Nootropics for Cannabis Users.

Focus, Memory, Cognitive Function.

Confession time, I'm a Pothead (srs). As Cannabis Enthusiasts, we've all come face to face with brain fog. Looking for the right words, short term memory issues. Even if you haven't

Just about everybody wants to improve their memory and concentration to help them get rid of the brain fog they experience from time to time. What if a small dose of an organic compound could help accomplish this?

Sounds bogus, doesn't it?

My journey with Nootropics started with a product called Alpha Brain. I had heard from friends and Clients that this stuff (while expensive) was helping them to study more efficiently, concentrate better, pass tests easier, and focus. This piqued my interest to say the least, but I was very skeptical thinking it was probably just a Placebo Effect. That being said, I was willing to give it a try because I could use improvements in these areas.

Between work, school, being a Blogger, Website Owner and everything else life throws at me, A little edge would be very well appreciated in my life.

The results came very quickly. I highly doubted the claims made by everyone, and even despite that, I was feeling more coordinated and explaining difficult concepts to clients became much easier.

The problem with Alpha Brain is that it's Expensive. For those who are better off than I am, this isn't a concern and the product is well worth it, but I was after something less expensive and equally effective.

This journey led me through numerous sources of research, I read article after article. Scientific study after Double-Blind test and I ended up with a small list of Nootropics that I was going to price check.

Piracetam: This is known as the Father of all Nootropics as it was the first introduced to the Market. There is no doubt that it works and it works well. Piracetam works by increasing the activity of neurotransmitters within the brain. Because of this, it improves mental performance, memory retention, and coordination. Some Countries are exploring the use of Piracetam to reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. Compared with $1.50 a pill for Alpha Brain, Piracetam can be had for .50 cents for an entire days worth. 

Noopept: Noopept was discovered in Russia in the early 90's, and is a peptide. Peptides are naturally occurring Biological Molecules that are made up of Amino Acids. Noopept is a very fascinating Nootropic in that it seems to do everything that other Nootropics can, only on a milder scale. The other thing about Noopept that sets it apart from the competition is the price. It's extremely inexpensive. 5 cents a day inexpensive. While Noopept is more mild per dose than Piracetam, it's dose is 10 mg three times daily, while Piracetam doses at 10-20g three times daily. Stated otherwise, the dose is 1,000 times smaller.

5-HTP : When used as a Nootropic, 5-htp is great for improving mood and relieving stress. Our body regularly makes 5-htp from Trytophan found in Eggs, Milk and other foods we eat. 5htp is metabolized into Seretonin, which is what makes us happy. I use 5-htp before interviews, exams and also when I can't sleep.

Using Nootropics has made a huge difference in my life; and while not completely necessary, they're worth every penny.

Cheers,
John.

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BHO Extraction Part 3.

Alright,

So you’ve gotten your BHO Extracted, it’s been purged with warm water, then with a heat pad, and it’s ready to go, right?

Before answering that, please take a moment to get acquainted with our redundant red friend The Disclaimer.

With that out of the way, the answer is that it really depends on you. As I stated in my previous post, very little is known about the amount of butane residue left in BHO after it’s been purged using the above method.

This is why taking an extra step and Vacuum Purging is highly recommended, and really worth your while.


A Vacuum Chamber is an enclosure from which air, and gasses are removed with a pump. Vacuum Chambers have many uses, but for our purposes they will be used to remove any additional butane from extracted BHO.

There are many brands of Vacuum Chambers on the market, so things can tend to get a bit confusing. Models from 2 quart, to 10 Gallon; Single, and two stage pumps either separate or included. I personally use a 3 Gallon by Best Value Vacs in conjunction with a two stage, 3 CFM Pump. More on pumps in another article.

So which is the best for BHO Extraction? Well, that depends how much, and how often you’ll be extracting BHO. 

If we’re talking anywhere from 1-10 grams at a time, then a small chamber (less than two gallons) and a single stage pump is all that you’re going to need. Any more than that and you should definitely invest in a larger chamber. The kits are always less expensive than buying each component separately.


So what is the exact process involved in BHO Purging?

It’s actually a lot simpler than some may think. Basically, you’ll need to add your BHO into the chamber on a non-stick surface. The lid is then applied, and the pump is attached. Next, the chamber is placed on an electric burner, or griddle and the heat is closely monitored, more on that in a bit. When the pump is on, pressure is adjusted with a valve.

The BHO will begin to ‘muffin’ out, or expand while it’s being purged. You don’t want it to touch any surface within the chamber that is not non-stick, so when it gets too big the pressure is released.

How long do you need to vacuum purge BHO?

There are too many variables to give a specific answer to that question. The times will vary wildly based upon how much BHO is being purged. Basically, the BHO is Vacuum Purged until it no longer expands, or expands very little under pressure.

Most use a heating pad, or electric burner to speed up the process. Heating your Vacuum Chamber while purging isn’t an absolute must, but I strongly recommend it considering the fact that it significantly increases the speed of the purge.

A big concern with heating BHO while it’s being purged is burning it. You want to be extremely cautious with your temperatures, if they get much above 160 things can get out of control in a hurry. For your first purge, keep the heat at 115-120F. I recommend using an Infared Thermometer as pictured below to closely monitor heat.



 
These things are invaluable, especially when you get to the more advanced stages of BHO Making and want to make Shatter, Honeycomb, BHO Oil and even hard waxes. More on these in a later posts.
Here is a look at what happens when excessive heat is involved:



 

Here is an awesome video of a guy going through the process. Make sure to read the description in the “About” section of the video for answers to many of the questions you might have.



 
Vacuum purging BHO is highly recommended to produce the purest wax. As many impurities as possible will be removed using this method, which equates to purer, healthier BHO for anyone who consumes it.

Happy Dabbing!

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Legalize it!

So here we are. 2014 and we're still putting non-violent Marijuana Users in Cages. This costs roughly $40,000 per year, per inmate, and it certainly isn't the Bureaucrats who are picking up the tab. Nope, it's us, the taxpayers. 

Essentially, paying for your own friends to remain locked the fuck up. Forgive the french, but this is bullshit. Legalize it. 

Cannabis Extracts.

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BHO Extraction Part 2.

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Okay.

So you have got your hands on some Buds, Trim or whatever, and your ready to get going. You have an extraction tube, some good butane and you want to know what’s next. You’ve read the disclaimer from my first post and are ready to go.

You’re ready for your first BHO Extraction, so let’s get started.

As you’ll probably recall from the first post, I recommend using whole, dry buds/flowers if possible for BHO Extraction. If you’re using quality trim, make sure that it’s dry and don’t bother grinding it up. The only exception to the ‘whole buds’ rule is when you are dealing with large, or dense buds. In this case, it’s smart to break them up a little before filling your tube. This way you’ll expose any trichomes (crystals) that are inside.

I always try to keep things as simple as possible, so having 1 ounce to work with is preferable, because you’ll know exactly how much butane is needed. If you’re using less, try to keep things in eighth, quarter, and half ounce increments. Using a random amount can get pretty confusing, so I wouldn’t recommend it.



Onto the BHO Extraction. Remember that extraction tube we were talking about before? It’s time to fill it up. Make sure to read the instructions if they were provided.

You’ll want to fill your tube somewhat loosely, and then lightly pack your material down.
Some extract into Pyrex or glass and end up having to scrape with a razor blade. Others extract into a container lined with wax paper, and end up with BHO with wax residue. In my opinion, both of these methods work, but neither are much fun to deal with.

Instead, you’ll have a much easier time using a pad designed specifically for BHO Extraction.
Make sure to extract outside. Now, put an oven mitt on the hand that’s holding the extraction tube (it will get very cold) and begin injecting butane while pointing the tube at your dish. Inject for 30-45 seconds and then stop for 15-20 seconds. Repeat this until your can is empty. Refer to my last post for how much butane is needed for how much material you’re extracting.

There are a few different methods of purging, but in this post I’m going to focus on what I call ‘The Old School Method’.

After your BHO Extraction is complete, you’ll want go inside and heat water in a pot big enough to accommodate the dish you extracted into. Heat water to below boiling. 115-120°F is perfect. The hotter the water, the more violent the reaction so we don’t want to go any hotter than 120°F.
The idea is to bring your warm water outside, and place the dish containing your BHO Extraction into your pot.

When the warm water heats the butane extraction in your dish, the butane will begin to boil off. Since butane boils at around -5 to -10°C, your warm water will be more than hot enough to purge it out.
At this point, you wait until the reaction slows. When you reach the point pictured below, go ahead and take a pin and pop the larger bubbles to release any pockets of butane.



Now, you want to remove your dish from the water and place it on a heating pad. After about an hour on the pad, you are ready to bring your concentrates inside.

Nobody really knows how much residue is left over in BHO after extraction. But it doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist to deduce that the more butane you can purge from your end product, the less of it will be in there.

Many people will stop after the heating pad step and scrape, or (if you lined your dish with a Concentrate Pad) gather their BHO up and get to dabbing.



But if you want to end up with a squeaky clean end product; I really recommend vacuum purging, which I will discuss in detail in another article.

Happy Dabbing!
Cheers! 

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Some Facts about Cannabis in America. 

This is really eye opening to me. It really seems like the majority of the population is in our favor. Colorado and Washington have been fantastic litmus tests and they have proved what Cannabis Activists and Common Sense Americans have been saying for a long time. 

Legalization is not only the right thing to do, it lowers crime rates, homicide rates, burglary rates and Prison Populations.

Beyond this, the economic impact is hard to argue with. Take a looks at this and tell me what you think:

Legislators need to wake up. Because we're getting tired of being harassed, frisked, and locked up for enjoying a joint or a dab from time to time.

Cheers,
John. 

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Many people have tried a dab, but with BHO prices fairly high and on the rise, some want to venture into extracting their own.



BHO extraction doesn’t have many steps, and with the right equipment and know how; it isn’t as complicated as some might think.
Before we get into the steps, here’s an  obligatory disclaimer:

Butane Honey Oil (BHO) extraction is an extremely dangerous activity. Butane is flammable, explosive and can potentially contain poisonous and harmful chemicals. Undertaking BHO extraction may result in serious bodily injury, or Death if proper precautions are not taken.
The information provided on this website is strictly for educational purposes and in no way does the owner and staff of bhozone.com encourage its production or use.
Butane is Highly Flammable and ALL extractions are to be done Outdoors Only, doing extractions indoors is extremely dangerous. There have been accounts of people blowing up their houses, kitchens, bathrooms doing Butane and other solvent extractions indoors.

With that out of the way, let’s get started.

The first thing to consider is how you are going to get your hands on the right Butane for the task.
A general rule of thumb is that cheap, store bought butane is not going to yield a quality product. For example, the cheaper brands almost always add a scent to their butane, so that if a leak occurs it can be easily detected. This means that when your BHO extraction is completed, the scent and smell may still remain.

Other brands (most of which can be found online) are not only higher quality, but come scent free. Here are a few that I’d recommend:

Power 5X Butane.

Colibri Premium Butane.

Vector.

But how much butane is needed to yield how much product?
There are tons of variables in BHO Extraction, so there really is no exact answer to this question. But from my experience:

• 1 oz. Green Bud, or High Quality Trim. 12 ounce can of butane, ~5 gram yield.

• 1 oz. Schwag (low quality buds) or good trim with some leaves. 12 ounce can of butane ~3.5 gram yield.

• 1 oz. Leaves… Dude, just don’t go there. But if you must. 12 ounce can of butane ~1.5 on up to 3 gram yield.

Some quick notes. Dry buds, trim and even leaves always yield a better quality BHO than less dry. The drier the better. Whole buds are the absolute best in my opinion. After your first extraction, you can grind the whole buds down and go for a second extraction (although you will yield significantly less than the first). In my book it’s just not worth the extra butane.

Next comes the extraction tube. I’ve heard TONS of different ‘Ghetto Methods’ of extracting BHO. Things like Mustard bottles, 2 liter bottles, modified glass bottles. The bottom line is that shit like this is what gets people hurt. Other D.I.Y. methods can be all across the board; from downright dangerous, to just as good as the store bought versions.
At the end of the day, I really recommend that you consider a legit extraction tube. Here are a few that I’ve had good luck with:

Glass Essential Tube.

Honey Bee Tube.

At this point, you are well on your way to extracting a great quality product. I will be posting a Part Two to this article that gets a bit more in depth, so stay tuned.

Happy Dabbing!

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