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Elixirs, also known as tinctures are concentrated extracts of the cannabis plant prepared in a liquid form. The effects last longer than inhaled cannabis, and the effects produced are much more consistent and predictable than edibles. This makes them useful and cost effective for patients with chronic conditions. 

Most patients will find commercial CBD elixirs cost effective for their needs, always select a whole hemp extract to take advantage of phytochemical synergy with other cannabinoids and terpenes in the plant producing an optimal response. Careful vetting as to the legitimacy of the elixir is required as there are products of dubious quality offered for sale. 

THC elixirs are available at most dispensaries, often labeled as being Indica, Sativa or Hybrid; most often only D9-THC from distillate (no minor cannabinoids and terpenes) is used in its formulation. This limits potential phytochemical synergy responsible for the variety of medical benefits and different headspace effects of cannabis, limits their potential effectiveness. 

An elixir produced from a specific strain used by smoking or vaping found to be effective in treating a patient’s symptoms would be useful as an elixir to produce a longer lasting effects; these are rarely available in most markets. 

Strain Specific Cannabis Elixirs
Producing a strain specific elixir yourself is a relatively easy process allowing you to use the full combination of phytochemical contained in the cannabis strain you have found most effective. In addition to producing a more effective elixir for your specific needs, they can save money after the initial investment in equipment is recouped. often in less than a half dozen runs relative to commercial elixirs.  DIY elixirs may be produced from cannabis flower, or from a concentrate using an oil, or ethanol extraction technique.

Producing a MCT Oil Elixir from Burkle Concentrate
P.W. finds Natural State Medicinals’ Burkle very effective for her specific 24/7 pain and stress symptoms; an elixir of Burkle would be useful. Here is how we made her Burkle MCT Oil Elixir.

Materials Used:
•50ml Pyrex beaker
•Digital scale (0.01g resolution)
•Decarboxylation and Infusion device. We used a consumer decarboxylation machine (Ardent Fx) and suggest investing in such a device, as they safely and reliably provide full decarboxylation without loss of product compared with other techniques.
•Organic MCT Oil (fractionated coconut oil)
•Burkle concentrate 1g

Instructions:
•Weigh the dry,empty beaker and record the mass
Ours is 44.18g
•Transfer the Burkle concentrate to the beaker and weigh. Record the mass of concentrate.

Total mass      45.18 g
Beaker mass -44.18g
Burkle mass   1.0g

•Return the beaker to the decarboxylation device.
•Select the decarboxylation cycle setting (Ardent A1), and initiate the cycle.
•After decarboxylation is complete (Ardent green light), remove and weigh the beaker + concentrate.
•Record the total mass and subtract the dry beaker weight, giving the decarboxylated concentrate mass.

Total mass mass                45.06g
Dry Beaker mass             - 44.18g
Decarb. Burkle Mass           0.88g*  

          [*A 12% loss in mass occurs during decarboxylation as a CO2 molecule is removed from  the THCA  molecule to make it active]

•From the package label, the concentrate contains 85% THCA. The decarbed mass is multiplied by the percentage to give the THC mass.

Decarb. Burkle Mass           0.88g
THCA %        x 0.85  
Total THC Mass         748 mg

•To calculate the amount of MCT oil required, the total number of milligrams of decarbed concentrate is divided by the target elixir concentration. PW wants a 40mg/ml elixir.  

X ml = 748 mg  (concentrate mass)
           40 mg/ml (target elixir concentration)

X = 18.7 ml 

MCT oil is approximately= 1g/ml

X= 18.7 g MCT Oil

•Add 18.7g of MCT oil to beaker
•Return beaker to the infusion device
•Set to INFUSE (Ardent) and begin the cycle
•Remove from the infusion device when the infusion cycle is complete
•Transfer the elixir to a proper labeled dropper bottle. Bottles must be blue, black, brown or opaque to block UV light. Your elixir is ready for use.

PW review : “ I love it! Compared to dispensary THC elixirs, the one we made is better- it makes me feel like smoking the flower does. I can also make almost 800mg of THC elixir for the price of a gram of concentrate.”

Producing your own elixirs is relatively straightforward; the decarboxylation and infusion machines available make that once complicated process easy and reliable. DIY elixirs allow you to make a more focused effect elixir than those commonly available at a lower cost after recouping the initial investment in equipment.