Preparation Steps:
- If your hemp is not yet decarboxylated, crush or tear it into relatively small pieces. Spread it evenly on a baking sheet and heat it in the oven at 250°F for 25 to 30 minutes for THC-dominant strains. For high-CBD strains, heat it at the same temperature but for 50 to 60 minutes. Or 45 minutes for balanced THC/CBD strains.
- Add water to the bottom pan of your double boiler. Now, add 1 cup of coconut oil to the top portion of the double boiler. Heat it until it melts. (OR use low/medium heat setting in a saucepan)
- Mix 7-10 grams of decarboxylated hemp into the melted oil. Optionally, you can also include a few grams of raw ground hemp.
- Continue heating the hemp and oil on low heat for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can extend this process for several hours if desired, although many recipes call for only 20 to 30 minutes. If available, use a probe thermometer to monitor the temperature. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the oil temperature below 200°C (392°F). Our target temperature range is around 130 to 150°C (266 to 302°F) and steep for one hour.
- After the allotted time, place a fine-mesh strainer over a glass bowl. Pour the hemp-oil mixture through the strainer. Gather the cheesecloth and gently squeeze out any excess oil from the hemp. Caution: The oil will be hot, and your hands will get greasy! You may want to wear food-safe gloves.
- Transfer the strained hemp oil into a storage container. It is best to use a glass storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Store the finished oil in a cool, dark place. We keep ours in the refrigerator.
Ideally, use your hemp oil within 6 months to 1 year. As long as it doesn’t develop mold, the oil won’t “go bad” over time – although its potency may decrease as some THC naturally converts into a sleepier cannabinoid called CBN.
How to Use Hemp Oil
Once finished, you can use hemp oil in various ways!
- Add homemade hemp oil to any body care recipe that calls for hemp-infused oil, such as this topical salve recipe. It can help alleviate sore muscles, joints, inflammation, eczema, psoriasis, and even slow down or prevent the growth of skin cancer cells!
- Use hemp oil in your food or medicinal edible recipes. Aim to use low heat and cooking times to preserve cannabinoids and terpenes. Look for “no-bake” recipes or ones where you can gently reheat the oil in a double boiler. You can make chocolates, no-bake cookies, or add medicinal coconut oil to a frosting recipe, for example. Another option is to use it as a butter substitute on toast or mix it into already cooked pasta or sauce.
- Enjoy a small dose in a cup of hot tea or another warm beverage, perhaps with a touch of honey.
- Take a small dose of the oil directly on its own. Try holding a small amount of oil in your mouth or under your tongue (sublingually). According to Leafly, sublingual dosing offers a quick onset, shorter duration, and lower intensity than traditional cannabis edibles.
- Use hemp oil directly on the skin
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Potency of Homemade Hemp Oil: Proceed with Caution
Homemade hemp products are challenging because it is very difficult to determine their exact potency. Without laboratory testing (which is expensive and not readily accessible for most people), it is practically impossible to calculate the THC and CBD content in the finished hemp oil or medicinal edibles you have prepared.
Firstly, if you are using homegrown hemp like us, then you probably do not know the potency of the strain you started with. Even though a strain is sold with a specified THC and CBD content or ratio, homegrown plants can vary wildly depending on how they were cultivated, harvested, dried, cured, and stored. Additionally, there are variations within plants (expressed as phenotypes) that lead to differences even among plants of the same strain.
Let’s say you are making oil or edibles with hemp purchased from a dispensary, and therefore it has a tested and known THC and CBD content. Even then, the potency of the final product depends on several variables that make calculations difficult: How old the container is and how you have stored it. The duration and temperature at which it was decarboxylated. The process you used to make the oil or food.
Dosage of Homemade Hemp Oil and Edibles
Always start with a very small amount of hemp edibles or oil (especially those containing THC) – also known as “microdosing”. I don’t consume edibles frequently, even though I regularly vape and make salve. When making hemp-infused coconut oil, I always start with just 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of pure oil, and increase if needed next time – but not right away!
Once you determine the perfect personal dosage for your homemade oil, you can mathematically work your magic with an edible recipe to determine how much you’ll consume. Let’s say, for example, my perfect dosage is 1/2 teaspoon. I want to make this chocolate recipe that requires 1/2 cup of coconut oil. A quick Google search tells me that in half a cup, there are 24 teaspoons. That means in that batch of chocolate, there are 48 Deanna-sized doses of hemp oil!
In a perfect world, that recipe gives me 48 individual chocolates ready to pop in my mouth at the “just right” dosage. However, the final yield will depend on the type of chocolate mold I use. I might end up with just 24 chocolates. Then, I would need to only eat half a chocolate at a time. Understand? You can apply the same mathematical magic to a cookie recipe, a frosting batch, or anything else you come up with – as long as you distribute it evenly.
Effects of Cannabis in Edibles vs Smoking or Vaping
Remember, it takes much longer to feel the effects when consuming cannabis as an edible compared to smoking or vaping it! Instead of an immediate crossing of the blood-brain barrier through the lungs, ingested cannabis has to go through your digestive system before you feel anything. This process can take one to three hours, depending on your metabolism and what else is in your system.
The most common mistake people make when consuming cannabis products (besides overeating) is impatience. They think it’s not working and take another dose shortly after the first one. Then, when it all kicks in, what was meant to be a mellow ride can quickly turn into an overwhelming “oh shit” moment.
Furthermore, the effects of edibles linger in your system. This means you feel the effects for a significantly longer time. The blessings of ingested cannabis can last up to 12 hours.
Additionally, the effects of edibles are different from those experienced through smoking or vaporizing cannabis. The edible experience is often much more intense, potentially disorienting, and provides a stronger “body high.” If you overdo it, it can also lead to an increased heart rate and/or nausea, which can be very unsettling and unpleasant.
