What is decarboxylation

In order to release the full potential potency of THC and CBD in cannabis, these cannabinoids need to be activated through a process known as decarboxylation. The process of decarboxylation involves activating the cannabinoids through the application of heat. Some common methods of heating including vaporizing and cooking. This figure represents the total amount of THC and CBD that are activated and available to the body once the cannabis has been decarboxylated by heating.

Decarboxylation after extraction can degrade many of the more volatile terpenes with lower boiling points but is necessary for many extraction methods.

Special techniques must be used to prevent terpene loss during pre-extraction or post-extraction decarboxylation. Unfortunately, because these techniques are often difficult and costly, most cannabis extractors do not take the time to preserve terpenes. Terpenes can also be ruined in extraction and post-processing. Hydrocarbon extraction does not require decarboxylation so terpenes can be preserved. Decarboxylation after extraction does have some unique challenges including more time-consuming extraction times and lower yields.

Despite these obstacles, precision commercial ovens can produce premium and delicately decarbed products. For post extraction decarboxylation, drying and forced-air ovens with humidity sensors feature multiple racks, airtight seals and insulation, food-grade stainless steel interiors, and over-temperature shut-offs. The ovens provide equal horizontal air circulation and temperatures across shelves to remove moisture and decarboxylate organic plant material.

Decarboxylation ovens feature temperature controls to within plus or minus. Manufacturers can check temperatures on built-in and easy-to-read LED displays and set the timer for ultimate precision and a reliable decarbing session. Decarb ovens are built for a quick cleanup. Its stainless steel construction and airtight seal allow for minimal aroma leakage and complaints from neighbors.

Forced-air electric convection ovens circulate hot air quickly through the interior of the oven to keep temperatures uniform. Blowing hot air over a product prevents cooler air from accumulating near the product surface. Constant and gentle hot air provides a speedy decarboxylation for even the most sensitive products such as powders. Even home consumers are joining the decarb party with household decarb machines such as the Magical Butter decarboxylation machine or the Ardent Nova Decarboxylator.

The Ardent Flex has 3. Currently, Ardent is prototyping a high-powered decarboxylator fitted with a digital screen display that can hold up to five pounds of marijuana in a single cycle. The Indy is set to produce 2, grams at once or about , mg of THC allowing commercial operations to elevate their activation process. The answer to this mystery lies in a process called decarboxylation, one that is necessary for us to enjoy the psychoactive effects of the cannabinoids we consume.

Decarboxylation is the process that activates compounds in cannabis such as THC. All cannabinoids contained within the trichomes of raw cannabis flowers have an extra carboxyl ring or group COOH attached to their chain. For example, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid THCA is synthesized in prevalence within the trichome heads of freshly harvested cannabis flowers.

THCA, in many cases, prevails as the highest cannabinoid present in items that have not been decarboxylated e. THCA has a number of known benefits when consumed, including having anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective qualities. The two main catalysts for decarboxylation to occur are heat and time. In general, the lower the heat, the longer the process will take. At the same time, you don't want to use such a high temperature that you end up scorching or combusting the plant material — unless you're smoking it, that is.

Adie Rae, a neuroscientist and scientific adviser to Weedmaps. Read any cannabutter or edible how-to on the internet and it'll tell you to decarboxylate your weed or don't even bother. But it's a little more nuanced than that. Using decarboxylated cannabis when making edibles will ensure your infusion will be chock full of THC, but that's not necessarily the goal of every cannabis consumer. High-tolerance consumers who want to get every last bit of THC out of their flower should absolutely decarb.

Brand new cannabis consumers would be wise to skip this step. And low-tolerance consumers might be happy going either route but should pay close attention to the math if they choose to decarb. Also, if you're worried about getting the temperature exactly right for decarboxylation, you can always add a store-bought product to your homemade edibles instead. Related: Calculating the dose of homemade edibles.

You can use the sous vide method, which is described above, or decarb your weed in a slow cooker. You do not need to worry about putting store-bought cannabutter through its own separate decarboxylation process. Check the product label to be sure, but it's highly unlikely you will find cannabutter in a legal, licensed dispensary that doesn't already have activated THC.

Decarboxylation has many other applications in biochemistry aside from cannabis decarboxylation. While the decarbing process changes the ability of THC and CBD to bind to our body's cannabinoid receptors, decarboxylation happens with other amino acids, too. L-tryptophan, for example, is an essential amino acid that is necessary for us to make serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine , which occurs through decarboxylation.