Increased Potency?

If what you've infused into it is still present, then I'd say yes.
If not...I'm not sure how.

Like with edibles this method works as the THC can continue to absorb into the oil/butter from a solid presence of actual bud/decarbed bud...I've had firecrackers sit at room temp and tbh you don't even need to cook them if it's been like a week. Though cooking them THEN sitting them, yeah they get stronger. The heat just facilitates the process.

Not entirely related here, but yeah I'm guessing the reason is that there's something there TO make it stronger.
With oil, if you've removed that, I don't know what further it could draw on.

 

If decarb and infusion are done properly, potency is at its highest when complete. THC levels will not get any higher, but will eventually degrade over time.

 

While heat does help decarb herb, its the dehydrating, or drying out, that actually does the decarbing but heat will be a means to that end.

Leaving herb sit out for days or weeks can also dehydrate buds and change thca to thc, although probably not as efficiently as a more controlled decarb using heat.

 

So then why can you decarb a tincture made with non-decarbed cannabis by cellaring for four months?


edit to add:
Ardent does a great job decarbing in a sealed container that doesn’t allow moisture to escape.

 

What causes decarboxylation?

The process of decarboxylation has two main catalysts: heat and time. Though partial decarboxylation can occur when simply allowing the raw plant material to dry, the results are minimal and provide a comparably lackluster experience.


Here's aLscenario we have all seen in film before: Somebody consumes an entire bag of raw cannabis in order to avoid getting caught with it. Eyes pop wide open and gasps ensue. “You just ate that whole bag!” somebody shouts.

However, the aftermath of this scene usually involves a very different representation of what actually happens when you consume raw cannabis. Spoiler alert: The effects will be lackluster at best. Why is this the case?

The answer to this mystery lies in a process called decarboxylation, one that is necessary for us to enjoy the psychoactive effects of the cannabinoids we consume.


Decarboxylation Explained

Decarboxylation is the process that activates compounds in cannabis such as THC. All cannabinoids contained within the trichomes of raw cannabis flowers have an extra carboxyl ring or group (COOH) attached to their chain. For example, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) is synthesized in prevalence within the trichome heads of freshly harvested cannabis flowers. In most regulated markets, cannabis distributed in dispensaries contains labels detailing the product’s cannabinoid contents. THCA, in many cases, prevails as the highest cannabinoid present in items that have not been decarboxylated (e.g., cannabis flowers and concentrates).

THCA has a number of known benefits when consumed, including having anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective qualities. But THCA is not intoxicating, and must be converted into THC through decarboxylation before any effects can be felt.

What Causes Decarboxylation?

The two main catalysts for decarboxylation to occur are heat and time. Drying and curing cannabis over time will cause a partial decarboxylation to occur. This is why some cannabis flowers also test for a presence of small amounts of THC along with THCA. Smoking and vaporizing will instantaneously decarboxylate cannabinoids due to the extremely high temperatures present, making them instantly available for absorption through inhalation.

While decarboxylated cannabinoids in vapor form can be easily absorbed in our lungs, edibles require these cannabinoids present in what we consume in order for our bodies to absorb them throughout digestion. Heating cannabinoids at a lower temperature over time allows us to decarboxylate the cannabinoids while preserving the integrity of the material we use so that we may infuse it into what we consume.

BadKittySmiles said:
Decarboxylation is the process of removing the carboxyl group, in the form of carbon dioxide and water vapor, in order to cause cannabinoid conversion to their more active, delta forms. It is essentially 'drying out' the material, even beyond being smoke-dry, and this can be sped up with gentle heat (it occurs instantly when you combust and smoke your material, but also degrades and destroys some potency in the process... this is why edibles, and vaping, can be a more efficient use of your meds).

 

Let us ask the Man himself.
@PsychedelicSam
How about it good sir ? Just what is the 4 month cellaring Process?
<-- Admits I cut class that day.

BNW

 

It's because the alcohol allows and possibly accelerates the natural enzymal activity that causes the conversions. Or at least that's what I've been able to figure out. I do know that it works and that's the most important part, ya know? Just started out as a "what if" experiment and it has turned out to be one of my best projects ever.

Room temperature in the dark. Cupboard would be better than the cellar due to temperature.

 

I could see alcohol absorbing the water based compounds, and there by actually drying causing or at least factoring into decarboxylation.

In our fx we used dry materials to start with, both hash and buds, and still seen moisture droplets inside of the nova fx when we opened it up. So the moisture must have come from the plant materials, and they would seem to be drier since the weight was lower after decarbing too. It may not escape the nova though, at least until you open it.

Next time I decarb something ill leave it a long time after its done to see if the moisture reabsorbs. pre weigh and post weigh as well. I suspect that moisture is in a large part terpenes.

 

This

Not this:

“Terpenes are a large family of natural products and are known to be the primary constituents of essential oils. They are biosynthesized via the mevalonate pathway. In general, most of the terpenes are insoluble in water but soluble in ethanol, chloroform and diethyl ether. ...”

 

While we could argue, by cutting and pasting, if terpenes are or aren't water soluble, or water based, two different things btw. Your cut and paste suggest water solubility not water based. That terpenes evaporate over time suggests to me they are water based.


Contrary to cannabinoids, terpenes are water-soluble, this is why this method ensures that only terpenes – and not cannabinoids – are extracted. ... Once in liquid state, the essential oil containing the terpenes floats on top of the waterand can be easily separated

Forgetting wether or not terpenes are water based or water soluble, I can still see how alcohol can dry out plant materials. We do know decarboxylation does occur in alcohol, the only question is why. I also could see enzymes drying out or chemically changing the plant materials by breaking them down. BUT

What I don't understand is what types of enzymes would survive a high percentage alcohol bath to decarb mj. In making alcohol the enzymes go away as the alcohol content goes up. The alcohol even kills off the yeast that made alcohol possible.

 

Yeast is a living organism. Terpenes and enzymes are not. That's why alcohol is a sanitizer. I tried to find my research but it's been too long. I had been doing a lot of reading on preservation of herbs through history and found a little blip about enzymes continuing to do their thing. I wish that I still had that info.

I was the originator of this idea. It's the only process I lay personal claim to although others give me credit for many other things I've popularized. I'm extremely proud of my work on this.

 

Back when I was doing a lot of research into soil science there was a debate as to wether enzymes were microbes, or just chemical catalysts, even though they are a major component of microbes. Im not sure if this is settled science now or not. As I understand enzymes don't fit into a neatly defined category. They are pretty amazing though, at least to me, lol. I use malted barley on my cannabis plants for the enzymes in barley. It breaks down nutrients making them available for plants to uptake.

It will take a while to research if high proof alcohol destroys enzymes on cannabis or not. And exactly what kinds of enzymes are in and on cannabis. It could be dozens if not more IDK. But I do know that high alcohol will destroy stomach and liver enzymes and cause liver and stomach damage. Not sure if that is relevant or not. I guess it depends on the enzymes and the alcohol.

We do know that acid can decarbolize at least citric acid can. Is that from chemical drying?

Can we agree high alcohol dries things out? Can we agree that like Badkittysmiles posted, drying is part of decarboxylation?

 

All of that and more. For all that, it still took a dummy like me to figure it out.

The enzymes are more responsible for curing and the development of the terpenes and such. May have nothing to do with decarb other than coincidence which could very well be due to drying. It's that development of the terpenes that makes a natural decarb worthwhile. I usually refer to the 4 month period as "curing the tincture".

 

Assuming that you mean removal of water as being "dry", no. You can distill a 100 proof alcohol/water mixture at 175 degrees. The alcohol, half the liquid content, will boil off leaving all the water behind. The alcohol does nothing to remove water from the mixture.

I would guess, no. Drying can be a byproduct of decarbing, but not cause it. After harvest, by mistake you could over-dry your cannabis to where there is almost no water content. You'd still need to decarb it to convert the thca to thc.

pSam, has this been tested? (i.e. THC content of over dried cannabis compared to a proper dry)

 

It's really all intertwined. You are right that drying your harvest to dust doesn't decarb it. That's still going to take 3-4 years or more to convert enough for effective ingestion. Many of my tincture thread's early projects used old, dried trim that hadn't been well kept, pounds of it. It was before I had started testing and I thought that it wouldn't need decarbing over a year old. Mine was 2+ so I didn't decarb it. It seemed to work satisfactorily. Also in those days everyone used 225°F/30 minute decarb BKS swore by. We now know that was insufficient but it was the standard of the times. The old stuff undecarbed was comparable to that time/temp heated decarb so I didn't think too much of it.

Then I started testing and learned a lot of things. That old stuff still needed decarbing. 225/30 wasn't enough and a few other preconceptions flew out the window. It turns out that age is just as important as dryness. I've had bud tested every 6 months for 2 years and watched quite a few changes in aroma and flavor, mostly pleasant.

What I've noticed is that there seems to be a ratio that converts a general amount of THCa to THC. Whether dry or in alcohol the largest conversions quantity-wise are going to be when there's a lot of THCa to convert but the percentage of conversion increases as the amount of THCa decreases incrementally and that will go on for months. Whatever the reason, this is how it works. After four months the development continues and you'll start seeing degradation just like overdecarb or age. You need to refrigerate after that to inhibit that from happening as quickly.

​

A natural decarb is not something you would stash and only take out occasionally over the course of years like an aged whisky. Your natural tincture is meant to be savored but also to reap the benefits of the native terpenes in synergy with the full extract cannabis. Keep it too long and you'll have an excellent sleep tincture.