What are Tinctures?
Tinctures are highly concentrated herbal extracts that have used alcohol as the solvent. In other words, tinctures are alcohol-extracted, using such alcohol like ethanol, cannabis products. Tinctures are used as a dietary supplement in a liquid form that contains high levels of concentrated cannabinoids or THC. Tinctures are used to treat a wide variety of wellness goals. The effects of tinctures depend on what herb or herbs were used, the frequency taken of the tincture, and the type of individual ingesting them.
How are Tinctures Made?
Tinctures are made like previously stated by an alcohol solvent-based extraction. By soaking the raw cannabis plant material in the alcohol, the plant matter will start to dissolve and along with it the plant chemicals like cannabinoids and THC. Alcohol and glycerin are used to preserve the potency of the herbal extract within the tincture. Tinctures are preferably prepared using fresh raw plant material which is obtained directly from the field. Tinctures are less potent than extracts which requires the use of more tinctures to achieve the same yield/potency as extracts.
What are Extracts?
There are a large variety of processes to obtain an extract which all take the raw plant material and extract a certain compound or quality from the plant. Extracts are a type of concentrate of cannabis that comes from solvent based and/or supercritical CO2 processes. Extracts can come in solid or liquid from through various different CBD products such as cannabis oil, wax, and more.
How are Extracts Made?
In general, extracts are made through a process involving combining the raw cannabis plant material with another chemical, either a solvent like ethanol and butane or either through supercritical CO2, in such a way that the cannabinoids are stripped and removed from the raw hemp material/plant. Then the desired plant material is separated from the cannabinoid-infused solvent, only if using the solvent extraction method, and the solvent is purifying from the leftover material that being the desired highly concentrated cannabinoids.
Pros of Tinctures
- Allow for more precise dosing than extracts
- Tinctures are absorbed in the mouth and not the digestive system
- Rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream which increases the bioavailability
- Absorbed orally so tinctures are unaffected by the presence of food in the body
- Very predictable effect
- Can last for 2-3 years when stored properly and very easy to store
- Easy to make at home and convenient to use because they’re easily assimilated into the body.
Pros of Extracts
- Higher concentration of cannabinoids
- Significantly less alcohol presence than tinctures
- Have a longer shelf life than tinctures
- Larger Variety of Processes and Products
Tinctures do not come without their drawbacks such as the possibility of having a disliking of taste among users because they are herbs soaked with high alcohol content. The alcohol in tinctures can cause extra stress on a weakened liver within some sensitive individuals. However, alcohol-free tinctures can be made by use of Glycerin. Glycerin is naturally occurring throughout our bodies which gives glycerin an excellent affinity to the body. Glycerin acts as a sugar-free sweetener that aids with the taste of some bitter herbs that exist in tinctures. However, without the use of alcohol, the extraction process is not as effective yielding lower quantity and quality extracts.
How to Shop Extracts and Tinctures?
Visit our online store to purchase a large variety of tinctures and/or extracts. Our team is here to help assist you with further questions you may have regarding whether tinctures or extracts are best suited for you, contact our reputable team, we are readily available to assist you and answer all your needs.