How to Make Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil Capsules

You can find cannabis-infused oil capsules in almost every dispensary out there. They are ideal for medical cannabis users who are looking for a discreet, safe and effective delivery method. Dosing is easy to work out and your body can optimally metabolise them. Also, with capsules, there is no smoke or odour and you won’t consume unwanted calories or unnecessary ingredients.

Fortunately, you will not need to head to find cannabis oil capsules if you want to enjoy their benefits - you can simply make them yourself! Making your own cannabis-infused oil capsules is not too difficult if you have the right ingredients at hand. If you follow our recipe, you can make cannabis-infused oil capsules at home in just a few hours.

THE BENEFITS OF USING COCONUT OIL FOR INFUSION

This recipe uses coconut oil to make cannabis oil capsules. Coconut oil is perfect for cannabis infusion because it has several health benefits of its own. It contains plenty of essential fatty acids, beneficial saturated fats, and a high amount of lauric acid. Essential fatty acids are known to boost the body’s metabolism and the lauric acid can benefit the immune system.

The infused coconut oil makes for an effective and potent way to deliver cannabinoids as both the oil’s fatty acids and THC are directly processed by our liver. The liver converts the THC to 11-hydroxy-THC, which is 4-5 times as potent as compared to smoking.

In other words, when you make cannabis-infused coconut oil capsules, you get to enjoy the benefits of both your favourite medical strain and the healthy properties of coconut oil!

Before we go on describing the process, here is a list of supplies that you will need:

• 7-14 grams of cannabis (ground trim or bud shake works well too)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup organic coconut oil (available in health stores or online)
• 1/2 tsp soy lecithin
• Grinder (a coffee grinder is ideal)
• Oven or slow cooker
• Gelatin capsules size 00
• Capsule Filling machine (optional, but recommended)
• Syringe or oral irrigator with tapered deep reach tip
• Cooking pot with lid
• Glass cooking bowl
• Small bowl
• Baking paper/parchment paper
• Cheesecloth
• Rubber band

INSTRUCTIONS

The process of making our cannabis oil caps consists of three steps: decarboxylation, oil infusion and filling the capsules. For the cannabis oil infusion, you can use an oven or a slow cooker. In our guide, we will cover both methods of infusion so you can use the method you prefer.

DECARBOXYLATION

THC is in its natural form (THC-A) does not get us medicated; it needs to be subjected to a certain temperature for some length of time. The process where we heat the plant material is called decarboxylation. It removes the -A(carboxylic acid) part of the THC. After decarboxylation, the THC is psychoactive and ready for use.

1. Preheat your oven to 105°C. Use the grinder and grind your material up finely. Spread the grounds evenly across a sheet of baking paper that is sitting on the baking tray.
2. Bake the material for about 30-45 minutes. This should be sufficient for proper decarboxylation. Afterwards, pull the tray from the oven. We are now ready to infuse the coconut oil.

OIL INFUSION (OVEN METHOD)

1. Fill a cooking pot about 3/4 full with water and bring the water to a soft boil.
2. In a glass cooking bowl, add the coconut oil and ½ tsp soy lecithin.
3. Place the bowl with the mix within the rim of your cooking pot, just a few inches above the boiling water. The coconut oil and the soy lecithin will start to melt. After several minutes, add your decarboxylated cannabis grounds.
4. Stir and mix everything until you get a homogenous mixture.
5. Take the cooking pot off the stove and dispose of the hot water. Put the oil mixture in the pot and put it in the oven for another 30-45 minutes at 105°C degrees, stirring several times. You can affect the potency of your capsules if you allow the mix to cook longer. A longer cooking time means that more THC will degrade into CBN. This way your capsules will have a more sedating effect.

OIL INFUSION (SLOW COOKER METHOD)

1. Turn your slow cooker to low heat and add the decarboxylated grounds, the coconut oil, and the soy lecithin.
2. For proper decarboxylation, you should allow the material to cook for 2 hours. Make sure that you stir the mix several times.

FILLING THE GEL CAPS

Size 00 empty gelatin capsules are best for this purpose. You can make yourself familiar with how to use the capsule machine while your oil is finishing in the oven (if you have one).

While you don’t necessarily have to use a capsule filling machine, the process of filling the caps can be tedious and slow without it. If you need to fill capsules by hand, you will have to think about a way to hold them in place for filling. A filling machine will cost about $20 making it is worth the expense.

1. Take the cheesecloth and a rubber band and secure the cloth over the rim of a small bowl.
2. Strain the finished oil through the cheesecloth and into the small bowl. This will remove the plant matter, leaving you with your cannabis-infused oil.
3. Make sure you allow the oil to cool down to about 35°C before you proceed with filling your syringe. The reason for this is that gelatin capsules can melt if the oil is too hot. Likewise, do not allow the oil to cool down too much since it would solidify.
4. With the cannabis oil just at the right, warm temperature, fill your syringe. Using this, fill the gelatin capsules one-at-a-time and repeat this process. If you use an oral irrigator with a tapered deep reach tip, filling the capsules will be even easier.
5. Once you are finished with filling all capsules, close the capsules according to the instructions for the capsule machine.

It is best if you store your cannabis-infused capsules in the refrigerator but any other dark and cool place would do as well.

There you go! Enjoy your own natural cannabis-infused coconut capsules! Remeber, edibles can take 45-90 minutes to take effect and are much stronger than smoking, so dose responsibly.