If you use marijuana for pain management or stress relief, you’ve probably come across marijuana tinctures before. These highly concentrated herbal extracts are great for quickly and discreetly ingesting marijuana, especially if you aren’t interested in smoking or vaping. While you can find tinctures in dispensaries, making your own isn’t hard—all it takes is some preparation and a few weeks of waiting. Keep reading to learn how you can make your own cannabis tincture at home in just a few steps.

1

Grind your cannabis with an herb grinder.

  1. You’ll need 1 oz (28 g) of cannabis for every 2 cups (470 mL) of alcohol. Most jars come in either 16  fl oz (470 mL) or 32  fl oz (950 mL), which is 2 to 4  c (470 to 950 mL). Grind your cannabis in an herb grinder until it’s in a fine powder. If you’ve ground cannabis to smoke before, it should look exactly the same.[1]
    • You can use any strain or type of marijuana that you’d like to! A THC marijuana tincture will make you feel a traditional body and head high, like when you smoke marijuana. A CBD marijuana tincture typically doesn’t contain THC, so it won’t get you high, but it can help with relaxation or pain management.
    • Try not to use any sort of electrical grinder, like a blender or coffee grinder. Electric grinders can pulverize your marijuana, resulting in a bad tasting tincture.[2]
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4

Fill a jar with food-grade alcohol.

  1. For every ounce of marijuana you use, add 2 cups (470 mL) of alcohol. Grab a jar that has a tight-fitting lid so you can store your tincture for a few weeks. Most marijuana tinctures use food-grade ethanol, since it’s extremely high-proof. Add your alcohol to the jar, leaving a little bit of room at the top for the marijuana, then set it aside.[5]
    • Only pure, unaltered ethanol is considered food-grade alcohol. You might also see it called food grade ethanol, non-denatured alcohol, grain alcohol, 190 proof grain, food grade EtOH, or Anhydrous Ethanol.
9

Take 1 mL at first, then work your way up.

  1. When it comes to dosage recommendations, less is more. If you’re new to marijuana or you’ve never taken a tincture before, start with a little bit, and don’t go overboard. Keep track of how much you’re taking at one time, and slowly increase your dosage by 1 mL until you find the right amount for you.[10]
    • If you are using an eye dropper, 1 drop is roughly equal to 0.05 mL. You’ll need about 20 drops to get to 1 mL of tincture.
    • Keep in mind that THC tincture will get you high just like if you smoked or ate an edible.
    • On the other hand, CBD tincture will not get you “high” in the typical sense, but it will make you feel more relaxed.
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11

Add the tincture to food to infuse it with marijuana.

  1. Some people prefer to ingest their tinctures in food or drinks. Since tinctures are almost tasteless, you can add them to almost anything, including coffee, tea, and pasta sauce. Then, consume your food or drink to ingest the marijuana. You’ll start to feel the effects after 10 to 15 minutes, since marijuana enters your bloodstream slower through your stomach.[12]
    • Some experts warn that taking marijuana tincture with food will cause you to absorb more cannabinoids, which can lead to a more intense high. Start slow, and work your way up to a comfortable dose rather than going overboard.
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Expert Q&A

  • Question
    How do I calculate how much CBD I need?
    Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH
    Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH
    Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education
    Dr. Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH is the founder and Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education. Dr. Corroon is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and clinical researcher. In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Corroon advises dietary supplement and cannabis companies regarding science, regulation, and product development. He is well published in the peer-review literature, with recent publications that investigate the clinical and public health implications of the broadening acceptance of cannabis in society. He earned a Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from San Diego State University. He also earned a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Bastyr University, subsequently completed two years of residency at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, and is a former adjunct professor at Bastyr University California.
    Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH
    Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education
    Expert Answer
    The answer to this question is tricky. The true answer is, “it depends”. It depends on the person, the intended use, the method of administration, and other factors. Due to decades-long federal prohibition of Cannabis, randomized controlled trials are currently absent, so we don't have a definitive answer.
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  1. https://www.projectcbd.org/recipe-cbd-pain-relief-tincture
  2. https://www.cannabistherapynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/POD-cast_How-To-Make-Cannabis-Tincture-1.pdf
  3. https://hightimes.com/guides/cannabis-tinctures/
  4. Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH. Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education. Expert Interview. 10 March 2020.
  5. Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH. Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education. Expert Interview. 10 March 2020.
  6. Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH. Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education. Expert Interview. 10 March 2020.

About This Article

Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH
Co-authored by:
Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education
This article was co-authored by Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden. Dr. Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH is the founder and Medical Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Education. Dr. Corroon is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and clinical researcher. In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Corroon advises dietary supplement and cannabis companies regarding science, regulation, and product development. He is well published in the peer-review literature, with recent publications that investigate the clinical and public health implications of the broadening acceptance of cannabis in society. He earned a Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from San Diego State University. He also earned a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Bastyr University, subsequently completed two years of residency at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, and is a former adjunct professor at Bastyr University California. This article has been viewed 19,900 times.
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Co-authors: 6
Updated: September 1, 2022
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Categories: Medicines and Drugs
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