Decarboxylation Process
Decarboxylation is the process of heating of cannabis plant matter at a specific temperature in order to activate the inactive compounds present in the plants chemical structure. While the process of decarbing is generally simple enough that it can be done at home with the use of appliances sitting in your kitchen, we generally don’t recommend it without really ensuring that you know what you’re doing.
Inactive cannabinoids are typically present in trichrome of cannabis plants, which are present in the cannabis flower. Nonetheless, very small amounts of these cannabinoids are also located in the stems and leaves of the cannabis plant as well.
The process of decarboxylation converts THCA and CBDA into THC and CBD, respectively. The activated cannabinoids formed are then used for making a wide range of cannabis products, while also ensuring that we get the maximum amount of health benefits from the cannabis plant as possible.
Why is it Necessary to Decarb Cannabis?
Decarboxylation is necessary to prepare tinctures, topicals, edibles, supplements, and other cannabis products that don’t involve heat during consumption. This ensures all the important cannabinoids are activated and ready to give all the health benefits when consumed.
However, decarboxylation is unnecessary for smokable products like that of cannabis pre-rolls and vapes. Since during consumption heat is applied to the compound and the cannabinoids then activate during that process.
Does Decarboxylation Affect CBD?
Decarboxylation has no adverse effect on CBD, but it is important that the process is performed carefully to avoid cannabinoid degradation and combustion. Naturally, CBDA (cannabidiolic acid) is present in cannabis plants, however before decarboxylation, this acid has less effective health benefits, as it does not interact with our body’s endocannabinoid system in the same the way that CBD does. This is why with all of our non-heat products we ensure to perform the decarboxylation process carefully, so you get the most therapeutic benefits possible from the plant.
How Can I Decarboxylate Cannabis at Home?
You can perform decarboxylation in many ways at home. The best methods are probably different for everyone, but it’s important that before actually starting that you do your research, to make sure the method you’re using is not only effective, but safe as well. The most common at home method of decarboxylation is done by baking the ground up plant matter in the oven at lower temperatures (around 240ºF) for about an hour. However, at Passion Flower, we believe that it’s best to leave it to the licensed producer/processors to ensure you’re getting the desired outcome and staying safe in the process.
Final Verdict
THCA and CBDA are raw cannabis components of cannabis that do not affect our bodies the same way THC and CBD do. Decarboxylation allows for the activation of these components so that they provide the most therapeutic effects/benefits possible. The process, while seemingly simple, is generally best left to the professionals. Note that decarboxylation is ideal for cannabis products that don’t produce heat during consumption, such as edibles, topicals and capsules.
As always, thanks for reading!
