What Is Hash Oil?

Hash oil’s existence and use in different forms date long in history. Still, recently its popularity has been growing in Canada due to the legalization of cannabis and new scientific methods of making it.

We know this may be hard to relate to, especially if you are new to cannabis and cannabis-related products. First, let’s briefly recap weed and why it’s a popular and essential plant.

Weed and its product – including – hash oil originates from the cannabis plant. The most sought-after part of the cannabis plant is the flowers (or buds). The buds of the cannabis plant have minute mushroom-like sprouts called trichomes.

As you read on to know what hash oil is, we will expound more about hash and hash oil, how to make it, and their use.

 

What is Hash?

Hash or hashish is a concentrate of cannabis traditionally collected from the trichomes manually. 

The cannabis trichomes produce the resin that contains cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBN, and others)and terpenes necessary for the medicinal value of weed, plus the psychoactive effect that makes users high.  

For you to use cannabis and get its benefits, the trichomes need extraction. There are only two ways of extracting the trichomes from the marijuana flower:

• Harvested dried and cured buds are ground and rolled into blunts or joints
• Removing trichomes manually or using chemicals to make concentrates 

All cannabis products available in the market for human consumption originate from either of the above.

Dried flower buds are ideal for smoking, but concentrates offer more use options and can undergo further processing to individual cannabinoid distillate.

The traditional way of gathering resin is using bare hands by rubbing your hands on the mature pot buds. As the resin collects on your palms, you continue rolling to make balls that can be used directly or taken to a further heating process.

Another way of making hash is starting with dried flowers passed through a sieve to make kief and then moulding into the desired shape.  

Hashish production is purely mechanical, thus the product will contain other plant materials.

What is Hash Oil?

Hash oil – also called Cannabis Extract Oil (RSO)- is a widespread weed extract produced from trichome-covered leaves or buds of the marijuana plant. In simple words, hash oil is a pure resin of the cannabis plant, either on its own or mixed in a small solution. 

Also, it’s possible to remove any solution from the final product and have a pure form of hashish oil.

Why Is Hash Oil A Great Cannabis Product?

• It offers a highly potent concentrate that you can eat, smoke or apply on the skin
• Has a DIY procedure using common kitchen appliances
• Industrial processing uses specialized automated tools
• Easy to store

So let’s now see how hash oil is made.

 

How is Hash Oil Made?

There are several procedures you can use to make hash oil. Some require specialized industrial apparatus, and others you can use standard kitchen equipment at home.

The most common method manufacturers use in the industry and at home is butane extraction, hence the common name Butane Hash Oil (BHO).

The process involves dissolving the compounds in the trichomes by passing butane over tightly packed buds in a steel or glass cylinder with a filter at one end. 

The butane-resin solvent is either left to evaporate on its own or forced to do so using heat. When using heat, the best way is to use a source without a naked flame, as butane is highly flammable and will easily ignite even from a spark. There are reported cases of explosions when individuals are undertaking the process, resulting in casualties and severe burns.

Depending on the consistency of the final product, hash oil will go under various names – wax, dabs, honeycomb, shutter, or oil. In an industrial setting, the procedure is done under a regulated environment using modern closed-loop equipment.

Other solvents you can use to extract hash oil include chloroform, petroleum ether, benzene, methanol, and ethanol.

Something else to note is that if you want a highly potent hash oil, you first decarboxylase your weed to convert THC-A and CBD-A to their active cannabinoids.

Other methods used when extracting hash oil are:

• CO2 extraction which requires technical knowledge and industrial machines
• Ice water extraction
• Bubble hash extraction

Benefits of Hash Oil

Hash oil is a product of cannabis, containing higher levels of THC and other cannabinoids. It has many health advantages and is adaptable with minimal side effects on the consumer.

Due to the previously altered perception of weed, many people fail to see the medicinal value of THC and CBD. Hence, many people are unaware of the potential benefits to the body when you consume hashish oil.

Currently, scientific research continues to discover and prove the medical benefits of top-grade hash oils. Here are some of the known benefits of hash oil.

Plenty of use in the medical field

CBD and THC are the primary components of hash oil and come with plenty of health benefits. 

Here are some of the benefits of using hash oil medically.

• Controlling anxiety and insomnia
• Acts as a pain reliever
• It helps treat nausea and other gut issues like constipation
• Increased appetite for patients combating chemo and other medication side effects
• Cannabis has antipsychotic and antibacterial properties
• Regulates cholesterol and blood sugar levels
• Good for cognitive health and enhancement of senses

Although there is approval for the use of hash oil in the medical field, its use is still under debate in Canada. However, because of its many health benefits, hash oil is available in many online cannabis dispensaries in Canada.

It helps relieve chronic pain

There is evidence of the use of cannabis products in the relief of chronic pain, according to NCCIH. CBD can provide relieving chronic pain and reduce inflammation. 

However, the effects of marijuana upon individuals differ depending on the conditions. All in all, hash oil is an effective alternative to treating neuropathic pain.

Adaptability for consumption in various ways

You can consume hash oil in different ways, orally, by inhaling or rubbing it on the skin. The many means of consuming hashish oil make it adaptable and capable of impacting many benefits depending on the consumption method.

There is more on how to consume hash oil later in the discussion.

Few side effects

Cannabis side effects occur because there is minimal and incomprehensive research about its use. Compared to the other clinical drugs, the exploration of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids is incomplete.

As a patient under cannabis medication, you must sample several strains to find the optimal product that works for you and the dosage level.

Cannabis products like hash oil are highly potent and can easily cause some side effects. The effects of weed are different on each individual; as a rule, “start slow and go slow.”

Induces relaxation and calmness

Hash oil contains a vital compound, the tetra-hydro-cannabidiol (THC). The compound induces an individual to feel relaxed and calm. As a result, it helps patients with mental disorders like ADHD, insomnia, and anxiety.

Medically hash oil is used to ease stress and muscle strain. By regulating the sense of mind and body, it combats insomnia and restlessness. Through skin application, hash oil increases blood circulation and helps in skin quality by making it more supple and elastic.

Although hash oil has many benefits, the product is a very potent form of marijuana. Long-term use of large doses of hash oil increases tolerance and makes cannabis dependent.

 

How to Take Hash Oil?

Hash oil is versatile in taking, smoking, vaping, direct ingestion, skin application, or infusing in edibles.

To smoke hash oil, you can add it to your ground flowers when rolling a joint or a blunt. If you use a pipe, ensure you add flower bits and fit the pipe with a mesh.

Another popular way of vaporizing and inhaling hash oil is dabbing using an oil rig or a swing. The dab rig has a nail that is heated using a blowtorch; the same applies when using a swing to enable the oil to vaporize. Either method poses burns risks because of the blowtorch, especially when high. 

 

Where to Buy Hash Oil Online in Canada?

Canada’s cannabis industry is fully grown, and there are many online cannabis dispensaries, like those listed on Cannabis Ontario, offering a wide variety of cannabis products.

In our online weed store, we have authenticated hash oil made from different weed strains that are processed using the highest hygiene standards. 

 

References

GrowWeedEasy (). How to Make Hash Oil (aka Cannabis Extract Oil or RSO). Available at: https://www.growweedeasy.com/hash-oil-aka-rso-cannabis-extract-oil

Cannabis Ontario. (2023, April 1). Find the best cannabis in Ontario. Available at: https://cannabisontario.net/

Al-Zouabi I, et al. (2018, November 2) Butane hash oil and dabbing: insights into use, amateur production techniques, and potential harm mitigation. Dovepress. Available at: https://www.dovepress.com/butane-hash-oil-and-dabbing-insights-into-use-amateur-production-techn-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-SAR

Daily Marijuana. (2023, April 1). Buy Weed Online in Canada. Available at: https://dailymarijuana.io/shop/cannabis-concentrates/hash/

Christy M. (2022, September 27). 5 Things No One Told You About Hash Oils. ITSHEMP. Available at: https://itshemp.in/blog/5-health-benefits-of-hash-oils-india/

Anthony, F. (). What Is Hash Oil And Why Do People Love It? Honest Marijuana Co. Available at: https://honestmarijuana.com/hash-oil/