How to use cannabis tinctures
What Are Tinctures?
Tinctures are liquids that are intended to be absorbed through the blood vessels in your mouth. Our tinctures are made with MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil and cannabis oil. Some patients may receive benefit from a tincture even if they do not benefit from edibles because tinctures are absorbed before they enter the digestive system. Certain cannabinoids, like THCA, can be damaged, converted, or destroyed by heat. For this reason, tinctures are an ideal way of consuming these cannabinoids. For patients who are not able to use inhaled methods of administration, tinctures are a good option for fast acting relief. Tinctures can also be useful for microdosing, when small amounts are taken regularly for continuous relief. Tinctures can be a great method for new patients to get used to the effects of cannabinoids and find the best therapeutic dose. We recommend patients start with a low dose and slowly increase over several days or weeks to find their optimal dosage.
You can learn more about the different tinctures we produce in our Types of Tinctures page. If you’re interested in purchasing one of our tinctures, you can see what’s available and make an online order on our menu.
4 mL Tincture Bottle
100mg Total Cannabinoids
2 drops ≈ 1 – 1.25mg*
Half dropper ≈ 5mg*
Full dropper ≈ 10mg*
12 mL Tincture Bottle
300mg Total Cannabinoids
2 drops ≈ 1 – 1.25mg*
Half dropper ≈ 7-10mg*
Full dropper ≈ 15-20mg*
*Approximate dose due to variance in drop size and total cannabinoids
Tincture Use
- The tincture dropper should be held upright / vertical when administering drops. Many patients find using a mirror for this is helpful, especially at first.
- Put drops underneath your tongue or between your cheek and gum.
- The tincture may have an earthy or herbal taste.
- Keep the tincture in your mouth for 1-2 minutes to get full absorption.
- Tinctures that absorb in the mouth take approximately 15-30 minutes to take effect.
- The combination of a tincture with inhalation as needed may offer optimal therapeutic benefits.
- Tinctures can also be used as an edible by mixing with a drink or simply swallowing the drops immediately. This will act as an ingested dose.
Dosing for Cannabis Tinctures
- Tinctures will usually start with a 4 drop dose (approximately 2 mg), unless otherwise recommended.
- You may increase your dose by 2 drops every day or every other day, if symptoms are not relieved effectively but no adverse effects are experienced.
- As a general guideline, repeat doses each day should be the same as the initial dose of the day.
- Therapeutic dosage may change over time, or even day to day. Symptoms can flare up, and you may want to add a few more drops of your tincture if you feel that you can get more benefit
- If a dose has been increased with no difference in symptoms or pain, the previous dose may be the ideal therapeutic dose.
- Example: 10 drops of Golden Ratio reduces pain from a 6 to a 3. Increasing to 12 drops makes no difference in pain, and 14 drops still makes no difference. The therapeutic dose is likely 10 drops.
-
- If there is little to no effect, or when dosage is 20 drops or more (approximately 10mg), please contact us for assistance. A different tincture or an edible may be a better option for you.
- You do not have to wait the full duration of effect to re-dose. If after an hour you are still not finding relief, you may add an additional 2 drops.
- Keep track of when doses are taken on a tracking sheet or product log.
Disclaimer: This is an educational document and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. Please consult your medical provider if you have questions related to your healthcare.
Updated August 3, 2023
