Confused about cannabis oil

[Fogoguy]

I am having a tough time trying to determine the difference between "cannabis oil" and "tinctures". Here is the link to an indica-dominant oil that is available at the Gov't of Newfoundland's (legal) online store, and one which I have just ordered:

Plain Packaging Indica Oil

The listing states that this oil "is made with cannabis extract and organic, non-GMO, coconut-derived MCT oil and cannot be smoked or vaporized." Nowhere does the description use the term "tincture", but my understanding is that a tincture is an oil that is applied under the tongue using an eyedropper, and the listing does indeed say that this is how it can be applied. So if this is not a tincture, then what is the difference?

Also, is its 30 mg/ml of THC considered to be a fairly potent level? (keeping in mind that I'm a cannabis virgin!) How many drops under the tongue would you suggest that I start out with?

My apologies for such newbie questions, but I am just now getting into this whole cannabis thing for the first time ever, as it is now legal here in Canada.

Thanks,
Glen

 

[WickedGarden]

Welcome aboard!
Ah, to be new to Cannabis again...

 

[Fogoguy]

I am having a tough time trying to determine the difference between "cannabis oil" and "tinctures". Here is the link to an indica-dominant oil that is available at the Gov't of Newfoundland's (legal) online store, and one which I have just ordered:

Plain Packaging Indica Oil

The listing states that this oil "is made with cannabis extract and organic, non-GMO, coconut-derived MCT oil and cannot be smoked or vaporized." Nowhere does the description use the term "tincture", but my understanding is that a tincture is an oil that is applied under the tongue using an eyedropper, and the listing does indeed say that this is how it can be applied. So if this is not a tincture, then what is the difference?

Also, is its 30 mg/ml of THC considered to be a fairly potent level? (keeping in mind that I'm a cannabis virgin!) How many drops under the tongue would you suggest that I start out with?

My apologies for such newbie questions, but I am just now getting into this whole cannabis thing for the first time ever, as it is now legal here in Canada.

Thanks,
Glen

Hmmm... still hoping that someone can chime in here to help me understand whether the product I have mentioned above is simply an "oil" or is it considered a "tincture"... and exactly what is the difference between the two types?

Also, at 30mg/ml, is this considered to be a fairly potent oil? What size of dose would you recommend a beginner to start out with? (how many drops?)

Thanks,
Glen

 

[nivek]

heya friend,, tho the difference between a tincture and an oil is so very obvious,, one is not born knowing this and it can be confusing,,

easy peasy

an oil, simpsons oil, infused grapeseed oil, or even infused butter,, all the same,, are oil based, completely oil

a tincture is infused 'alcohol' ,,

darn near the opposite of oil,, and can be used the same as oil,, or differently,,

both are infused stuff,, tho simpsons is pure oil, not infused

cheers friend

 

[Big Sur]

Oils vs extracts vs tinctures... Cannabis oil can be all kinds of things. Here in the states Cannabis oil is commonly called Hemp oil. It is usually rendered from hemp plants that are crushed or boiled to remove the oils. These oils may or many not have any psychoactive cannabinoids in them, and in most cases they do not. Here in Oregon what is commonly sold as CBD oil does not have any CBD in it at all, and it is just hemp oil.

Now there is also hash oil, which is commonly made from several processes to 'extract' the cannabinoids from the flowers of Cannabis plants (typically called marijuana). This is called an extract. It can be hard and brittle (shatter) or a sticky goo, both made from BHO processing of marijuana flowers, or a thick honey oil made from dissolving the flower trichomes in alcohol and boiling off the alcohol. Rick Simpson Oil (also called RSO) is basically just a type of hash oil and is made by alcohol extraction and boiling off the alcohol solvent.

What is advertised here in your post is likely a Cannabis "hash oil" extracted and dissolved in coconut oil, or simply dried marijuana flower soaked in coconut oil and the hash oil infuses directly into the coconut oil. That is fairly common and used in cooking. Coconut oil is good for dissolving hash oil in and for cooking with. So is butter. For slaves and skin creams, grape seed oil is better as it is absorbed into the skin better than coconut oil. Neither of these would be considered an extract or a tincture though. They are hash oils dissolved in other oils. These are not to be confused with CBD oil, which is often times just hemp oil with no CBD at all. Confusing? Yes.

A tincture is an extract or plant flower that has been dissolved in alcohol and that is then dissolved in water, or left as an alcohol solution. All of these extracts, tinctures and oil have variable amounts of cannabinoids and terpinoids in them. There is no way to know how strong or potent anything is other than by lab testing. Here in Oregon, all marijuana products have to be lab tested for certain cannabinoids (usually THC and CBD, but THCv, CBN, and CGA are also common) and the % is clearly listed on the label.

 

[nivek]

might i be so bold as to ask what you are ingesting the oil for,, not what ails you,, but what are you hoping the oil will do for you?

ingesting under the tongue is the fastest way to get the cannabinoids to the brain,, not necessarily the best way to get cannabinoids into the body for medical purposes

there is more help available on this site than you can imagine,,

impossible to tell, for me anyway,, how potent that oil is,, does not say the potency of the pot to start with,, maybe it does, i cant see it

as for dose,, start low,, go slow,, oils can take two hours to take effect,, by that time,, many folks have taken more already thinking therewas not a big enuf dose,, and well, overdose,, uncomfortable, not fatal

 

[Fogoguy]

Thank-you nivek and BigSur for your detailed replies; very much appreciated! What a great forum this is! Now I think I finally understand the differences between tinctures and oils, thanks to you guys!

Nivek, you asked me what I will be ingesting this oil for. We have actually ordered a few different oils. A couple, like the aforementioned one, are higher in THC, and another has no THC but is high in CBD. So I am hoping that these high-THC ones may help me to relax enough to aid in getting a better night's sleep. (I am a big-time insomniac, and hate taking sleeping pills) Also, like most everyone else under the sun, my wife and I would like to simply unwind in the evenings and enjoy a bit of a buzz. It's always fun trying something new, and now that weed is legal here in Canada, we thought hey, why not!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I suffer from several major pain issues, so I wish to experiment with the high-CBD oils, in particular to see if it will help with my pain, and if so, to hopefully be able to lessen my doseage of opioids.

I was assuming that the posted "THC 30mg/ml" label on this oil indicates its THC strength, no? If so, I'm hoping you can advise whether this is a relatively high amount of THC or not. I have seen other oils on our province's online store that show a THC level at only 10mg/ml, so I assume it means the one we are talking about is 3 times stronger than that?

Yes, we plan to ingest these oils by placing the drops under the tongue, so I wonder if you can possibly suggest how many drops as a starting point? (keeping in mind its THC strength of 30mg/ml)

So what do you think?... am I on the right track by using a high-THC indica oil to help to unwind after a busy day and hopefully get a better night's sleep... and a higher-CBD oil to aid with my pain issues?

Nivek, you also mentioned that these oils are "not necessarily the best way to get cannabinoids into the body for medical purposes". I will add that we have also ordered several types of dry flower in different doses of both THC and CBD, so we have this option too for pain relief. (I plan to mainly use a vaporizer for the dry, and to limit my smoking it)

I expect to be receiving all the various types of dry flower and oils in our mail before the end of the week, so I can soon begin experimenting with this stuff for the first time in my life. I know that my wife and I have SO much to learn, but it is an enormous benefit to have our fellow forum members guiding us through this. Thank-you again; we really appreciate all of your comments and suggestions!

Glen

 

[nivek]

Only a sec here before work,,

OOk,, the 30mg or ml,, is the amount of cannibis oil that is put into,, infused, into the carrier oil in that bottle. so,, the thirty is how much,,

NNot how strong the oil is, as in what is the percent thc, or the potency of the thc

IIt says the oil is made from a mixture of flowers so perhaps does not say the potency

BBut, yes,, thirty mg is a lot,, that has a lot of thc in it,, just dont know what kind of thc

VVery important to not over do it with ingesting,, the results of taking too much are a messa uncomfortableness,, not anything critical, just uncomfortable. no one ever died from taking too much

a couple of drops,, tho,, a tincture under the tongue absorbs into the body much better than oil under the tongue,, but give it a try,,

CChat later friend,, just getting light here now,, cheers

just as an fyi,, tho i am not the encyclopedia britanica,, i am currently very much into making oils as well as tinctures for pain relief for my wife and myself

and i also own and use a volcano vaporizer, regularly, so anything i can help with,, no worries friend,, cheers

 

[Fogoguy]

Only a sec here before work,,

OOk,, the 30mg or ml,, is the amount of cannibis oil that is put into,, infused, into the carrier oil in that bottle. so,, the thirty is how much,,

NNot how strong the oil is, as in what is the percent thc, or the potency of the thc

IIt says the oil is made from a mixture of flowers so perhaps does not say the potency

BBut, yes,, thirty mg is a lot,, that has a lot of thc in it,, just dont know what kind of thc

VVery important to not over do it with ingesting,, the results of taking too much are a messa uncomfortableness,, not anything critical, just uncomfortable. no one ever died from taking too much

a couple of drops,, tho,, a tincture under the tongue absorbs into the body much better than oil under the tongue,, but give it a try,,

CChat later friend,, just getting light here now,, cheers

just as an fyi,, tho i am not the encyclopedia britanica,, i am currently very much into making oils as well as tinctures for pain relief for my wife and myself

and i also own and use a volcano vaporizer, regularly, so anything i can help with,, no worries friend,, cheers

Wow thanks for all of this, nivek! Looks like this oil will be here either tomorrow or Thursday, and we're anxious to try it out. We're also curious to know if it may be possible to use this type of oil to make gummies? As you are obviously well-schooled when it comes to oils... is this possible? Rather that having to wait until next summer for the purchase of edibles to become legal, we think it would be fun to try making our own, especially the gummies which seem to be all the rage these days. I have googled the subject, but as I keep reading how people are making their own "tinctures" to make their gummies, this doesn't really help me to understand if this kind of oil might also do the trick. We're looking for a simple, easy-to-follow recipe with as few steps as possible. And I'm betting that you have done this... or at least know how to, right?

Thanks again nivek! A shame that you don't live in Newfoundland, as you could come on over and give us weed-virgins some lessons, haha!

Glen

 

[Big Sur]

Um, for sleep aid, just get a strain with a high % of CBN. Or just let your weed age and the THC will convert to CBN at the rate of about 10% a year. Yes, old weed with CBN can put you to sleep better and faster than with sleeping pills, and you will feel fine the nest day. For this reason I keep old weed around. One hit and I am off to dream land. If you do not smoke, the CBN also works well after ingesting infused oils. Coconut oil is considered the best oil for dissolving cannabinoid oils for eating. You can bake it into gummies, or brownies, or cookies. I smoke weed, so I do not cook with weed products. I do make it into lotions and skin creams that I make. I use grape seed oil to dissolve hash oil in, and add Shae butter and bees wax to thicken it up. I then put it into small jars and freeze it for long term storage. Works great for arthritis, joint pain and muscle cramps and spasms.

Be careful making gummies, kids will want to eat them! Yes, you can make gummy bears from hash oil or RSO. Easy to do. Use glycerin to bind the hash oil and the gelatin in a hot water suspension.

 

[Big Sur]

BTW, I do not think that an infusion under the tongue is the fastest way to get cannabinoids to your brain. I think that smoking is instant and the fastest way. Use a vaporizer if you do not like smoking, which is the best way to 'smoke' weed. My vaporizer takes too long to heat up though, so I use a bong. One and done.

 

[Fogoguy]

Um, for sleep aid, just get a strain with a high % of CBN. Or just let your weed age and the THC will convert to CBN at the rate of about 10% a year. Yes, old weed with CBN can put you to sleep better and faster than with sleeping pills, and you will feel fine the nest day. For this reason I keep old weed around. One hit and I am off to dream land. If you do not smoke, the CBN also works well after ingesting infused oils. Coconut oil is considered the best oil for dissolving cannabinoid oils for eating. You can bake it into gummies, or brownies, or cookies. I smoke weed, so I do not cook with weed products. I do make it into lotions and skin creams that I make. I use grape seed oil to dissolve hash oil in, and add Shae butter and bees wax to thicken it up. I then put it into small jars and freeze it for long term storage. Works great for arthritis, joint pain and muscle cramps and spasms.

Be careful making gummies, kids will want to eat them! Yes, you can make gummy bears from hash oil or RSO. Easy to do. Use glycerin to bind the hash oil and the gelatin in a hot water suspension.

Thanks BigSur. The gummies recipe looks pretty easy... I just have to figure out how many ml of the oil to put in. No, there are no kids around here to get into it... not that we'd ever leave them just laying around.

Hoping to have the oil here tomorrow, and the Utillian 420 vaporizer should be here by Friday, along with a few more oils and various dried. We'll be doing some experimenting this weekend!

Glen

 

[nivek]

g'mornin nelg,,

thanks to bigsur for the info on gummies,, i actually have no idea how to make em,, have never done it

one way to look at this oil,, anything you can cook with oil, as in brownies, cookies, gummies apparently,, the cannabis oil can be substituted for the cooking oil,, obviously not one for one but diluted,, you know

how much oil to put in is an unknown,, till you try the cookies

one thing one does not want, is cookies so weak that one can not even tell,, better, imo, to make stronger cookies, and just eat less,, and work yer way up to a dose that you like

it really is up to the individual to find the dosage that works for them,, everyone and every product is different

one more thing this a.m.,, the vaporizer,, the bud that is left over after you vaporize it,, it is worth saving that 'already vaped bud' 'avb',,, it still has plenty to offer, tho the oils remaining need to be extracted,, but as you learn more you can figure that out later,, just save the 'avb',, iffin you like anyway,,

chat later friend,, enjoy

 

[Fogoguy]

g'mornin nelg,,

thanks to bigsur for the info on gummies,, i actually have no idea how to make em,, have never done it

one way to look at this oil,, anything you can cook with oil, as in brownies, cookies, gummies apparently,, the cannabis oil can be substituted for the cooking oil,, obviously not one for one but diluted,, you know

how much oil to put in is an unknown,, till you try the cookies

one thing one does not want, is cookies so weak that one can not even tell,, better, imo, to make stronger cookies, and just eat less,, and work yer way up to a dose that you like

it really is up to the individual to find the dosage that works for them,, everyone and every product is different

one more thing this a.m.,, the vaporizer,, the bud that is left over after you vaporize it,, it is worth saving that 'already vaped bud' 'avb',,, it still has plenty to offer, tho the oils remaining need to be extracted,, but as you learn more you can figure that out later,, just save the 'avb',, iffin you like anyway,,

chat later friend,, enjoy

Thanks for the always great advice, nivek! And Happy Halloween!

Well, as our bad luck would have it, the oil didn't arrive in today's mail, so hopefully tomorrow. Also, the two missing original orders are still AWOL. And yup, the vapourizer remains a no-show, darn it! This Missus smoked a bit of the stuff that came the other day, and it has passed her inspection with flying colours! I haven't tried it yet myself, but I gotta say the smoke smelled really nice... not the harsh, stinky stuff I remember from way back when.

Hey nivek, I just noticed that you're in Kelowna. We used to be practically neighbours! Prior to our epic move across the country in 2008 to our little island paradise off of Northern Newfoundland, we lived in Armstrong, just a ways up the road from you. Spent a lot of time in Kelowna back then.

Glen

 

[Fogoguy]

Woohoo! The oil arrived this morning. Finally. I will try it tonight and let you know how I make out. It may be worth noting that it came with a very prominent health warning separate from the bottle, stating that this product contains the highest THC available, (30 mg per ml) and therefore is only recommended for experienced cannabis users. (which I definitely am not) The included instructions suggest starting with just 2 drops under the tongue... sounds pretty harmless, but I will be careful to take things slow and easy until I figure out it's affects.

Glen

 

[Fogoguy]

I have been experimenting with the newly-arrived cannabis oil these past few days, working at getting the correct dose. Due to being a total newb, this wimp started out the first night with a mere 3 drops under the tongue, and I didn't really notice much of anything. So the second day I took 4 drops, and jeez, you'd wonder how one extra tiny drop of the stuff could make any difference at all, but I have to say that it did the job! I had my first full-night's sleep in AGES! But I developed quite a headache... not sure if this was due to the cannabis oil, or perhaps just a coincidence... time will tell. Tomorrow I will try 5 drops, but I doubt that I should need to go much higher than that for the foreseeable future.

I am sill awaiting shipment of the high-CBD oil that I'm hoping may aid with my many health issues, namely chronic pain, (I am disabled... permanent spinal injury, also Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Rheumatoid Arthritis, severe Restless Legs Syndrome, not to mention a lifetime of off-the-scale IBS, the aforementioned awful insomnia, and recently diagnosed type 2 Diabetes) I am currently on some pretty heavy-duty meds, (Oxycodone, Codeine, Prednisone, etc) so if there is any chance at all that cannabis may allow me to reduce any of these prescriptions, I am all for it. But I can already say that the high THC (30mg/ML) oil has shown that I can get a good night's sleep... something that no prescribed sleep aid to date has been able to do for me.

So, I am very interested in hearing from any members of this fine forum who have experienced any success by using cannabis oils, or vaporized dry herb, for their pain management, and for dealing with insomnia, IBS and diabetes.

(I am still awaiting delivery of the vaporizer, the three remaining cannabis orders from the gov't of Newfoundland online store, and also the Zeus Armor storage case)

Glen

 

[Fogoguy]

Sorry for my being AWOL these past few days, but I'm back again for a quick update! I am still experimenting with the cannabis oil, and have come to the conclusion that by first placing drops under the tongue for a few minutes, this seems to have very little effect, as opposed to simply ingesting it right away. I find this a bit surprising, as the Newfoundland gov't's online store recommends placing it under the tongue. I do recall someone on here stating that he didn't think the oil would work in this manner as effectively as a tincture, and it appears he's right.

So I have resorted to just swallowing it for the best results. And jeez, it really does take its own sweet time to kick in, whether on a full or empty stomach. (as in just starting to feel something at 2+ hours) And I gotta say that it is not the kind of high I was expecting from a fairly potent oil. (THC 30mg/ml) Sure, I will feel a wee bit mellow, but it's not a big "high" or anything like that. In fact it makes me wonder if perhaps my longterm (14+ years) use of prescribed Oxycodone, Codeine, Prednisone, etc has possibly increased my tolerance level to a point where mere weed just seems awfully tame by comparison? Or am I just not taking a large enough dose of this oil? (took 9 drop 1.5 hours ago... am still waiting to feel something... anything)

And something else that I am noticing... I get a mild to moderate headache the morning after. And also some tinnitus. Now on a more positive note, I do notice that it is helping with my insomnia; am getting some decent-quality sleep for the first time in many years! Plus it appears to be helping with my RLS symptoms, when up until now the only thing that was helping was Percocet.

So I'm interested in hearing from anyone who can tell me if my oil dosage might be off, and also whether my headaches and tinnitus are common side effects of the cannabis oil, and do they think that I will experience these same symptoms with the dry flower vaporizer? (am still awaiting delivery of the vaporizer!)

Thanks,
Glen

 

[Oldbear]

Hi Fogoguy My main intake method is infused edible oil under the tongue. I find it starts to work very quickly. This is because the blood vessels under the tongue absorb directly as opposed to through the gut.

Hold it in there as long as you can before swallowing.

 

[Fogoguy]

Hi Fogoguy My main intake method is infused edible oil under the tongue. I find it starts to work very quickly. This is because the blood vessels under the tongue absorb directly as opposed to through the gut.

Hold it in there as long as you can before swallowing.

Oldbear, if you were doing this with 30mg per ml oil, how many drops would you take under the tongue? I took 9 drops and held it there for a whopping 20 minutes... and... nothing! Am I some sort of freak?

Glen

 

[Oldbear]

I'm a cheap date.

I am blessed with getting the results I'm after with low doses. I also always take both thc and cbd, which helps them both work more effectively.

The little droppers I have are 25 drops per ml. So 9 drops is just under a third so its a 10 mg dose. Id say thats a medium size dose. High for me low for many.

Do you know what the oil is? Some absorb better than others.

Cannabinoids will help the opiates work better so you may want to consider starting a reduction plan.

I dont know if having a lot of opiates in your system hides the cannabis results, but someone will.