Although the term ‘marijuana’ has been used as synonymous with ‘cannabis’, it must be understood that there are many other cannabis preparations, other than marijuana. Some of these preparations are the dried flowers, pipe resin, hash oil, hashish, kief, tincture and infusion. Each of these has its own set of purposes and effects and thus, they have varying values to the user.
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Getting To Know Marijuana More
The main use of marijuana as a type of cannabis preparation is as a medicine and a psychoactive drug. In pharmacology, cannabis has a primary psychoactive ingredient, called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana, which is a combination of subtending leaves and stems mixed added with dried leaves, has a THC concentration that ranges between 3% and 20%. Those with highest potency are measured to have as much as 33% THC content. Generally, more potent marijuana products are more valued for recreational purposes.
Other varieties of cannabis preparations are actually derived from marijuana. To do so, there must be sufficient heat and dehydration so that decarboxylation takes place on the substance’s compounds into the form of psychoactive THC. These compounds include the tetrahydrocannabinolc acid (THCA), the most available cannabinoid in cannabis plant.
Other Cannabis Preparations
Among the most common other preparations of cannabis plant is the hash oil, wherein the solvents undergo intense evaporation to come up with highly concentrated oil. This concentrated oil possesses the cannabinoids that are contained in the natural oils of the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant. Because of its high THC concentration, hash oil is typically used for smoking and vaporizing. Some cannabis consumers consume it as food seasoning or flavoring, while there are some that consume it for topical application as well. Take note, however, that this is different from cannabis flower essential oil and hemp seed oil, which are common types of cannabis preparation as well.
A cannabis preparation in the form of trichomes-rich powder is called kief. Hash or hashish is another cannabis preparation that is in the form of a concentrated resin ball or cake derived from pressed kief. Its color varies from golden brown to black, as determined by the type and purity of cultivar it was taken from. Moreover, ‘tincture’ refers to the type of preparing cannabis wherein cannabinoids are extracted through grain alcohol and other high-proof spirits. Various sub-ingredients and types of extractions are used to produce specific sub-type of tincture cannabis products.
The Cannabis Infusion Varieties
Other varieties of cannabis preparations include the different types of infusions. With every non-volatile solvent used in the preparation, there is a corresponding cannabis sub-variety produced. The process basically includes mixing the plant material with the desired solvent and then pressing and filtering this mixture to convey the cannabis plant oils into the solvent. Dairy butter, cocoa butter, cooking oil, skin moisturizers and glycerine are some of the most common solvents typically used to create cannabis infusions. In general, the specific type of solvent used for the extraction process determines the application of the derived infusion variety.
