77 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
77 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
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THC-resin Extraction
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reprinted from "Marijuana Hydroponics: High-Tech Water Culture"
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by Daniel Storm, published by And/Or Books,
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(c) 1987
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Ronin Publishing,
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P.O. Box 1035,
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Berkeley, CA 94701
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ISBN: 0-914171-07-0
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Typed/edited by
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The Deviant of The Works BBS 617/861.8976
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Email: deviant@works.uucp
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Since so much time, labor, and cost has gone into the production of
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each plant, growers do not overlook utilization of the "shake" or leaves.
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Extraction involves the process of removing the essential oil, THC resin, from
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the leaves remaining on the plant and those removed during pruning. This is
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accomplished through the use of a solvent in which the oil will dissolve, which
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is later separated from the plant material by passing it through an appropriate
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filter.
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The best solvent found to date is choloroform. It is non-flammable,
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which makes it safer to handle than ethanol. Further, it has a low boiling
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point (61 C., 142 F.), and a residue after evaporation of .0005 percent. This
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low residue percentage means that virtually no trace solvent remains to contam-
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inate the oil and cause an aftertaste, which is usually a problem encountered
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with ethanol unless time-consuming distillation processes are used. Another
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important concern is that chorophyll is relatively insoluble in choloroform,
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eliminating the heavy "green" taste that always results from ethanol extrac-
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tions.
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To initiate the extraction process, the leaves must be
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dried thoroughly. This can be done by placing them on fairly absorbent paper,
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chas newsprint, in a good sunny spot near a window. (Fresh newsprint paper
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can be obtained in most art supply stores. The lead content of ordinary
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newspapers makes them unsuitable for this purpose.) The leaves are then
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turned over every few days to ensure complete drying. When they are
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sufficiently and completely dried, the leaves should be brittle and crumble
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easily between the fingers.
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They are then placed in a blender or food processor and ground to a fine pow-
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der. Studies have shown that to achieve 90 percent extraction of the oil,
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the plant material must be powdered. This is because nearly as much oil is
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contained in non-glandular internal tissues as is produced by the glandular
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tri-chomes.
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Next, a filter (a coffee filter will do) is placed over a clean Pyrex
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beaker or Corning Ware dish. The plant material is piled about halfway to the
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top of the filter, and the rest of the material (if any) is saved in an air-
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tight container. Pour approximately 200 ml of chloroform into the blender or
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food processor and slosh it around the sides. This rinses out any oil that may
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have adhered to the container's walls. Choloroform is poured from the blending
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container over the plant material until it reaches the top of the filter(adding
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more chloroform if needed). When the chloroform has completely fil-
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tered in to the beaker or dish, this process is repeated by adding chloroform
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until it again reaches the top of the filter. Two extractions of the same
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plant material are usually sufficient to remove all of its THC oil.
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Now the plant material is discarded; the same procedure is repeated
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until the beaker or dish becomes full of solvent. Now the beaker or dish is
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placed on an electric stove or hot plate and heated slowly to a very low boil.
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When the choloroform is being evaporated, the area must be completely venti-
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lated! In the early days of medicine, chloroform was used as an anesthetic
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until harmful side effects (such as liver damage!) were discovered, so it is
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clear that extreme care must be used when evaporating this solvent. After the
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solvent has been evaporated, the same procedure is repeated until all of the
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plant material has been treated. The oil is collected and stored in a glass
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pipette. These can be obtained at a scientific supply and are inexpensive.
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The oil is drawn into the tube (this may be easier if the oil is first heated
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abit), and the tube capped at both ends. Resin is best stored inside airtight
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containers and in an area of low light and humidity.
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