Cannabis, derived from the Cannabis sativa plant, is gaining prominence all over the world for its health benefits. In fact, beyond recreational purposes, medical cannabis is an important constituent in many FDA-approved drugs today.
For instance, Cannabidiol i.e. CBD is hitting the headlines almost every day for its incredible health benefits; it is derived from the cannabis plant. The best thing about it is, it doesn’t consist of THC which is the chemical responsible for causing psychoactive effects.
Now, while many people prefer to smoke CBD, edibles are also becoming popular these days. Most of these edibles like CBD cookies, brownies, and even cakes are made using Cannabutter.
Let us find out more about Cannabutter here today.
What is Cannabutter?
It is easy to guess that Cannabutter is an amalgamation of cannabis and butter. It can be used in the easiest way to prepare CBD edibles, such that non-smokers can also get to taste the benefits of CBD without experiencing its mind-altering effects.
How to make Cannabutter?
You can make Cannabutter in 3 simple steps as follows:
Step 1: Gather the marijuana buds
You will have to get the buds or bud leaves of the cannabis plant as these make way for tastiest Cannabutter which contains an enormous quantity of resin.
Step 2: Activate the THC
To activate the THC from cannabis, you will have to follow a heat application technique called decarboxylation.
To begin with this, you will have to place the cannabis in a butter paper, put it inside the microwave oven and set the temperature to 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the timer to 40 minutes and after the time has expired, see if the leaves have turned dry and crumbly.
Step 3: Melt butter
Now you will have to get to the butter making process and for this, you will have to melt the butter in a saucepan or microwave it. Remember to use four sticks of butter for every ounce of cannabis for the best results. When the butter has melted completely, add the dry cannabis bud leaves, mix it properly and lower the heat of to simmer.
Step 4: Let the Cannabutter cook
Patience is the way to get hold of the best quality Cannabutter and thus for this you will have to wait for 3 hours. While it is being cooked on low heat, don’t forget to stir occasionally. Look for the top layer of the liquid turning thick and glossy as it is the indication that the Cannabutter is ready.
When you feel that the cooking is completed, you will have to strain the butter to get rid of the leaves and buds. If you feel that the consistency is not right, freeze it for an hour and then you can add Cannabutter instead of butter in any recipes you want to! Also, you should store it inside an airtight container because only then you can use the butter for 6 months or so.
What is the difference between smoking marijuana and consuming Cannabutter?
When you smoke a joint roll made of dried marijuana leaves, the THC makes its way to your lungs, then from there enters into your bloodstream. It is via the bloodstream that the THC reaches unprocessed to your heart and brain. Now this phenomenon is responsible for producing links to your nervous system which in turn causes the rapid psychedelic effects. Although the effects can come almost instantly or even after a couple of minutes later, this effect can continue up to 3 hours or more.
Now, if you decide to consume marijuana edibles rather than smoking it, then the THC (if present) first makes its way so that it can be absorbed by metabolizing enzymes generated by the liver before reaching the intestines. Also, if you consume weed, you might not experience any psychoactive effects before 90 minutes. This strongly depends on whether the user has a full or an empty stomach when they consume the edibles. Also, the effects last longer, for about 5-7 hours and after that, it might start fading out.
If you are looking for a stronger pain reliever that would make the pain go away for a prolonged period, then consuming Cannabutter is the best solution for you. The only shortcoming is that the effect takes time to set in and therefore if you need immediate relief from pain, consuming Cannabutter might not seem feasible to you.
How to not overdose on Cannabutter?
As you would be consuming Cannabutter in the form of delicious edibles like cookies and cake, it is easy to overeat which leads to overdose. As the effects don’t show up instantly most users tend to go on eating more. That is why, the best way is to start consuming a small amount, that too on an empty stomach and then wait for an hour. If you don’t feel over the top, then you might consume more, but otherwise, it is advisable to put a stop on it.
In a nutshell, when you consider consuming medical marijuana consisting of Cannabutter, you would be benefitted from body-centered effects and it would be spread throughout your body, which would not be true if you smoke marijuana.
What are the benefits of Cannabutter?
If you ask Cannabutter users, then they would all agree on the fact that the edibles created with Cannabutter are in fact tastier than the same edibles produced with other edible butter and oils.
There are many benefits attached to the consumption of Cannabutter, the first and foremost is health-induced and there are countless others. For instance, if you want to get high without risking your health, then consuming Cannabutter is the best way you can achieve that because there is no smoke or carcinogens involved.
Also, you can use this butter to make any butter-related recipes and even after that you can experience the lighter effects of THC. As the butter is high in saturated fats it binds the THC molecules strongly preventing them from cooking out. This would lead to the production of highly potent edibles.
However, in the beginning, you might find it difficult to determine the amount of Cannabutter to add in recipes and thus it is advisable to start with a small quantity of butter to make edibles.
Also, Cannabutter has found to be safe for consumption by children suffering from respiratory troubles or for people who don’t want to smoke marijuana but still want to taste the aesthetic benefits of medical marijuana.
Here are some of the medically induced benefits:
- Relieving aches
Patients with chronic pain can consider trying out Cannabutter infused edibles instead of chemical-filled analgesics.
- Soothing cancer symptoms
Often cancer patients get distressed with the after-effects of chemotherapy like nausea, chronic pain, etc. But if they consume prescribed dosages of medicinal marijuana or Cannabutter edibles, they would be able to control the symptoms.
- Preventing sleep deprivation
Studies show that consuming measured quantities of Cannabutter can induce sleep and can thereby improve the sleep cycle of insomniac individuals.
Although Cannabutter would improve your life and health in a ton of ways, it might not be safe for you to over-consume it as it might contain high levels of THC.
