Water-Cured Cannabis

[thereverend]

Hey everyone,

I wasn't sure where to put this post on water-curing, so I thought I would stick it in the medicinal section because I believe that water-curing is very much a lost technique that scares the crap out of most growers, but could have valuable benefits to the medical community. I just got my hands on a nominal amount of bud that came from the lower branches of a friend's grow. Basically this stuff is pretty stoney, but it has no bag appeal, which means that it will be perfect for water-curing.

So, before I begin (as I'm waiting on a digital camera) I suppose I'll just go over some of the basics of water-curing, as I haven't been able to find anything on this site, and much of the information that I've found elsewhere is generally wrong and posted by people who have never actually done this before. That being said, this will be my third round water-curing, with absolutely fantastic results.

So... Curing is the process by which chlorophyll is broken down and removed from the plant over time. This is not to be confused with drying; air dried bud is not cured bud, it's just DRY bud. The most common way of curing cannabis that I've seen (I'm in the States) is to air-dry your harvest for about a week or so and then cure the bud in either glass jars or plastic totes. This can take months. The process for water-curing is much faster (if done properly) and the result is the smoothest smoke one can enjoy without a vaporizer. Additionally, for the individual who enjoys confections, but hates the "green" chlorophyll taste that most cannabutter contains, listen up closely: Water-curing your leaf/skuff previous to processing it into butter will SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE that nasty flavor, leaving the THC and active cannabinoids in the finished product. As far as I'm concerned, it's the only way to go for brownies, cookies, or any kind of edible.

So, here's the pro's and cons:

Smooth. Very smooth.

Reduces organic mass=increases potency

Can be used to salvage low quality bud

But...

Loses bag appeal

Loses natural flavor

Reduced finished weight

And also the bud comes out looking almost like a spent black tea... it's very interesting.

You need a bunch of DRIED cannabis. Many websites and people will tell you to use wet cannabis, but it doesn't work anywhere near as efficiently. The reason for it is that water travels down it's gradient through a process called osmosis. This means that it will naturally go from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration; the lower the concentration, the faster the water moves there. This means that dry cannabis will exchange water more readily than wet cannabis. Furthermore, the water you are going to be using in the water-cure will be distilled (hopefully, filtered at least) whereas the water inside the wet cannabis is not as pure. Use it wet if you want, but be prepared to take a one day process and drag it out for about three weeks, and be prepared to deal with really soggy cannabis and a result, and even worse bag appeal (I have friends that don't follow directions very well )

Next, take your bud and place it in luke-warm distilled water (65-70 degree Fahrenheit). I estimate by volume like this: when I place my bud in the water and it starts to take on the water, the bottom half or so of the container or so should be water, while the top half or so has cannabis floating in it. Next, I weight the cannabis down with something so that it's just below the water line. DO THIS CAREFULLY! You don't want to break off any trichromes, hence the importance of the water temp: Cold water makes trichromes brittle and snap off (like if you were making bubble hash) and water that is too hot will dissolve the trichromes, resulting in the oil floating at the top (Like you were making tea). Both of these situations are bad. If you maintain room-temp water for the cure, the only thing that will dissolve and be removed from the cannabis are the organic water-soluble materials, as THC and CBD are both hydrophobic, and do not dissolve in water, leaving them intact for the finished product.

After you place the bud in the distilled water for the first time, the process of diffusion occurs. This is similar to osmosis, but instead of causing the water to enter the cannabis, it causes the water-soluble materials in the cannabis (none of which are active ingredients) to leave the plant material and seep into the water. This is the active step in water-curing.

I usually do my first soak for about four hours, leaving the container in the dark and being careful not to disturb it. I know it's tempting, but don't mess with it, and under no circumstances should you shake it. Leave it alone, let science do its thing

After the first soak, slowly and carefully drain out the water. I use a big iced-tea jug with a drain spout so that I don't have to disturb the cannabis any more than necessary, but my first round I used a glass jar and just used the lid as a strainer, and it worked just fine.

Next, refill the container with distilled water of the same temp, and repeat the soak at least one more time. When the cannabis is done soaking, any water-leaves should be almost black, and the calyx color should be a dark grey or brown, sometimes finishing to a color close to black as well. Also, look to see if the water is getting any darker. When you think you're done, repeat the process one more time, but only let it sit for 30 mins to an hour. If the water is pretty clean after that period, you're done. Drain it one last time and spread it over a screen so it can drip. I put a small fan on mine for the first few hours until the outside gets dry, and then I let it dry on my own in the dark for a couple days. Drying time will depend on the size of your finished product, but for small batches, a day or two is all I've needed to get the resulting nugs pretty well dried out.

The resulting product weighs less than original, so therefor the concentrations of resins and trichromes are greater than before the curing process, as much of the non-psychoactive material has been processed out. This results in the smoothest smoking bud I've ever tried, as well as the best butter when made from water-cured shake. I believe that this lost art can be of value to many people such as myself who use cannabis medicinally and enjoy a good smoke or a treat, but have limitations on what they can inhale or ingest.

So, this is my first contribution to this (or any other) forum. Please feel free to leave any criticism or ideas you can! Also, I will be updating this shortly within a day or two (hopefully) with pictures of the whole process.

Thanks for letting me share!

[bozoph]

very informative. i did almost this same procedure one trying to wash off some pm. it did make the herb pretty smooth

[Elektroski Justovski]

Will try it for sure one time see how it works, or two. lol Waiting for pics. Thanks for sharing!

[Dust]

Yeah it's an interesting alternative tecnic thanks for sharing it man

Like elektro said i'll be waiting for the pics to see exactly how you put them in water but the process sounds good andi'm never against new try ^^

Never got any mold from bud taking too long to dry out? i guess big buds will have to be "broken" to smaller piece to be safer

ANyway thanks for sharing welcome on the fourm and i hope we'll read many more from you

Cheers

[Guest drudge]

Do you screen the run off water throughout the whole process?

[Sizla]

I personaly used this method on freshly hrvested weed as well as know others that did it with great results

you simply put your harvest into a jar filled with clear water ( EC0 would be perfect but its not a must )

and you exchange water daily for 7-8 days , after that time you simply dry your weed as you would do it normally

also its important that buds stays under water and that container stayed opened all the time

using pre-dryed herb will not speed up that proces , even if it would be minimal cos of dmg to cells and walls only and would have nothing to do with osmosis ...

anyway i REALY recomend all to try this metod , you can get realy nice smoke with it ; ]

[Pi2]

Hi,

I'm ICMag student :-)

found: ANNABIS SATIVA SEU INDICA: INDIAN HEMP. Published Feb 9th 1895

By R. COWAN LEES, M.B., C.M., F.F.P.S.G., Glasgow.

1 - Squire's Companion to the British Pharmacopoeia.

2 - Medicinal Plants, vol. iv, page 231.

It has always been difficult to understand why the resin of this plant should alone be recognised in the British Pharmacopoeia, more especially when we find it stated in works on the physiological action of this drug that in India several preparations are used by the natives to produce its stimulating and exhilarating effects, amongst which watery infusions are specially mentioned.

During a short visit to India some years ago my attention was drawn to the fact that several modes of using the herb were employed by the natives-modes not capable of extracting much, if even any, of the resin. So far as I could observe; watery infusions were commonly used, but whether in combination with other substances or not I am not in a position to state. This fact, however, led me to try what benefits might be derived from the use of a preparation of the plant, not depending on the resin alone.

Messrs. T. and H. Smith, who first obtained the resin in a state of comparative purity, state that " it is a brown amorphous solid, burning with a bright white flame, and leaving no ash; powerful in its action when taken internally, and that two-thirds of a grain act as an active narcotic, whilst 1 grain produces complete intoxication"; but the question might be advisedly asked, Is it completely freed from its essential oil ? As a matter of fact, it is found that when the extract is kept for some time it becomes hard and brittle, and less potent in its action, a circumstance which goes a long way to prove that such a condition is the result of loss of volatile oil from the resin, and pharmacists are advised to " lay aside and not employ for medicinal use that which has become old."'

We are told by Bently and Trimen that "both Hindus and Mohammedans use this herb, either by smoking-with or without tobacco in combination with other substances-or by simple infusion in water."2 Gunjah-guaza of our London market-has but a faint taste, with a peculiar but not unpleasant narcotic odour. These properties depend in a great measure on the volatile oil and resin. The latter some consider the more important constituent of the plant.

In the watery infusion employed by the Hindus and Mohammedans as mentioned above, we can conceive of little, if any, of the resin being dissolved and held in solution, whilst, on the other hand, much of the volatile oil might be dissolved by the water, together with other constituents of the plant. Dr. Personne regards the volatile oil as the sole active principle, and in proof of this he states that "when the volatile oil is inhaled, a distinct sensation of shuddering with motor excitement, followed by prostration and syncope, is experienced."

Again, Dr. Preobraschersky has found a volatile alkaloid-most plentiful in the flowering tops-and which he considers somewhat similar in its action to nicotia or nicotine. Feeling somewhat satisfied that water was capable of dissolving at least a portion of this volatile oil, and knowing that watery infusions of the drug were used for intoxicating and stimulating purposes in India, I had prepared for me a strong aqueous extract of the flowering tops of the female plant of the usual strength of liquid extracts, and from its use I have obtained good and satisfactory results. It possesses the anodyne and soporific action generally ascribed to the resinous extract, although in a modified degree. It has the characteristic odour of the hemp, has a beautiful deep amber colour, is miscible with water, and hence there is no difficulty in combining it with other liquids, and it presents no unseemly immiscible mixture repellent to a patient.

Liquor cannabis indicae in my experience gives all the beneficial effects without the drawbacks of the tincture, avoiding those extreme exhilarating conditions bordering on intoxication, which are sometimes met With even when using a medium dose of the latter. It does not seem to in terfere with the secretion of mucus from the bronchial glands-a circumstance which renders it superior to opium in those cases suitable for its use, whilst in pulmonary affections generally it acts most favourably as a soporific and anodyne.

My greatest experience has been in the treatment of phthisis pulmonalis, and here I cannot speak of it too highly, for whilst it most perceptibly relieves the cough, it aids the patient by its stimulating and exhilarating qualities, supplying a remedial agent, in a manner which in my opinion no other drug can so beneficially do. In indigestion with constipation, and also in many of the affections of children, especially where nervous symptoms are present, it has also done good service. I do not presume for one moment that it will displace opium in those cases where severe pain is a prominent symptom, but I feel sure that in many cases where opium is at present used it may be substituted-with great advantage.

The dose which I commonly use is half a fluid drachm for an adult, but it may be increased to a drachm in many cases, whilst for children corresponding doses to age may be adopted, though I have noticed that children are somewhat less susceptible to it than adults.

I may state that the fluid aqueous extract from the flowering tops of the female plant already referred to. has been prepared for me by Messrs. Rankin and Borland, pharmaceutical chemists, Kilmarnock, and I may further add that to avoid as far as possible the presence of the resin in the extract, the use of heat is entirely avoided in the preparation.

Messrs. Park Davis and Co., of London, have likewise prepared a liquor for me which I have also found suitable.

Many other firms have sent me samples which were miscible with water, but I found on examination these were only tinctures acted upon by alkalies, and gave the disagreeable reactions of the resin.

I trust that having found this preparation beneficial in my own practice, and feeling satisfied that it is one which may be successfully used in many of the more common ailments affecting the chest, other medical men will be induced to give it a trial, and if proved by them equally beneficial, it may in future find a place in medical therapeutics.

Orginal: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2508374/pdf/brmedj08755-0008.pdf

and: From the Dutch office of medicinal cannabis:

Instructions for use and dosage

Tea

• Boil 500 ml of water in a pan with the lid on.

• Add 0.5 grams (about 2 teaspoons or 1 measuring scoop) of medicinal cannabis.

• Turn down the heat and let the tea simmer gently for 15 minutes with the lid still on the pan.

• Take the tea off the stove and pour it through a sieve.

• Keep the tea in a thermos flask if you plan to drink it the same day.

If you want to make tea for several days, use 1 gram (about 4 teaspoons or 2 measuring scoops) of medicinal cannabis for one litre of water. Then, after preparing the tea as described above, add a package or teaspoon of coffee creamer powder to the warm tea. This will keep the active substances in the tea from sticking to the inside of the teapot or cup, reducing its effectiveness. Let the tea cool down and store it in the fridge. It will keep for several days.

You may reheat the refrigerated tea, and can add sugar, syrup or honey to improve its taste.

Dosage: Start by drinking 1 cup (0.2 litres) of tea in the evening. If this provides insufficient relief after one or two weeks, you can – in consultation with your doctor – drink an extra cup (0.2 litres) in the morning. If the tea still provides insufficient relief, ask your doctor about inhaling medicinal cannabis using a vaporiser. Inhalation acts faster, and

its effect is stronger than cannabis tea. Furthermore, the dose is easier to adjust.

My five cents: water cure is for bad weed.

Peace!

[Dust]

that was a nice reading thanks for sharing man, actually i have been sick and still got little problem on my lungs eversince so i'll try some tea for a week and see what it gives

Cheers

[slimjim]

sorry to reopen this post

have to try this with my SMA

now its easy to find again

PEACE and MANY THANKS