Tinctures are easy to administer and accurately dose. This is why we’ve been manufacturing top quality cannabis tinctures at Maine Cannabis Exchange since our inception in 2014. All cannabis tincture are made with extracted cannabis concentrate. At MCE we use full spectrum ethanol extracted cannabis oil as the base for our tinctures. There are two main categories of cannabis tinctures: those where the cannabis oil is dissolved into an oil and those where the cannabis oil is dissolved into an alcohol. We will these oil based or alcohol based tinctures. Let’s get into the differences between the two and then we’ll cover the specific types of tinctures we carry and their uses.
CANNABIS TINCTURES IN SOUTH PORTLAND, ME
Oil Based Tinctures
Oil-based tinctures are easy to administer and often have a pleasant herbal flavor. Most oil-based tinctures on the market today are made with MCT oil. MCT stands for Medium Chain Trigliceride. MCT oil is made by breaking up long oil molecules into smaller (hence “medium”) ones. The process of breaking up these longer molecules is called fractionating. Fractionating allows solid fats, such as solidified coconut oil, to be liquified into products like MCT coconut oil. This is because the longer molecules connect in a way that solidifies the substance. Once these longer molecules are broken up they slip past one another more easily, thereby liquifying the fats into the oil.
The fractionating process is important for making tinctures because fractionated oils tend to move across lipid barriers more easily (such as the lipid barrier in your cells) than non-fractionated oils. We call substances that can transport materials across lipid barriers "drivers". Fractionated MCT coconut oil is a good driver for bringing cannabinoids into the body. There are many other types of oils that are suitable for making marijuana tinctures, including avocado oil and olive oil.
Alcohol-Based Tinctures
Alcohol-based tinctures, on the other hand, are typically made with a high ethanol content flavorless alcohol such as vodka. The concentration of cannabis in marijuana-based tinctures is typically high enough that the amount of alcohol consumed to achieve the proper amount of cannabinoids is nominal. So you don’t have to worry about getting tipsy on the booze!
THC Tincture Consumption
Tinctures can be consumed in three ways. The first way is to simply swallow the tincture. The second way is to hold it under your tongue (sublingual) and then spit it out. The third was is to hold it under the tongue and then swallow it. When held under the tongue, the vagal artery picks up an alcohol-based tincture more effectively than an oil-based tincture. Why would you want to use the sublingual method versus just swallowing the tincture? Well, cannabinoids entering the body by crossing the tissue under the tongue are more quickly carried into the bloodstream. They are processed in the liver vs the intestines and the consumer’s experience ends up being different. Sublingual ingestion of a tincture is a little more akin to smoking cannabis than eating an edible. For those of you less versed in smoking and eating cannabis, let me explain: smoking cannabis has a rapid onset of effects which are often more cerebral and shorter-lasting then when cannabis is consumed as an edible. Edibles often have a larger body effect. Everyone metabolizes cannabis differently and your experience may differ. Because of their powerful and long-lasting effects, swallowing cannabis tincture is great for managing chronic pain, sleep, and several other conditions.
Sublingual cannabinoid uptake has a more rapid onset (typically around 20 minutes vs up to two hours when ingested). Sublingual tinctures that are held under the tongue for a few minutes and then spat out also don’t last as long as when a tincture is swallowed; typically only two to three hours vs up to eight hours if swallowed. In my experience, the effect is also more cerebral than when the tincture is swallowed. When dosing sublingual tinctures you will need to consider both how many mg of tincture you’re taking plus the duration of time you hold the tincture sublingually. This takes a few attempts to dial in the perfect formula for your body and needs.
Sublingual marijuana tinctures that you swallow are a great way to get an earlier onset of long-lasting effects. Perhaps the best of both worlds for those who appreciate a THC-edible experience but don’t like waiting for the onset.
Types of Tincture We Manufacture
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ACDC TINCTURE
ACDC Tincture is by far my favorite product in our entire store. ACDC is a strain of cannabis that has about 25 parts CBD to each part THC. It’s a phenotype of Cannatonic, a high CBD low THC strain that’s a lot like hemp but, among other things, has a unique blend of other cannabinoids and terpenes that give it its special properties. It’s one of the first plants that Maine Cannabis Exchange started growing, brought to the state by a family friend, and distributed widely because of its anti-spasmatic properties. This is why ACDC tincture has been used by so many to help manage seizure disorders. ACDC has helped many of our customers with: a) sleeping through the night, b) managing gastrointestinal inflammation issues such as IBS, chrones, and colitis c) managing neurological conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinsons, and seizures, and d) helping manage some conditions associated with autism.
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CBD TINCTURE
CBD, an acronym for the cannabinoid Cannabidiol and is found in cannabis plants. CBD Tincture can provide much of the same relief as the ACDC Tincture but it has neither the same THC content nor the same cannabinoid/terpene profile as ACDC. CBD is easy to access and can be affordable. It also is not regulated the same way that THC is so can be brought easily across state lines. Our staff and customers have found CBD to be helpful with inflammation, sleep, and anxiety among other things. CBD Tincture is also great to have around in the event too much THC is consumed. CBD can reduce the psychoactive impact of THC and reduce the negative feelings associated with overconsumption of THC. Also of note is that capsaicin (hot pepper extract) applied to the skin has been clinically proven to reduce the effects of a THC overdose. There are products available that won’t give you a hot pepper chemical burn!
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CBG TINCTURE
CBG, an acronym for Cannabigerol, is a cannabinoid found in cannabis. CBG is great at modulating mood. In particular, it can assist in calming the mind and body. Our customers have also found it a useful aid for sleep and digestion.
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CBD:CBG TINCTURE
A recent scientific study done at Oregon State University showed that the acid forms of both CBD and CBG hindered the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus within the body. Our CBD: CBG tincture contains both CBDa and CBGa, the acid forms of CBD and CBG respectively and we have received feedback from customers sick with COVID (and other types of colds) that they believed the tincture lessened the intensity and duration of symptoms. My own personal experience supports this. After a small family gathering, 5 members of my family including myself fell sick at about the same time and with the same array and order of symptoms. At the onset of the illness, I began taking 15mg of our CBD: CBG Tincture three times per day. My family members all got very ill and tested positive for COVID. Although experiencing the same symptoms, mine were milder and I never tested positive despite 5 at home and a PCR test. I believe that the tincture helped reduce the viral load I was carrying. My experience would be consistent with the referenced research on CBDa and CBGa.
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THC TINCTURE
THC is an acronym for Tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is the main psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis. THC is great for modulating mood, appetite, sleep, and pain. Strain-specific THC tinctures can be used to energize, relax, stimulate appetite, assist in falling and staying asleep, and reduce pain among other things. THC Tincture is the preferred method for dealing with chronic pain. Tinctures last a long time (6-8 hours on average) and are one of the most affordable ways to consume THC. THC interfaces with the endocannabinoid system in your body much the same way that opioids do, but without the addictive risks posed by opioids. Many people are able to wean themselves off opioids and painkillers (or avoid them altogether) by using properly dosed THC tinctures.
A note of caution when using THC for sleep: there are some studies that show THC can disrupt REM sleep cycles. REM is important for processing experiences into memory - among other things. Consequently, I would personally prefer a sublingual application of THC tincture to help with falling asleep together with a swallowed ACDC tincture dose to help with staying asleep.
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THC:CBD TINCTURE
Because CBD can help reduce the psychoactive impact of THC, this blended tincture is a great way to get higher levels of THC into your system without getting you too high. THC is great for managing pain and for stimulating appetite. People like me, who are very sensitive to THC, can benefit by consuming CBD along with THC. Our THC: CBD Tincture is also wonderful for dealing with pain and inflammation issues. It’s a dynamic duo where the THC helps manage the pain and the CBD helps reduce inflammation.
In Summary
I use tinctures daily. They are my favorite method for consuming cannabis because they are very easy to dose. At Maine Cannabis Exchange we manufacture our tinctures so that each drop contains 1mg of cannabinoids. This makes it super easy to give yourself an accurate serving each time. Just 7 mg of our ACDC Tincture swallowed before bed is all it takes to keep me from waking up at 2:30 am with my mind racing over all of my responsibilities and deadlines. If I do wake up, I settle back in easily and in the morning I feel refreshed. Tinctures are also a great bang for the buck! That 7mg of medicine only costs about 36 cents, and that’s including tax! My father takes the same ACDC Tincture instead of expensive pharmaceuticals to deal with the intestinal inflammation associated with chrones disease. He takes five drops three times a day (about $0.75/day).
I hope that you give tinctures a try if you haven’t already. Cannabis is such a personal experience, it’s definitely not a one size fits all solution. The way the plant interacts with one person’s endocannabinoid system can be much different than the way it affects another person. We’d love to hear your feedback and learn about your experiences so that we can continue to share the ever-growing database of knowledge surrounding this fantastic plant and its many uses.