There’s only one insect that produces a food eaten by humans. Bees. And honey, their incredible product, is the only food source that contains all of the vital enzymes, vitamins, minerals and water that sustain life. It’s no wonder that this incredible substance has been revered for its medicinal value for thousands of years. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that make it excellent for wound care, treating coughs and even boosting memory.

It’s clear that honey is incredible in its own right, but infusing it with cannabis may make it even more of a healing powerhouse. Some doctors are claiming that the cannabinoid CBD may be effective at suppressing an overactive immune response triggered by influenza or even ebola.

And who wouldn’t want to put that in their tea and stir it (especially during the upcoming cold and flu season)?

Making a honey and cannabis tincture is simple and you can freeze it to store a big batch. I usually make mine in a slow cooker after fall harvest, but have tried it in a Magical Butter machine and in a double boiler. I prefer the slow cooker for big batches and the double boiler for smaller ones.

If you’d like to get culinarily creative or would like to add herbs to compliment your honey, you can add dried lavender, chamomile, sage, rosemary, thyme, vanilla, or cinnamon to your satchel of decarboxylated cannabis. Or you can make a big batch of marijuana honey tincture and then make a bunch of different flavors by infusing them all separately.

The Importance of Decarboxylation in Honey Tincture Making

This honey and cannabis tincture is effective because the cannabis has already been decarboxylated. This process, that typically uses heat to transform the non-psychoactive THC into THCA, is simple and just requires an extra step before infusing your honey. If you want a less psychoactive tincture, you can skip the decarboxylation process and go straight to the slow cooker step.

Honey and Cannabis Tincture Method

Step 1: Decarboxylation





Preheat oven to 240° Spread onto a pyrex baking dish (or a baking sheet if it’s what you have on hand): 1-2 oz. of high quality organic sugar trim or buds Cover with foil or another baking sheet. Bake trim/buds for 1 hour. Cool and store in an airtight container until use. You can scrape off any leftover decarboxylated keif in your pyrex dish by using an old gift card, credit card or ID.

Step 2: Infusion





Wrap decarboxylated cannabis in a large piece of double layered cheesecloth and tie using an old twist tie or a piece of string. Place the satchel of cannabis into the crockpot and add: 1- 5 lb container of honey (local if possible or if you’re using this tincture to alleviate allergy symptoms) Set the slow cooker to low. Honey may simmer a bit, but should never come to a boil. Check your tincture often and switch the slow cooker to warm or off if it gets too hot. Keep the heat on for 4-8 hours. Turn off the crockpot and let your satchel stay in the mixture until cool or overnight. Remove and save the satchel and make some cannabis infused chai tea. Pour honey into sterilized mason jars. Refrigerate or freeze for longer shelf life.

I like to have a bit of honey at room temperature for adding to teas, coffee and smoothies, but I keep larger amounts in the refrigerator where they seem to store indefinitely. I haven’t had a batch go bad yet, but it’s possible that’s because everyone loves honey tincture and even big batches don’t last for very long.