I would like to tell you about 3 primary methods for infusing herbs in oil. And since cannabis is an herb, it, too, may be infused in various different oils this way.
First of all, let's dismiss this notion that Coconut Oil (CO) is the best oil to use when infusing cannabis. Yes, I will agree that CO might be the best oil to use to infuse cannabis when infusing for edible or some other means of taking cannabinoids into the body, such as through the use of suppositories. But for topicals, CO is NOT the best means of transmission through the skin barrier into the tissues and muscles and tendons of the body.
I am also not about to hazard a guess at to which oil IS the best oil to use to carry cannabinoids past the skin barrier into the body, since that will be the homework of the members of this study hall to figure out over time and through experimentation. Already, SuperGroomer is experimenting with infusing Grape Seed Oil with cannabis as I write this tonight.
But the fact remains that the CO molecuels are so large that they do not easily pass througgh the skin barrier. There may be other reasons why the skin will not let CO pass, but I do know that its size is one feature for this. It is just too big.
When CO is spread over the skin it remains there. It does not sink into the skin. It rests like a layer of grease on top of the skin. Any cannabinoids that are infused within it remain there, too -- on top of the skin. This is why CCO oil is not an adequate carrier for cannabinoids to enter the bloodstream, ease aching muscles, relax tightened tendons, generally to pass through the skin barrier and work that magic that cannabinoids are meant to work.
We must find another carrier oil that will perform this duty. In order to do this, we must start from a place of experience, tradition and gathered knowledge to determine an adequate carrier oil that will perform this duty for us in our formulations. And in order to test out our theories, we must infuse a lot of cannabis into a lot of oil.
This is where tonight's discussion comes into play. I will lay the grounds for how herbal medical techniques are traditionally used to infuse oils with herbal medicine.
The first technique for infusing oil with herbs:
The first technique requires no additional heat than the sun provides. It is possibly the most un-intrusive, easy and least-damaging technique to those precious oils and that even more precious cargo they are addressed to carry into the body past the skin barrier. The problem is, it takes about 2 months to perform, and who has that kind of time (at least right away, for their first 2 or 3 efforts at infusing cannabis into oil).
First, you fill mason jars with cannabis. We will take as our standard unit of cannabis measurement to be about 1 ounce of good flowers or 1.5 ounces of good trim. You fill a large mason jar with this product. Then fill to the top of the jar the carrier oil you would like to infuse. Then cover with the mason jar's cover and twist tightly. This you then set upon a sunny windosill and, as you pass by each day, give it a good shake to mix the oil up. Let sit for up to 2 months. After 2 months, the infusion should be done. Voila! You have infused your oil with cannabis.
You can discern the problems with this method without my delineating them, the primary one being time. Who has the time to wait for this infusion to finish? Unless you already have jars and jars of infused oil infused by another means to use in the meantime while you wait and wait and wait for your windowsill infusion to be done.
On the other hand, this method of infusion has the least chance of breaking down the carrier oil at the molecular level, since the only heat applied is the heat of the sun. And likewise, it has the least chance of damaging those precious cannabinoids for the same reasons. But leaving that aside, it is a very impractical method of infusing our carrier oils with our precious cargo -- our cannnabinoids.
The second technique for infusing carrier oils with herbs:
This method takes the least amount of time, and barring preparation activity, will only take you between 5 - 6 or so hours.
In this method, you take your precious flowers or trim and add it to a crockpot or slowcooker (are they not the same thing? I'm not sure exactly.). Then you add your carrier oil to the pot, turn it on high. When the oil has reached a rather hot temperature you then turn the pot to low and leave it sit for 5 - 6 hours. You may also start out your pot on low but you will need to add another hour on to your total "cooking" time. Be sure to stir at least once every half an hour.
You may already see t,he problem with this method or you may not. The high heat involved produced by the slowcooker may damage both our carrier oil and its precious cargo -- our amazing cannabinoids.
The third technique for infusing oils with herbs:
This third technique is the one I prefer to use as it has the best tradeoffs between damaging those special carrier oils and their precious cargo and the other side of the equation -- the actual time we each have in the day to devote to these persuits of pleasure. This methodology requires about two to three days of our time. When rushed it can be done over one weekend, but when trying to do as good a procedure as possible, it requires three days.
You place your flowers or trim and carrier oil into the slowcooker and turn it onto high. Watch it carefully and as soon as it reaches a high temperature turn the pot OFF. Let the oils cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. When the oils have returned to room temp, turn the pot to high again. Turn it off immediately again. Stir and stir again. Repeat repeatedly over and over again throughout the course of two to three days.
After finishing all three methods of extraction, you must drain the oil through first a cheesecloth and then through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
So those are the primary means of infusing carrier oils with herbal medicines used commonly in the world of handcrafting soaps and lotions, creams and body butters. I hope this information is helpful!
This is a brand new process for me as well, simply because of the incorporation of the Cannabis.
We had a discussion on a different thread a couple of years ago on how to home mod them to reclaim alcohol, and I never did feel comfortable with doing that. Better to buy the ones already closed and sealed up for the purpose.
This is truly something you love to do and it is truly something HAPPY and JOYFUL for you to focus on.