Green Dragon (drink)
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This article is about the drink. For other uses, see Green Dragon (disambiguation)
Green Dragon is an alcoholic beverage made by leaching the leaves of the cannabis plant in a high-proof alcohol, most commonly vodka. The THC dissolves into the alcohol resulting in a dark green or brown liquid. Sugar is often also dissolved in the alcohol to mask the extremely bitter taste of the dissolved cannabinoids.
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[edit] History
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[edit] Preparation
Green Dragon is a method for extracting the active ingredients found in cannabis leaves. These chemicals, mainly tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, are insoluble in water, but much more soluble in organic solvents such as alcohol. In addition, the chemicals responsible for the bitter and "grassy" taste of cannabis leaves are insoluble in alcohol, but more soluble in water. The best results, therefore, are obtained by using an extremely concentrated alcohol, the most effective being Everclear. However this spirit is unavailable in many countries, so vodka is an extremely popular alternative.
There are two methods for extracting the cannabinoids from the leaves. The first involves heating the alcohol to improve its power as a solvent. The cannabis leaves are stewed in about 25cl of spirit, preferably heated in a water bath to reduce the possibility (probability, in the case of heating high-proof alcohols such as Everclear) of ignition of the alcohol vapours. The temperature of the spirit should be maintained below the boiling point of ethanol (78.4º) to prevent the buildup of fumes. The majority of the soluble cannabinoids will be extracted by this method after about 20 minutes of heating.
The second method, which is considerably more low-tech, involves leaving cannabis leaves, stems or seeds in the spirit for several weeks or months. Over time the cannabinoids will leach from the plant matter in much the same way as in the heating method. It is common to simply open a new bottle of spirit, poke several cannabis stems or leaves into the bottle (it may be necessary to pour off or drink some of the spirit first, which is rarely considered a hardship) and reseal. The bottle must be kept tightly sealed to prevent the alcohol evaporating from the spirit. The bottle must be kept in a dark place because tetrahydrocannabinol decomposes under the influence of light. If done artistically, the leaves in the bottle can create an attractive ornament.
There is some evidence to suggest that baking the dry leaves and stems prior to adding them to the alcohol in either method increases the potency of the resulting preparation[1][2]. This is because the baking process converts insoluble tetrahydrocannabinol acids into soluble THC (see decarboxylation).
[edit] Uses
Although Green Dragon can be drunk neat, it is more often served mixed with other drinks. A popular [3][4] recipe involves mixing 3 parts lemon juice, 1 part Green Dragon and a dash of honey or sugar.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.cannabis-med.org/english/faq/12-heating.htm
- ^ http://cannabisculture.com/articles/2794.html
- ^ http://www.cannabis.net/faq/cannabis-consumption-faq.html section 3.2
- ^ http://www.xs4all.nl/~4david/drinking.html
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