The science behind curing..

kactuszak · Mar 18, 2010

Hey there all, please help me find a response to this prompted question:

Why does properly grown and dried marijuana cure up overtime while in a jar or sealed container?

Why/does the potency increase overtime?

What scientifically happens to that flower and the THC crystals / oils... as in H20 evaporation... emission of salts... ???

I am trying to explain to a friend why a bud cured in a jar for a year compared to the same bud fresh out of a drying tent will taste better and possibly be more potent....

Thank you very Much!!!

mrred · Mar 18, 2010

because when thc degrades it becomes more active... im pretty sure.. weeds also better if you dry it in as biggest pieces as possible with all the leafs still on so it can dry as slow as possible

Snype · Mar 18, 2010

I'm sorry but when THC degrades it's not a good thing. If buds aren't properly cured, their quality can become degraded from over drying or get mould. The buds will also develop a cleaner, smoother taste and high because most of the chlorophyll and other impurities have been removed from the buds. Oxygen assists in the breakdown of THC so you want to store your buds in an air-tight / light-tight container. I would also say that you don't want to cure for more than 3 months with most strains if you don't want them to get degraded further.

Trillion · Mar 18, 2010

It is mostly the break down of chlorophyll that improves taste and also the ratio of cannibinoids to plant matter (ie it doesn't get stronger there is just a better ratio of stuff you do want to smoke against stuff you don't).

darksith · Mar 18, 2010

the boys above got it. Chlorophyll is the substance that curing removes. It tastes nasty but there are other things that can be in the weed that also make it taste gross. So if you store and burp your pot in a jar, you are allowing the chlorophyll to break down and be released which will keep the pot tasting mucho bueno.

edux710 · Mar 18, 2010

yeah chlorophyll is removed and also the fact that the last remaining mosture is evenly distributed in the bud. think about when you dry bud that the outside has to become drier faster and the inside retains some moisture. when you cure the moisture on the inside (shouldnt be wet but slightly noticable) is distributed thruout. you can really notice this when the bud burns to coal in the bowl

jump117 · Mar 18, 2010

THCA --> THC is the only positive process on psychoactive part of a pot curing.

Then THC starts to oxydise and degrade.

In the same time the process of fermentation makes a THC-carrier plant matter more smokeable.

That is a side story more related to aromas of tea and tobacco.

kactuszak · Mar 18, 2010

Thanks all.

What most of you are saying about the chlorophyll and such, is what I always thought and thats why I like to cure very nice buds in small jars for at least a couple months... but some people just don't understand/agree or cant wait :jump:

. haha

- Another Q: Has anyone ever heard of water curing, and why "submersing fresh cut buds in water for a period of time" can be beneficial?

peri.lee · Mar 18, 2010

because water extracts the chlorophyll, fertilizers and other impurities from the buds within a week while thc stays intact, which removes the need for final flushing...chlorophyll degrades very slowly in air curing while thc also degrades over time to other cannabinoids...it's a very fast way to get your buds ready to smoke but you loose most of the smell/taste which some people are very fond of...I can't afford to be because I live in a country where I can be put away for 4 years because of my 250w hps so I watercure every time...and smoke my watercure buds ( with choco tobacco to eliminate the least of the doubts) in a full club with no heads turning towards me... It all comes down to security and saved time...both ways of curing have their pros and cons

darksith · Mar 18, 2010

kactuszak said:
Another Q: Has anyone ever heard of water curing, and why "submersing fresh cut buds in water for a period of time" can be beneficial?

I would be hesitant to do this b/c your bud is always gonna hold some air inside it, and when you mix are and moisture for long times your gonna mold.

jump117 · Mar 18, 2010

Buds smell nothing and dry very fast after water cure.

Balazar · Mar 19, 2010

kactuszak said:
Why does properly grown and dried marijuana cure up overtime while in a jar or sealed container?

The sealed contain allows the moisture in the bud to spread out evenly. When you open the container moisture is released and the outside of the bud dries out. When you put the lid back on the moisture in the middle of the bud spreads out evenly causing chlorophyll to break down and THC to dehydrate.

kactuszak said:
Why/does the potency increase overtime?

Because the process of dehydrating THCA (whats in the trichromes when you harvest) changes it from having no psychoactive effects to being able to be registered by receptors in your brain. (THCA > THC)

kactuszak said:
What scientifically happens to that flower and the THC crystals / oils... as in H20 evaporation... emission of salts... ???

Because the THCA must be dehydrated (a molecular change where a hydrogen atom is replaced with carbon) for the THCA to become active. By "active" I mean the molecule is isomerized to a higher form (in this case THC) that has the psychoactive effects we all enjoy. During curing moisture and gasses are released, chlorophyll breaks down and the process of dehydrating THC occurs. This combination of decomposition processes makes the bud taste and smell better as well as activating its psychoactive chemicals.

I also want to say that decomposing THC does not make it more potent! As it decomposes it changes into other molecules that are not psychoactive at all. Delta 9 THC can fall back to Delta 6 or Delta 1 and still have psychoactive effects but if THC becomes CBD or CBG it doesn't help you at all. The key to making the yield of harvested psychoactive chemicals higher is to isomerize. There are several threads about this process on here. Most of them talk of how to build a soxhleting reflux apparatus and the use various solvents and acids to isomerize CBD and THC into their fully active isomers: THCA > THC > Dela 1 THC > Delta 3 THC > Delta 9 THC.

Was that helpful? Does anyone else have something to throw in here?

mrred · Mar 19, 2010

cbd helps you stay higher longer dont it?

TexasToker · Mar 19, 2010

kactuszak said:
- Another Q: Has anyone ever heard of water curing, and why "submersing fresh cut buds in water for a period of time" can be beneficial?

Only way I do it these days. It leaches out the chlorophyll and other nasties. fresh bud can go from the flower pot to your bowl in about 8-9 days.

!!! · Mar 20, 2010

Potency degrades as soon as the bud is cut off the branch. Cured weed may give you a better high (taste, aroma, placebo, etc), but it's certainly not more potent in terms of THC concentration.

!!! · Mar 20, 2010

darksith said:
I would be hesitant to do this b/c your bud is always gonna hold some air inside it, and when you mix are and moisture for long times your gonna mold.

Need to change the water daily

Balazar · Mar 20, 2010

!!! said:
Potency degrades as soon as the bud is cut off the branch.

This is true in the sense that once you cut it and it stops growing no more trichromes will be produced and light heat and air will all start decomposing all psychoactive chemicals. This is a very solid statement but I just have one nit pick (or more so just a statement to add):

The degradation of THC into CBN can start before you harvest if you pick "late" when the trich's have started to turn amber. This process continues after the plant is harvested and withers.

!!! said:
Cured weed may give you a better high (taste, aroma, placebo, etc), but it's certainly not more potent in terms of THC concentration.

I don't mean to be a dick and I'm not saying your wrong, but I have this to add:

When freshly cut THC and CBD are present in their acidic form. They can be changed to their nonacid form by drying them out or by heating them up for a short amount of time. This will decarboxylate the molecules changing them to their nonacid form. This is why you bake bud treats before you eat them. THC and CBD are not psychoactive in their acidic form and do absolutely nothing when ingested or injected. However the heat applied when smoking a raw wet bud will decarboxylate some of the THC/CBD into its nonacid form.

You are right that the concentration of THC doesn't increase and can only degrade but only THC that has been converted to its nonacid form is psychoactive. So raw bud is pretty much completely impotent unless smoked and then its slightly potent compared to it's potential cured potency.

Marijuana Chemistry by Michael Starks is my source for this information. It's not hard to find in ebook form if you know where to look

medfinder · Mar 20, 2010

yup

yup

Just dont handle the bud ok.

dont break those gland heads.

inorganic acid decarb is correct, light,heat and tricomb gland disruption is what causes degration.

as far as making more potent, real isomerization converting cbd and cbn into thc is another chore.

flushing plants for longer time before harvest and also using less salt based fertilizers helps.

TexasToker · Mar 20, 2010

Seriously...!!! was right...as soon as you cut that shit THC starts going down. a properly cured bud will be an easier smoke because of all the shit that is out. You take a bigger hit = more THC = more fucked.

I medicate, so my dose is waaaaay lower. I want to be functional.

kactuszak · Mar 22, 2010

Thank you all, some great info / input here...

good stuff!!!

The science behind curing..

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