an educated stoner Making Medicine: Cannabis Infused Honey Tincture By: Sharon Letts
Since replacing prescription medicines with cannabis, keeping the medicine of the plant in my system has been a daily practice of this patient. And though I have several deliveries I do throughout the day, infusing honey is one of the most simple to use, as well as being beneficial in its own right. Though tinctures are now readily available in legally run dispensaries and collectives in medically legal States, if you have access to trim or bud it’s never a bad idea to learn to make your own medicine
In compliance with: CA prop 215, SB 420 Sections 11362.5 & 11362.7 of HSC Do not drive; Keep out of reach of children; For medical use only; Not for resale.
to one part plant material
Process:
1. Grind plant material and wrap in cheese cloth, secure with string. Place bundle in crock pot and cover with honey. Set crock pot on “low” and cover with lid 2. Steep Cannabis four (4) hours on low, checking to make sure it does not burn. Note: All crock pots are different – if it gets too hot, turn off and let set to cool, then start up again – stirring often. This process is not an exact science. As noted, the main goal is to make the strongest medicine without burning the tincture.
Waste Not Want Not
Using every bit of this plant is a tribute to its sustainability. That bundle of goodness you soaked in honey for umpteen hours still has a good deal of medicine in there. In Hebrew the definition of “chai” is “life.” In India it’s a drink made from black tea, spices and honey – and one of my favorite drinks. Doubling up on meanings, you could say the medicated chai made from the bundle of Cannabis-infused honey is “Life Chai,” hence my endeared name for this drink.
Life Chai Tea
Ingredients:
The process of making honey tincture is as easy as steeping tea, and can be done simply in a crock pot. If you are fortunate enough to have a medicine making machine, such as The Magical Butter Machine, all you need to do is push a button. Whole plant theory is key. I’ve used leafy trim with stems, sugar trim, and small, leafy buds not worth trimming, but packed with good medicine. Typically, sativa is used for daytime energy and stimulation; and indica is used for calming or nighttime use. If you don’t grow your own or know a farmer, most safe access points or dispensaries sell leaf and trim at a discounted rate for medicine makers. It’s perfectly fine to experiment as you learn with the right combinations for the right strengths for your specific needs. When dosing with honey (or any ingestible), the trick is to start with a small dose of around one teaspoon, one hour before bedtime, waiting an hour or so in between dosing to measure effects.
Sharon’s Honey Tincture
Materials Needed: • • • •
Crock pot with “low” setting Cheese cloth, string 1 cup plant ground material (stems, leaf, smalls) 3 cups honey Basically, three parts honey
3. After four or five hours turn the crock pot off and let sit. Test for flavor and color. Once cooled, you can make the decision to stop the process and have a light tincture, or you can let it sit overnight and heat it up again in the morning for a stronger batch. 4. Once the tincture is at the desired consistency and strength, remove the bundle from the honey, squeezing as much tincture as possible from the bag. Set aside for making tea (recipe follows). Before honey cools or thickens ladle tincture into jars. I use a canning funnel and fill small jelly (Mason) jars for easy dosing.
Label With Love
Label each jar with a warning. This is important for many reasons. Someone choosing honey for their tea from your cupboard shouldn’t be surprised by the outcome, whether they are copasetic to Cannabis or not. Using California’s coding as an example:
Vegas Cannabis Magazine • May 2016 • 26
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• 1 saturated bundle of ground cannabis/honey (from Honey Tincture Recipe) • 6 cups of water • Heaping tablespoon each: whole cardamom pods, whole cloves, & freshly chopped ginger • Two cinnamon sticks • Four tea bags… choose black, green, or herbal tea. Since I use this at night for sleep, I use a “bedtime” tea blend, but traditional chai is made with a strong, black tea (note: black tea has caffeine). 1 to 2 sticks vanilla (If using extract, add 1 tbsp at end of cooking process)
Process:
1. Add bundle to water in a large kettle (with lid) with spices; 2. Bring mixture to boil on a stovetop over medium/high heat. 3. Immediately turn down to low and simmer until tea darkens in color, about one hour, more for a stronger brew. 4. Store in glass Mason jars in the fridge. Tea keeps for several days. Serving options: Traditionally milk or cream is added before drinking. I use coconut cream. Sharon Letts started in this world as a gardener, ended up a writer/producer, and continues to advocate for the freedom to garden every seed bearing plant. You can find her on Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter @lettsgarden.