How to Make Homemade Cannabis Salve (CBD or THC)

Step 1

If your cannabis is not yet decarboxylated, grind or tear it up into fairly small pieces. Spread evenly on a baking sheet, and heat it in the oven on 250°F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Step 2

Add water to the bottom pan of your double-boiler. Now add 1.5 cup of coconut oil to the top section of the double-boiler. Heat until it melts.

Step 3

Stir in 7-10 grams of decarboxylated cannabis into the melted oil. Feel free to also include an optional few grams of raw ground cannabis if you desire.

Step 4

Continue to heat the cannabis and oil over a low heat for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a probe thermometer to check the temperature. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain the oil below 200°F. (We aim for 130 to 150°F, and infuse for one hour)

Step 5

When the time is up, line a strainer with cheesecloth and position it over a glass bowl. Pour the cannabis and oil mixture through the strainer. Gather the cheesecloth and gently squeeze out the excess oil from the cannabis. Warning: the oil will be hot, and your hands will get greasy! You may want to wear food-grade gloves.

Step 6

Keep the strained cannabis oil aside for now. It will be added to the salve mixture soon.

Step 7

If you're using solidified cannabis-infused coconut oil that you previously made, I highly suggest mixing everything in a double-boiler once again (since you’ll need to heat it longer and hotter to re-melt your oil). OR, if you just made your cannabis oil and it is still liquified, you can do this step straight in a pot on the stove – keeping the heat as low as possible once the cannabis coconut oil is added.

Step 8

In either a pot or double-boiler, add ⅓ cup of beeswax. Heat until it is completely melted. Now turn down the heat to low.

Step 9

Next, stir in 1.5 cups of strained cannabis coconut oil and ⅓ cup olive oil, along with optional vitamin E plus a few drops of optional essential oils as well.

Step 10

Stir until everything looks completely combined. Once it is, quickly remove the liquid salve from the heat and transfer it into your storage containers of choice.

Step 11

The cannabis salve will harden as it cools, and then it is ready to use!

Step 12

Store the finished cannabis salve in a cool dark location because light degrades cannabinoids (amber/colbalt glass jars or salve tins will block UV). Keep out of reach from children.

Step 13

Apply a thin, even layer to the affected area. You should start to feel the results within 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the severity of your issue and strength of your salve. Repeat several times per day as needed.

Step 14

When stored in ideal cool and dark conditions, homemade cannabis salve should last up to a year. The potency will only slightly decrease during this time. I try to use clean hands when I dig into my salve jars, to avoid introducing any contamination that could make it potentially mold or spoil faster.