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Do you need to use heat to decarb?

Discussion in 'Weed Edibles' started by gangeefried718, Jan 5, 2012.

  1. If decarbing is just removing the extra moisture.

    could it be done at room temp
    in a container of desiccant
    over a ~24-48 hour period

    the herb I get is already fairly dry
    and I think that I may be harming it
    by adding heat to the drying process

    I have used desiccants in the past (to finish drying mushrooms) and was wondering if a similar process would decarb the herb.
     
  2. no you cant decarb weed with room temp but what your talking about is called curing which makes marijuana allot more pleasant smoke, putting in a oven at approx 130 degrees celcius 120 to be safe for 20 minutes ina tinfoil pouch closed up tight will not hurt your herb cause that below vape temp although you will need to let it cool down before opening.
     
  3. From what I've read adding heat only speeds the process up.

    If oven temps are required, then why is a dehydrator recommended for decarbing?

    If a dehydrator would work, then I don't see why desiccant in a sealed container, at room temp for a few days couldn't work too.
     
  4. dehydrators also use heat.
     
  5. yes but not very much, far less than you have suggested
     
  6. oven does quick decarb, some people put on lower temp and decarb for hours, decarbing requires more heat the room tempreture.
     
  7. #7 BadKittySmiles, Jan 5, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 5, 2012
    Decarboxylation is just a step of the natural aging process...


    The instant it's reasonably smoking-dry, your material is slowly decarbing, it is aging, first producing active THC, CBD, CBC,
    and finally, it will produce the weaker and non-potent byproducts of degraded cannabinoids.

    We use gentle heat, to speed up the natural process, but other means of dehydration can be used, such as freeze-drying.


    The below are the first steps of the natural aging process, it doesn't happen all at once, but slowly, while the earliest cannabinoids
    to become active, begin to degrade:

    [​IMG]

    And the products of degradation (this can happen at room temp over the course of several months, or much more rapidly if:
    too much dry heat is used during the decarb, or you fall asleep and forget your oil in the oven overnight!):

    [​IMG]





    Some folks decarb using dry ice, and industrial freezers that reach sub-zero temps.


    When hash has been sifted using dry ice, usually, you need to decarb much more briefly.


    It takes up to several weeks with low humidity (depending how low) to decarb material in an average room, in the open air,
    and during that time previously active material is subject to degradation.
    But without utilizing liquid chromatography, you won't know whether it's finished on day 10 or day 30.


    This is why we use gentle heat, industrial freezers, and low-temp dehydrators to initiate and almost-complete the decarb:
    it creates a much smaller window, which improves your chances (without any available testing equipment) of decarbing
    adequately, and any additional activation necessary, can occur much more gradually during the glandular breakdown while
    somewhat protected in oil. :)


    Hope this helps! :D
     
  8. #8 BadKittySmiles, Jan 5, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 5, 2012
    And some past similar posts on the topic... ;)


    Just keep in mind that most commercial/home desiccants slow down, or stop functioning and absorbing moisture all together, when a RH of 35% - 40% is achieved.

     
  9. Yes, I know about desiccants.
    I have used them to finish drying mushrooms.
    I know how to recharge the desiccants in an oven.

    The herb I have is very dry.
    I can leave it out overnight and its almost cracker dry.
    I just wanted confirmation that decarb = cracker dry.
    Im sure that some fresh desiccants would finish the process off rather nicely with the herb I have.

    I will give this concept a go when I have more herb ;)
     
  10. Another quick question, and I believe that I will have my feeble mind wrapped around this decarb issue

    How do you know when your herb is fully decarbed?

    Is it just really, really dry?

    Like ... it crumbles to dust when you squeeze it between your fingers? :confused:
     


  11. Unfortunately... you don't. :) Not for sure, without access to a lab for potency analysis.


    It should still be a pale green, and it should be crumbly dry, but there's no way of telling for sure how much active THC versus THCA, or CBD versus CBDA, or how many degraded cannabinoids you've produced, without performing a liquid chromatography potency analysis.

    Besides the fact that the age of the material plays an important role in determining how much activation you need to encourage, some strains/plants decarb more or less easily than others, as well... just like some strains preserve and age better, or worse than others.

    When working in the home, you just have to; use your best judgement; take your desired outcome into consideration; and above all else be consistent early on so you know what to expect when you divert and experiment. :)

    (Gas chromatography can't be used for accurate analysis of active to inactive cannabinoid/ratio in edibles, as the analysis process itself instantly activates all remaining inactive cannabinoids, and it produces products of degradation from the material that had already been previously activated.)


    Hope this helps clear things up for you. :D
     
  12. Ok, Im color blind so I can't use that as any kind of indicator :eek:

    My main issue is how to tell when the herb is ready for cooking.

    I haven't the ability to grow my own herb at the moment, so I'm stuck using what I can find on the street. Most of what I'm getting is just decent commercial pot, nothing special. Its fairly old (probably not this seasons herb) and real dry. Kinda sticky from time to time but it will dry out fairly well if left out overnight.

    Ever since I bought my vape and grinder, I've found that the herb works better if its really dry. The herb vapes better and makes much more keif if properly dried. I can leave my herb out overnight and its generally dry enough to grind properly, sometimes I need to set it under a warm lamp with a fan to finish getting it dry enough though.

    Is this the same as what you're talking about doing with an oven @ 220f?
     

  13. this certainly isn't my area of expertise, but doesn't light contribute to the degradation of cannabinoids once the plant has been harvested? Laying it in the sun for example would certainly dry it out fast, but some degradation would occur too. I don't think this is the way to go when you want dry (or decarbed) herb

    in my experience, kind of wet herb vapes just as good. The first few hits might contain a bit water-vapor instead of just thc, but that doesn't really matter. It does make kief-collecting easier tho.
     
  14. I doubt that ~90 minutes
    under a 20 watt light bulb
    will degrade the herb more
    than the decarb activates it
     

  15. certainly not, just saying there are better methods for drying then under a light thats all :p
     

  16. Decarboxylation is not the removal of excess water. It is the process in which heat breaks down the covalent bond between thc and the amino acid molecule that blocks the ability of cannabinoid receptors to absorb thc. So with that said yes heat is the only simple way to decarb thc-a. You can do it through chemical extraction but is a much more convoluted process. You can try it without heat but the most you will absorb is most other cannabinoids that have no psychoactive effects but have amazing health benefits.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  17. OP is 9 years old, I don't think they need advice on decarbing anymore lol.
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  18. Same thought
     

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