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If you’ve ever touched a cannabis bud, you know that the plant is very sticky. That stickiness is cannabis resin.

Similar to sap produced by trees, cannabis resin is a gooey plant byproduct. Unlike sap, cannabis resin is contained by fatty structures called trichomes.

In contrast, tree sap is filled with a greater amount of sugar and is liquid in nature. Cannabis resin forms crystal-like structures that can be difficult to separate from the green plant material.

Resin is produced by various parts of the plant, but it is most heavily concentrated on the buds of unpollinated female cannabis flowers. Female plants are grown and harvested for their resin, which is considered the most valuable part of the plant.

The marijuana plant is capable of producing more than 400 different chemical compounds. Many of them are found in the gooey resin it produces. In fact, the primary psychoactive in the herb, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is contained in cannabis resin.

Flavonoids and terpenoids, which are flavor and aroma molecules, are also present in resin. This makes resin one of the most fragrant and medicinally valuable parts of the cannabis plant, and that’s why the wax for dabs is very popular these days.

What Is Resin Weed?

Plainly speaking, weed resin is the sticky, delicious, sap-like material found on a cannabis flower. It’s the substance that contains the terpenes (flavorful compounds) and, maybe most importantly, the trichomes — those gorgeous sparkling bits on the bud that contain concentrated doses of THC to get you high. Due to its high concentration of THC, many cannabis manufacturers are making products like live resin concentrates, rosin, and CO2 oil.

The term resin can also apply to the burnt, sticky stuff that accumulates in the bottom of your bowl when you smoke cannabis products. 

Why Is Weed Resin Produced?

cannabis resin produced

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To understand why cannabis resin has intoxicating and medicinal effects, learning a little about why the plant produces resin is useful.

In a way, cannabis resin acts as an external immune system and communication network for the plant. The six types of sticky trichomes present on the plant offer numerous benefits, including protecting the plant from pests, infections, herbivores, and damaging UV rays.

The plant can expel different types of terpene aroma molecules to attract beneficial insects and pollinators, providing a way for the stationary herb to communicate and engage with the outside world.

Types Of Smoking Resin Products

Today, there are several types of cannabis resin products available for consumers to choose from. All cannabis resin products are concentrates, meaning that they consist of concentrated cannabis resin that has been stripped from its plant base.

As a concentrated essential oil, products made with cannabis resin are quite strong. Here are the five most common forms of cannabis concentrate available to consumers:

Hash

hash weed resin

Hash is perhaps one of the oldest and most traditional cannabis concentrates available. Made by separating trichome crystals and pressing them into a brick or rolling them into a ball, hashish products originated in Central Asia.

Butane Hash Oil

Butane Hash Oil weed resin

Butane hash oil (BHO) is perhaps the most popular form of cannabis concentrate available today. In fact, BHO is what is most often used in dabs as it provides a strong and fast-onset cannabis experience. BHO is made by using butane as a solvent to remove fatty trichome resin glands from the plant material. This creates a much purer resin than hash, but the act of processing the cannabis oil also destroys much of the beneficial terpenes.

Live Resin

butane hash oil BHO

Terpenes and other vital cannabis compounds begin to degrade when the cannabis plant is cut and dried. When processing the plants to make concentrates, even more of these terpenes and phytochemicals are lost. The solution? Live resin. Live resin is a concentrated cannabis resin that is made from plants that have been flash frozen immediately after harvest. Subcritical temperatures are then maintained through the extraction process.

Freezing the flower theoretically halts the degradation of terpenes, meaning that this method of extraction preserves more of the tasty and beneficial terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids in the plant (that’s why is used in THC vape pens.)

Live resin is often made using a solvent. Yet, because live resin is often made with a solvent, some of the terpenes may degrade anyway. 

Rosin

rosin weed resin

Rosin is a very simple cannabis extraction that does not require solvents. Rosin is simply made by applying heat and pressure to dried cannabis plants. This heat and pressure causes trichomes to melt and makes them easy to scrape onto a different surface. One of the most popular ways to make homemade rosin is to simply take a dried cannabis bud, place in the fold of a piece of parchment paper, and then clamp the bud between hot hair straightener. This technique uses heat and pressure to create a fast cannabis concentrate.

CO2 Oil

types of weed resin CO2 Oil

Like BHO, CO2 oil is a cannabis concentrate made from resin that has been stripped from its plant material using a solvent. As you may have guessed, instead of butane, this type of oil uses CO2. CO2 oil is the most common oil used in vaporizer pens with, for example, THC cartridges. This type of oil is thin, gooey and syrup-like. BHO, on the other hand, tends to form textures similar to sugar glass, among many other forms.

Traditional Ways Of Processing Marijuana Resin

Cannabis resin has been collected, processed, and used both medicinally and recreationally by humans for millennia. In fact, many traditional methods of processing and collecting cannabis resins are still used today. Here’s the scoop on the two simplest ways to collect cannabis resin:

Charas

Weed resin charas

Charas are a form of hand-rolled hashish from India, Nepal, and some parts of Pakistan. Made from fresh cannabis flowers, charas are simple to make and can be made by anyone who has access to growing plants. Here’s how basic charas are made:

Since the charas are made with resin collected from fresh cannabis plants, the resin ball will need to be heated in order to transform the resin into its most psychoactive state. Smoking or vaporizing charas converts the fresh cannabis material into active THC.

Note: Charas can also be made without trimming the flower off of the growing plant. For this method, simply place one hand on either side of the plant and begin to rub your hands together up and down the plant, collecting resin.

Sieving

types of cannabis concentrates

​Unlike charas, which can be made from fresh cannabis flowers, sieving involves rubbing dried cannabis over a screen. The screen separates the fragile trichome resin glands from plant material.

The powder it creates is called kief in Western countries. This is the same trichome dust that collects in the bottom of grinders. This kief can then be pressed into hashish. Sometimes, kief is heated slightly to activate the cannabinoids and make it easier to shape into a brick-like consistency.

Sieving can be performed in a variety of methods and hashish-making techniques can vary from region to region. Here’s how simple simple sieving works:

You can also gently warm the oven for a few minutes on a low temperature to activate the cannabis compounds. Then, scoop the resin and spread into an even layer, and top with another layer of paper.

While the kief is still warm, use a rolling pin to gently work the hash into the consistency that you would like. Some people also press the hash with a clothing iron.

Note: When sieving the cannabis, you can continue to collect as much kief as possible from the chopped flower by repeating steps 4 and 5.

What About Cannabis Resin In The Bottom Of Pipes?

cannabis resin

For some, desperate times call for desperate measures. The black goop that collects on the bottom and alongside the sides of cannabis smoking devices is also referred to as “resin”.

This goop is, in fact, still resin. However, this resin is burnt. Burnt resin has lost most of its psychoactivity, is extremely harsh to consume, and contains a large amount of carbon from ash.

Further, resin that has been sitting around inside a damp water pipe for a while is more likely to harbor molds and mildews, making it more risky to consume.

While this resin is a common choice for those desperate for some cannabis, smoking pipe resin is not recommended for health reasons. Pipe resin is also so low quality, it is not recommended as an enjoyable smoke.

How To Collect Resin From A Glass Pipe?

Collecting resin from a pipe is easy enough — carefully scrape the sides with a small knife or a product specifically designed for the task. If your bowl is especially crusty, slightly warming it up may loosen the resin up enough to make escaping it easier. One caveat here — although we don’t recommend it (see why below) if you’re trying to smoke your resin, don’t place the heat source (for example a lighter flame) directly on the resin or you will further lower the THC content.

How To Increase Resin Production In Your Cannabis Plants

How-potent-will-edibles-be-in-California

Hoping to get some extra sticky buds? There are a few tips and tricks that growers utilize when trying to reap the maximum resin production from their plants, whether they’re high THC or high CBD cultivars. Some of these tricks include:

Start With Superior Genetics

Not all cannabis is made equal. Some strains have been cultivated after generations of cross breeding high-potency or top-quality medicinal plants.

While ample trichome coverage does not always mean high levels of THC or CBD, it is recommended to find seeds and cones from plants with a known history of high resin and cannabinoid production.

Carefully managing nutrients

Managing plant nutrients can be a delicate balance. Too many nutrients can mean a sad plant with brown, curling leaves. Too few nutrients can mean that the plant will not have enough of what it needs to put ample energy into trichome production.

To learn about proper feeding, it is recommended to research the strain or contact the breeder for more information about what types of nutrition the plant prefers. It’s also important to keep an eye on your plants before and after feedings to watch for signs of distress.

Expose cannabis to a little bit of stress

While too much stress can be detrimental, some low-key stress may increase the plants production of terpenes and/or cannabinoid compounds.

Above all else, cannabis is a medicinal herb. It’s well-known by farmers of more conventional herbs that exposing plants to light amounts of stress can increase the production of medicinal phytochemicals.

To expose plants to stress, some growers like to grab them stem of their plants and give them a gentle shake now and again. Others like to keep fans on the plants to ensure that leaves are rustled by moving air.

However, one of the most tried-and-true ways of encouraging greater terpene production in plants is to expose them to slight drought. This simply means letting the soil become completely dry before watering again.

Yet, when stressing out your plants, make sure to keep stress at a manageable level to ensure that the plant does not become so stressed that its health and growth are limited.

Get serious about lighting

Speaking of stress, many growers have caught on to the fact that cannabis plants will boost THCA (the precursor to THC) production when exposed to UVB light. While excess exposure to UVB light is not good for the grower, many gardeners are incorporating UVB into their grow rooms to amplify THC production.

Keep things cool(ish)

While slight drought and UVB light may provide good stresses for plants when used appropriately and not overdone, stress from excess heat can really do a number on plants and prevent the plant from spending more energy on resin production.

For a happy plant, keep things as cool as possible for the strain. The ideal temperature for your grow room can depend on what you’re growing and your overall climate. So, it’s generally recommended to maintain temperatures on the cooler side of what is ideal for that plant.

Don’t over handle the plants

This tip is a simple one: don’t touch the flowers too much. Touching the cannabis flowers pulls resin off of the plant and on to your hands.

So, while it is important to keep an eye on the plant and check for signs of molds or pests, it’s best to keep handling and touching to a minimum.

Harvest at the right time

The peak time to harvest cannabis is when pistillate hairs on the plant begin to transform from white to a brown color. Yet, it’s also useful to pay attention to color changes in trichomes.

When trichomes are developing, they will be translucent. However, you’ll know when it’s time to harvest when trichomes develop a cloudy white color and then begin to take on amber coloration.

How to Smoke Resin

How to smoke resin depends on the product. If you have hash oil concentrates, simply snap the oil cartridge into your device and enjoy. Rosin, also known as dabs, require a bit more effort and are best enjoyed with a dab pipe, or rig.

Although we understand sometimes you’re broke and just want to get high, we cannot in good conscience recommend smoking leftover bowl resin, it’s just not tasty and contains only a small percentage of THC. Plus, the fact that it’s basically already carbon means it’s shit for your lungs — bad for your health, will hardly give you a head change, and tastes horrible, please no.

Best Way To Smoke Resin

how to smoke weed resin

The best way to smoke resin depends on consumer preference. All commercially available resin products have a high concentration of THC so best doesn’t equal what method will get you the most high. It often comes down to what kind of device you like or have at hand, as well as local availability.

How To Turn Resin Into Dabs

smoke weed resin

Dabbing is a popular way to consume cannabis and there are special rosins on the market designed for this method of consumption. If you can’t find rosin in your area, it’s relatively easy to make at home — you just need some dried cannabis flowers, parchment paper, and a hair straightener. Put the flower in a folded piece of parchment, making sure it is completely covered so you don’t put the plates of the straightener directly on the flower, put the folded paper in the straightener and press slightly for 5 seconds. There should be golden rosin left on the paper, collect it and store it or smoke it — easy!

Weed Resin: FAQs

Most frequent questions and answers

The answer to this question depends on which kind of resin — a resin concentrate can contain over 90% THC while the resin left in the bottom of a pipe bowl can contain very little since most of the THC has already been decarbed (decarboxylated is the fancy way of saying heated when referring to cannabis compounds) and consumed.

To fully clean your pipe, scrape the resin out first and then place in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol breaks down the buildup so you can just wipe it away.

Resin is all in the flowers, also called buds, of the cannabis plant. Any kind of concentrate takes the flowers and separates the plant material out from the resin.

With commercially available resin concentrates sometimes topping 90% THC, we’d say — absolutely! Weed resin is some of the strongest stuff out there, indulge responsibly.

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