Cannabis used to make some tinctures as well as other edible cannabis products requires decarboxylation.
Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide (CO2).
THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid) is found in abundance in growing and harvested cannabis and is a biosynthetic precursor of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol).
THCA has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects but does not produce the psychoactive effect that make you feel “high”.
This “high” is from the cannabinoid THC, of which little if any is found when cannabis is growing or recently harvested.
When the cannabis drys, it very very slowly begins to decarboxylate and converts THCA to THC.
Simply heating dried cannabis to the correct temperature for enough time releases that carbon dioxide and creates THC.
When making tinctures, cannabis is not heated or baked, it is simply soaked in high proof alcohol.
Decarboxylation never takes place and you end up with a product with a lot of THCA and very little THC.
If the cannabis is heated too much, we run the risk of vaporizing and losing some of the important cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids which have medicinal properties.
At the same time we want remove the CO2 as quickly and effectively as possible.