There are countless ways to consume cannabis. It can be smoked, vaped, dabbed, eaten, drank, and even applied topically. Everyone has their preferred cannabis consumption method.

Most often, consumers will opt for smoking, vaping, and dabbing to experience fast-acting effects. The only drawback is the progressive lung damage that comes with inhaling anything that isn’t oxygen. For that reason, consumers are starting to lean toward more natural alternatives to smoking that still kick in fast and do the job.

We’re talking about cannabis tinctures, like the infamous Green Dragon.

Green Dragon is an alcohol-based cannabis tincture known for its simplicity and potent effects.

Made by soaking decarboxylated cannabis in high-proof alcohol like Everclear, it extracts the cannabinoids efficiently.

While you can take Green Dragon back like a shot of alcohol, it’s recommended to use an oil dropper for precise dosing to avoid overwhelming effects.

The tincture is easy to prepare and requires minimal “cooking,” making it accessible for those who want a potent cannabis extract without the hassle of more complex edibles. Just be patient, as it takes a few weeks to fully infuse.

Below, we’ve included a list of what you’ll for making Green Dragon tincture:

• 7 grams of ground cannabis
• Mason jar
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cheesecloth
• Rubber band
• 2 cups of high-proof alcohol, preferably Everclear
• Large bowl, big enough to comfortably fit the quantity of liquid that would fill your mason jar
• Small funnel
• Oil dropper tincture (2 or 3 just in case)

Step 1

Start by decarboxylating your cannabis. To do this, preheat your oven to 220° Fahrenheit. While you’re waiting for it to heat up, line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Then, grind up your cannabis flower so it’s the same consistency you would want in a bowl or joint. Spread it evenly across the parchment paper on the baking sheet.

Step 3

Once your oven is at 220° Fahrenheit, put your baking sheet of ground cannabis flower in the oven on the middle tray. Leave it there for 30 to 40 minutes.

Step 4

Next, move your decarboxylated cannabis into your mason jar. Pour your high-proof alcohol into your mason jar until it reaches the rim of the jar. Put your cap on the mason jar and shake it.

Step 5

Let the mixture inside the jar sit for a few weeks. Every day, shake the jar thoroughly.

Step 6

After a week, it’s time to separate the cannabis flower from the infused alcohol. Remove the lid on your mason jar. Attach your cheesecloth to the top of your jar so that you have some cloth hanging over the sides.

Next, tightly secure the cheesecloth to the top of the jar using your rubber band. Once the cloth is secure, tilt the mason jar upside down over your large bowl, allowing the liquid to pour out of the mason jar and into the bowl. Once all of the liquid from your jar has emptied into the bowl, take the cheesecloth off the mason jar and wring it out over the bowl, being careful that no pieces of ground cannabis fall into the bowl. This will allow you to collect any additional infused alcohol that may be stuck inside the cheesecloth.

Step 7

Finally, you’re going to transfer the liquid in your bowl into your oil dropper tincture. To accomplish this, take off the cap of the bottle and take a small funnel to pour the liquid from the bowl into the bottle. Screw the lid back on and get to dropping! You may need multiple bottles for this.

Step 8

Congratulations, your Green Dragon is ready! To be safe, start with a dose of 1 ml, and day by day, increase your dosage by 1 ml until you’re happy with the effects.

There are many positives that come with making your own Green Dragon tincture from scratch. Besides the accomplishing feeling, here are the pros to the infamous Green Dragon.

Discreet: Tinctures are incredibly discreet. No one really knows what’s inside the bottle unless they smell it. This makes Green Dragon an excellent choice for consumers in need of marijuana’s benefits without causing a scene.

Fast-Acting: Most edibles take about an hour to feel the effects. With tinctures, they kick in within 15 minutes. However, you must hold the oil in your mouth for at least 30 seconds before swallowing. This ensures your mucous membranes are absorbing the THC, which produces fast-acting effects.

Potent Without Smoking: There are 7 full grams of cannabis flower inside this concoction, meaning it’s incredibly potent. Consumers love this because it’s a great alternative to smoking that still provides a great, true-to-plant high.

Versatile: Green Dragon is endlessly versatile. It saves you from the lengthy edible-making process. That’s because you can infuse practically any dish, dessert, or beverage with Green Dragon. Instead of taking it down the hatch, drop some into your favorite foods and beverages to spice things up.

Although there are many upsides to using a Green Dragon tincture, there are also downsides. See below for what to expect:

Difficult To Dose: As mentioned, there are 7 grams of cannabis flower inside this tincture. Green Dragon is notoriously difficult to dose because of this. It’s best to start low and slow to ensure you don’t encounter negative effects like paranoia and anxiety. See our dosing guidelines below.

Tastes Like Cannabis: Some people don’t enjoy Green Dragon because of its weedy taste. Connoisseurs don’t seem to mind. After all, the smell and flavor of cannabis is an acquired taste, so not every consumer will enjoy Green Dragon on their taste buds.

Holding It In The Mouth: Similar to the note above, if you don’t like the taste of weed, you will hate holding it in your mouth for 30+ seconds to feel fast-acting effects. This is essential if you truly want to experience the effects in about 15 minutes, sometimes even less than that.

Because this is a homemade tincture, there are no labs testing the product’s potency, meaning it’s kind of a free for all. You could always purchase a tincture from a reputable brand if you’ll feel better knowing the accurate dosing guidelines.

However, since you’ve read this far, you’re likely going to make the tincture. Props to you. To dose it properly without encountering a negative experience, it’s best practice to start low and slow.

Start with 1ml at first, and wait an hour to feel the effects. If that’s too little for you, take 2ml and wait. The key is to work your way up to a dose that’s right for you. Also, waiting for the effects to kick in is recommended, as you could end up taking more before the onset of effects, which is a recipe for a bad experience.

For your peace of mind, here’s an equation we like to use when making edibles.

Grams of flower x THC percentage x 1000 ÷ # of servings = THC milligrams per serving

Most tincture dropper bottles have enough space for 30ml of product. Here’s an example:

7 (grams) x 0.25 (THC%) x 1000 ÷ 30 (30 servings) = 58.3mg THC per serving

As long as you’re careful and start with 1ml, your Green Dragon tincture won’t disappoint.

You can easily infuse any food or treat with green dragon tincture.

Simply add a few drops of the tincture to your meal, snack, or even beverage to conveniently munch on your tincture rather than taking it straight.

Green dragon tincture taste can be quite strong, so it’s best to use fatty, marinated foods to help mask it as best as you can.