A what?
A tincture. Tinctures are made of high-proof alcohol-based extracts typically dispensed via a glass bottle with a dropper. A tincture is generally housed in a small dark-colored bottle to prevent light from affecting the quality of the product. A best practice is to store tinctures in a cool dark place to ensure the product’s longevity.
Today we specifically look at the cannabis tincture. Not to be confused with cannabis oil, a cannabis tincture is a marijuana-infused alcohol. The cannabis extract is either THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (cannabidiol), or both. A dose from a dropper is usually administered under the tongue (sublingual) and absorbed in the bloodstream within 30 minutes. There are many ways to consume cannabis, and these extracts are nowadays also combined with drink and food products, not just finished via bottles with droppers.
The Benefits of Cannabis Tinctures
Cannabis as a medicine is becoming popular across generations to manage illness, pain, even mental health.
Many consumers of cannabis argue that if stimulants such as alcohol, cigarettes, and even coffee can be legal and free to use, then so should marijuana. The good news is that by normalizing the use of cannabis, we see more and more cannabis and cannabis products, like alcohol-infused cannabis tinctures, legalized by countries worldwide, including states in the USA.
Cannabis holds more than 100 cannabinoids, the two most common, CBD, which does not cause a high; the other, THC, being psychoactive. So, where smoking cannabis means consuming all the cannabinoids in cannabis, tinctures are manufactured to be cannabinoid specific or hold a combination of these, where parts are managed as ratios.
The benefits of tinctures over old skool consumption methods such as smoking a joint or enjoying edibles like a dope brownie allow for more precise dosing – one drop at a time; this, without damaging one’s lungs (smoking) or experiencing unpleasant hallucinations (can occur when misjudging dose in potentially rich marijuana-infused brownies). Over and above dosage control, tinctures also allow for a choice in cannabinoids, whether a CBD tincture, a THC tincture, or one containing both.
Cannabis is becoming legalized throughout the USA at a steady pace. Marijuana for medicinal purposes is becoming standard practice, in particular the prescription of medical marijuana cards. More and more studies show that CBD and THC properties can positively impact ailments, complaints, and mental health.
The CBD & THC Tincture
Cannabis products, such as tinctures, patches, oil, edibles, and more, are either infused by THC, CBD, or both these cannabinoids. Each variation is said to have medicinal properties, THC resulting in the high called a psychotropic effect, and CBD, an active ingredient but without the high.
A reminder that a cannabis tincture is not the same as cannabis oil. The tincture is alcohol-based, whereas the oil is alcohol-free and oil-based. Like the alcohol-based tincture, cannabis oils can also be taken under the tongue for quality effect.
In cannabis tinctures that include THC and CBD, measurements are typically shown in ratios, for example, 1:4, so to each one part CBD, there are four parts THC. Know what you’re taking on board; check the label for ratio detail! Ratios like this help establish the correct dose, the bottle and dropper helping to consume the right amount.
Cannabis products on the market are booming. However, making a choice between active ingredients CBD vs. THC and then deciding between forms of cannabis, whether cannabis tinctures or marijuana in food or drinks, to smoke, patch, or pop in capsule form, can make for a difficult decision.
Easy to manage one’s dosage accurately, cannabis in liquid form offers a quick-acting high (THC) and required effect without the high (CBD). So it’s not surprising that cannabis tinctures have become increasingly popular in legalized areas and are sure to do the same as legalization becomes prevalent in other regions.
Just to reiterate that cannabis is not legalized in all US states and countries just yet. If in the USA, ensure you are up to date on your individual state’s legislation. Therefore, can you purchase a tincture of the dispensary shelf, or does your state stipulate the need for a physician’s prescription to buy the product legally?
Medicinal uses of Cannabis Tinctures
The good news is that studies on the usage of cannabis for medicinal purposes and the positive outcome of cannabis to treat ailments and illnesses are ramping up and becoming increasingly popular. Cannabis is definitely no longer just the smoke of a spliff for recreational purposes but definitely regarded in the wellness realm.
In Particular, CBD is becoming a widely accepted anti-inflammatory aid. Research indicates that cannabis can help restore a balance of dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain in cases of anxiety and depression. The psychoactive high offered by THC is also used for medicinal purposes. However, this may not be to everyone’s taste or feasible if you still have to go to work during the day. In many instances, CBD is the more ‘sociable’ choice.
In certain states in the USA, cannabis tinctures are prescribed to treat:
- depression
- anxiety
- pain
- seizures
- cancer symptoms
- nausea
- inflammatory bowel disease
- glaucoma
- HIV
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s
- insomnia
- fibromyalgia
- arthritis
How to use a Cannabis Tincture
Using a tincture is more simple than the word is intricate. First, give the tincture bottle a good shake to get the alcohol and extract optimally blended. The tincture dropper then allows one to manage a precise dose, taking it sublingually under the tongue. This method ensures quick absorption of the tincture.
We would recommend that consumers of the THC tincture, the one offering the high, start the dosage low and slow to monitor the drug’s effects and steadily increase the dose/drops to taste or as per a physician’s advice. If the bottle is holding more than one cannabinoid in the tincture, be sure to check the ratio on the bottle.
To consume a cannabis tincture, the sublingual way (via the mouth and under the tongue) means the cannabinoid(s) enters one’s bloodstream quickly due to fast absorption via the arterial blood supply. Potency is optimized. Effects do not take hours; onset is within thirty minutes or so.
Is a Cannabis Tincture Right for you?
As already mentioned, consumption via cannabis tinctures offers the user a method of taking specific cannabinoids onboard via an accurate dosing method, the dropper, via the mouth, sublingually to taste, or as prescribed by a physician.
There are a lot of benefits associated with the medicinal benefits of cannabis tinctures. Usually, in small bottles, the product is discreet, quick, and easy to use, with accurate dosage via drops and quick-acting. Much easier than carrying edibles with one! Speak to your physician on how you could potentially tackle ailments and aid wellness using a cannabis tincture.
If you are uncertain whether your state is legalized for prescribed cannabis, quick research will give you the answer; also, be sure to see if the legislation applies to being 21 years old and over. As with alcohol, particularly in the USA, age limits are applied around even owning and growing a cannabis plant!
A medical marijuana card, state-dependent, of course, will help you to enjoy the benefits that medicinal cannabis tinctures can offer.