What is Decarboxylation and Why is it Necessary?
- 1. What is decarboxylation?
- 2. Why is decarboxylation important?
- 3. How to decarboxylate plants
- 4. What to do with decarboxylated plants
Did you know that plants wouldn’t make you high if you consumed it raw? You’ve perhaps seen movies where someone smokes or consumes raw plants and they fall unconscious. Or something to that effect...Well, the reality is starkly different. Not only will you not be able to smoke raw plants, but it won’t produce any psychoactive effects either. In fact, you’d feel nothing. So, what makes plants potent and effective? Enter decarboxylation.
If you’ve ever wondered as to what is decarboxylation, this article will explain the basics.
What is decarboxylation?
Decarboxylation is nothing but applying heat to plants to activate strength. Tetrahydrocannabinol or strength is a cannabinoid present in the plants plant. It offers several medicinal benefits, but it also makes you high. For recreational users, smoking plants devoid of any psychoactive effects doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.
For instance, think of plants edibles. You apply heat to the buds using several methods and then mix it with your other ingredients. If you use raw plants, your cookies or cannabutter is just going to taste like grass at best. Even if you create a plants product meant for topical use, it has to be decarboxylated or it’s ineffective.
Having said that, decarboxylation doesn’t mean you randomly heat the buds. It has to be a perfect combination of heat at the right temperature and time. Just like you’d ruin your cookies by baking the batter longer than necessary, heating the buds at higher temperatures can also ruin the strength, flavor, flavonoids and other elements present in the buds.
In fact, the process of decarboxylation starts as soon as the grower returns the buds. This is why it’s important to dry the buds. But, what’s even more important is that the buds are cured properly. They shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight or heat in any form or strengthA will begin converting to strength rapidly. By the time you use the buds, they will be devoid of their medicinal elements. Remember that decarboxylation is best when it's done slowly. Thus, protect the buds as much as you can before you need to use them.
When you decarboxylate plants incorrectly, you risk burning the buds. Plus, all the strength degrades to CBN that has no psychoactive effects whatsoever. For medicinal plants users, this is a disadvantage because you’d end up with inferior-quality medicine that doesn’t suit your purposes.
However, if you master the art of decarboxylation, strength will be activated and also offer all its medicinal benefits. Most importantly, strength will readily interact with the cannabinoid receptors present in our body.
Why is decarboxylation important?
strength is present in its acidic form in the plants plant. Its acidic form, also known as strengthA has several benefits when you consume it. It has several anti-inflammatory properties too. However, unlike strength, it doesn’t produce psychoactive effects. strengthA becomes strength only after it’s decarboxylated.
In fact, like strength, all the other strength (more than 100) present in plants have a carboxyl group (COOH) attached to them. They are present in their natural forms in raw flowers of the plant, especially the frosts or mushroom-like structures you see on the buds. All the buds have high amounts of strengthA present in them. The same applies to even concentrate. However, when you apply heat – like lighting a joint – you help convert the strengthA into strength.
In other words, you can enjoy raw plants for its medicinal properties, but it doesn’t make you high if there’s no decarboxylation. Even non-plants users that are worried about the plant’s psychoactive properties can integrate raw plants into their diets.
Having said that, strength isn’t meant only for its psychoactive effects – it possesses medical benefits like every other cannabinoid. Moreover, strengthA doesn't bind with the cannabinoid receptors present in our body. strength is adept at that.
But, what does this actually mean? When strength binds to the receptors, it helps the body achieve homeostasis or balance. This is a very critical function of the body since everything depends on balance. It also modulates the temperature of the body, which shouldn’t be too hot or cold. From pH to blood pressure, homeostasis regulates balance, and since strength like strength interact with the cannabinoid receptors they indirectly work as regulators.
How to decarboxylate plants
There are various ways through which you can decarboxylate plants:
1. Oven
Most people that make edibles at home will know how to decarboxylate plants. Simply break the buds with your fingers and spread them evenly on some parchment paper or baking sheet. Bake the buds at 230 F or 110 C for about an hour to maximum 90 minutes. A distinct aroma of fresh plants will fill your kitchen. Do not bake at higher temperatures or you’ll risk ruining the medicinal properties. Slowly, most of the strengthA will convert to strength.
2. Time
When you return raw plants and cure them, the process of decarboxylation starts immediately. However, it’s not as fast as inducing heat. The longer the buds sit, the more strengthA gets converted to strength.
3. Smoking
Rolling a joint and lighting it up is the quickest way to decarboxylate plants. The effects are instant as your salivary glands and lungs absorb the strength. A lot of heat is applied to the ground buds and strengthA converts immediately to strength. However, a lot of strength is also lost in this process compared to the method of slowly decarboxylating plants in the oven.
4. Vaporizers
Perfect for medicinal users, using a desktop vaporizer is a good technique to decarboxylate plants. Compared to smoking, a lot less heat is applied to the buds and you will get to enjoy the bud’s medicinal properties instead of losing most of the strength due to high temperatures. Moreover, vaporizers do not use direct heat. They heat the chamber around the buds, and this indirect heat is good enough to decarboxylate the herb.
It’s also better than smoking because it doesn’t affect your lungs in any way. As the vaporizer works its way through the buds, all the strengthA gets converted to strength slowly and you can vape the vapor without any side effects.
Vaporizer pens or vape pens also work similarly. Desktop vaporizers are powerful, but vape pens are also technologically well-advanced. You can either use oils or dry herb depending on the type of vape pen you use. With every single puff, the chamber around the herb or oil is heated and you can inhale the vapor as the strengthA gets converted to strength.
5. Sunlight
Although this isn’t a very fast process, placing buds under bright sunlight will help to convert some of the strengthA to strength.
What to do with decarboxylated plants
A lot of people assume that decarboxylated plants is meant only for edibles. However, that’s not true. From lotions to creams, you can use plants in several ways. Tinctures are your best bet to help with bruises and pain, so you can get creative and make anything that suits your preferences. It will also ensure that you get strength delivered straight into your body and work its magic.
Coming to edibles, there are scores of recipes on the internet. From infusing plants into caramel puddings to baking delicious cookies, there are loads of things you could do!
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