Fold a cheesecloth over a container large enough to hold the oil contents, then strain the cannabis from the coconut oil. Be sure to squeeze the cheesecloth. Waste not!
  8. Use the coconut cannabis oil as a substitute for butter or oils for any cannabis recipe.
  9. To store unused cannabis coconut oil, simply keep it covered in an airtight container and store it in a cool, dark place. The oil will keep for up to 30 days. Or store it in your freezer to keep it fresher for much longer!
  10. Enjoy!

Important Notes and Optional Steps

As one might observe, the process of infusing cannabis with coconut oil is not particularly complex. There are, however, some very important steps that readers should take care to follow correctly. The decarboxylation process involves heating cannabis at a low, controlled temperature for at least an hour. Heat transforms THC’s precursor molecule, THC-A, into the powerful psychoactive molecule that we all know and love. It also removes chlorophyll and some bitter tasting compounds that could make for an unpleasant tasting product. Proper decarboxylation will produce edibles and topical treatments that can be used to effectively treat chronic pain, glaucoma, nausea, anxiety, and simply give you the high we all know and love.

An optional step, albeit a highly recommended one, is the addition of soy or sunflower lecithin. Lecithin aids in the absorption of cannabis oil by allowing the intestinal walls to absorb THC more easily and, by acting as an emulsifier, making the effects of the oil more potent. Another potential benefit of using cannabis-infused coconut oil is the release of lauric acid, a fatty acid that research suggests leads to increased levels of HDL blood cholesterol (the “good” one). Furthermore, lauric acid breaks down into a monoglyceride that has antimicrobial properties.

Options abound when using coconut oil for cannabis-infused products. Coconut oil is relatively inexpensive, is sold all over, and it becomes a solid at room temperature. Keep the oil away from too much heat or moisture, and it can be stored for up to 30 days. The long shelf-life and solidifying properties of cannabis coconut oil makes it ideal for topical salves and for use in making gelatin oil capsules, which is an easy, cheap way to use cannabis coconut oil.

Notes on Cannabis Coconut Oil

The decarboxylation and extraction processes can be a smelly undertaking. However, there are a few ways in which to eliminate the odor. There are specific products that are made for a super-efficient decarboxylation of cannabis, like the Nova Decarboxylator. Or you can try the nigh smell-proof “mason jar” method.

Some might say to add water to cannabis coconut oil. Given the fact that THC hates water and barely binds to water molecules, this is strongly advised against. Many users describe a bitter tasting product when using water in the extraction, and it can make the oil spoil quickly.

Be careful with the initial dosages. Start of small and work your way up. You do not want to experience too high a dose. It’s not fun! Take a small dose, wait an hour, and take another dose. It won’t take long to find out which dose is right for you, and one can always adjust for recipes accordingly.

Cannabis coconut oil has a noteworthy versatility. From salves to sprays to edibles, your options are limited only by your creativity. If you're looking for a quicker route to using oil on your favorite dishes, try out some tinctures. They're concentrated oil that you can douse any food in and get the same feeling you're used to from edibles.

To conclude, cannabis coconut oil is enjoying a rise in popularity with buyers on the market today. With its broad range of uses, the more potent medicinal effects, and the high concentration of fatty acids and their associated health benefits, how could one blame them? With new innovations in cannabis cooking coming out regularly, cannabis coconut oil will be an eminently sought after product for a long time to come. Once you get a taste of this delicious oil, you will understand what the rightly deserved hype is all about.

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About the Creator

Ed Green

Gynecologist. Amateur Farmer and weed whacker. Loves figure skating and Liza Minnelli. Bakes amazing brownies.

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