If you are into edibles it is well worth it to learn about lecithin. You’ll see it mentioned in almost all oil tutorials and recipes. You can choose not to use it, but as you will see, there are many good reasons to include lecithin in your oils.
What is Lecithin
Most of us are familiar with lecithin as an ingredient in things like chocolate. It’s used an as an emulsifier for bringing everything together and making it smooth. It’s also used in many pharmaceuticals to help get the drug into your system more quickly. It’s also sold as a supplement in health food stores because of the many health benefits of lecithin.
Lecithin is really a generic term for a combination of phospholipids that are essential components of biological membranes. Most of us get enough lecithin through our diet. Some people take extra lecithin to improve the ratio of good to bad cholesterol, increase choline levels, reduce stress, and improve cognitive function. Going into details on all the possible health benefits is beyond the scope of this article. There is a lot of information about this on the web.
Many people have a negative viewpoint on lecithin because it is associated with processed foods, pesticides, and the pharmaceutical industry. Also, in the past it has all been Soy Lecithin which is almost always completely made of GMO soy. Today you can find organic, non-GMO sunflower lecithin.
Ok, Why Use It For Cannabis Edibles?
When added to cannabis coconut oil, cannabutter, or any other canna oil, lecithin increases absorption of THC and other Cannabinoids into your cell membranes and speeds up the process. It doesn’t technically make your oil “more potent.” It does make your oil more effective, so a 100 mg dose will still be 100 mgs, but the effects will come on faster and will feel stronger. This way, you can use less oil in your recipes or have more effectiveness, your choice. If you really want to geek out about this, try this mouthful of a paragraph from THC GEEK.
“Since lecithin contains phospholipids, the process of encapsulating the THC, and making it water-soluble and absorbable, can be completed prior to ingestion. This liposomal encapsulation process that lecithin facilitates, makes edibles especially potent, since the micelles that it creates serve as a disguise for the THC resin inside the body, allowing it to be absorbed more readily.”
Ok, we’ll take their word for it. The real test is that people who use lecithin see significant differences in the effectiveness of their oils. Finally, lecithin also serves as a surfactant (a compound that lowers surface tension), helping distribute the THC throughout the body more quickly.”
How to Use Lecithin
It is really easy to use lecithin. For every cup of oil in your recipe use 1 Tablespoon of liquid or granular lecithin. That’s it!
To sum it all up, lecithin is not a required ingredient for your oils and butters. However, most find that lecithin increases their bang for the buck spent on herb, especially when we can use safe, non-GMO lecithin.
