What Are CBD Tinctures, And How Are They Made? All You Need to Know From Koi CBD

Tinctures are liquid extracts that are produced by soaking one substance with another substance. We understand this is a fairly general definition, so we will clarify this by focusing first on the second substance. Alcohol is the most common form of liquid that is used for making tinctures.

What can be better than alcohol and cannabinoids? This is a rhetorical question – so please, do not send your answers to us.

If you are wary about creating a tincture from alcohol, glycerin, vinegar, or oil can also be used. However, the best finished product is produced by using alcohol. Also, with the amount of alcohol that you ingest at one time, you will not feel any effects from the alcohol in the tincture.

Different kinds of alcohol can also be used like grain alcohol (Everclear), vodka, or brandy,  to create flavors that are unique.

So we have alcohol – the liquid – so what will it be soaked in. If we were producing a THC tincture, then we would select a high-THC strain such as Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies or Fruity Pebbles. For a CBD tincture, we would select a low-TCH and high-CBD strain of marijuana such as Cannatonic or Charlotte’s Web.

After the marijuana plant matter and alcohol have been combined together, the flavonoids, terpenes, cannabinoids, trichomes, and other chemical elements are dissolved by the alcohol and hold them within the solutions (sort of like making a Kool-Aid batch).

To be very clear, tinctures are not restricted only to marijuana plants. Any combination of plants, any plant, or animal material may be used in order to produce a tincture. Some of the more common types of medicinal tinctures include garlic, hyssop, and sage.

 

How Are CBD Tinctures Used?

Any type of tincture is the most discreet and easiest type of marijuana that can be taken. That is due to the fact that CBD tinctures are administered by a couple of drops under your tongue at a time.

No more smell of pot or having to come up with an excuse for why you cannot share your food? (since it contains pot). All you need is a couple of seconds of alone time, and you are all set.

Side note: make sure that you hold the liquid inside of your mouth instead of swallowing it. If you do happen to swallow it, nothing bad will occur. However, it will take longer for you to start feeling the effects.

Once the drops have dissolved underneath your tongue, they get absorbed inside your sublingual artery. Next, the CBD moves through your external carotid artery, then inside your internal carotid artery, and finally inside your brain.

The entire process -starting from when the drops are administered until you start feeling the effects – takes around 15 minutes.

It is a little slower to feel a tincture’s effects compared to smoking pot. However, it is much faster compared to consuming an edible.