PhenoMenal
Well-Known Member
In this tutorial I will try to explain how to use both Beam's Test, and, Thin Layer Chromatography of cannabinoids to do a DIY home analysis of your buds, including everything and how much of everything you need to get, with the main aim being to ascertain whether the sample has CBD.
I'm not a chemist, just a regular person like you (unless you're a chemist), and it took a long time for me to figure all of this out. I WISH somebody who actually knew what they were doing had posted a tutorial like this. I know how daunting it is to even consider using TLC because of the lack of specific information (cannabinoid testing) available, but it turns out it IS EASY, so even if this only helps one person hopefully this is a small step towards making TLC more accessible to those on the hunt for CBD, especially medicinal users.
The need to detect CBD as a medicinal home grower ...
Late last year a family friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 1 in 3 of us will go through cancer so this is of course nothing new., but this wasn't "just cancer" - it's terminal cancer... it's effectively Game Over, after this round. It's now just the rest of the low charge in your one remaining battery keeping you alive, which has since been assaulted by chemotherapy chemicals like cytotoxins which are warfare on the body's immune system.
So I did the only thing I knew I could do to help... fill up a USB stick with every comedy series and movie in my collection (laughter is an underrated medicine, and everyone should aim to get at least 30 mins laughter in their daily diet). Oh, and also get them some full spectrum CBD oil to try (cannabis is a pretty amazing medicine too yknow!?) Anyway they had really good success with the CBD oil, so now I'm helping them with their small two-plant grow, with some strains touted to have high CBD/low THC. (THC is also very important, but it's always easy enough to add THC later, so we really, really need high-CBD/low-THC strains first)
... but how the hell can you determine how much of a non-psychoactive substances is in your buds!? Only need to consume/smoke it to figure out if it has THC, but... CBD!? I guess, ultimately, if the patient says it's working well for them that's the ultimate test, but it's still good to know exactly what you're consuming or growing, especially for example if you can find out early for culling or wanting to find a good mother plant.
Of course you can pay for lab analysis, and they are of course excellent because of their accuracy as well as information about all the terpenes as well - they give you a great 'fingerprint'. BUT, lab analysis isn't available in many countries, and it's not cheap - Greenleaf Lab just as one random example charges $40 sampling fee, $75 for potency testing, $90 for terpene testing. If you want 2 strains/samples tested, it's double.
Anyway after several months further reading, to my knowledge, for people wanting to test their small grows at home for CBD, that only leaves 2 DIY options:
Beam's Test, and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) ...
I was however very, very frustrated by how little information was available in regards to using TLC for cannabinoids. It shouldn't take months for somebody to have to figure out.
This information should be freely available to everyone.
So why wasn't it?!? I don't know. Let's change that, because TLC is an amazingly valuable tool that IS within easy reach of home users.
Beam's Test for CBD
(Beam's Test isn't TLC, but it has many attractive qualities as a CBD test in its own right)
PROS: Easy. Quick. Affordable. Accessible. Field-friendly. Can be used as a 'filter' to determine if you want to go forward and use TLC on the sample.
CONS: Doesn't tell you much other than Yes/No "does this sample have CBD?"
"In 1911, Dr. W. Beam discovered that the tissue of hemp, which is typically low in THC but high in CBD, gives a purple color when treated with bases."
Beam's is a fantastic little test that I only had the privilege of trying for the first time just recently. It basically gives you a Yes/No answer to the question "does this sample have CBD?". Handily, it does not react to THC.
You only need:
The standard recipe calls for a stock solution of 5% KOH in ethanol, so about 5gms of KOH pellets to 95 mL of ethanol. So that's enough for 10 tests @ 10mL each, although really you could just use 1.5mL eppendorf tubes which would make for 66 tests - you don't need much at all.
When you've made that stock solution you can put it aside and it'll last many years. Then whenever you want to do a test, simply pour a tiny amount into a shotglass or some other glassware - about 10mL is all you need, so about 1/3rd of a standard shot, and sprinkle in your dried-and-crushed bud sample, you only need a small amount the size of a pea.
If the sample has a good amount of CBD, within a couple minutes you'll see the solution start to take on a red/purple tinge. Try it with a sample that has no CBD, for example just a regular THC-rich strain, and there'll be a slight change like a mild white-yellow blur, but definitely no red/purple tinge. For CBD-rich samples the tinge will be especially darker, but lighter for samples with only a low level of CBD, so in that sense it actually gives you slightly more than just a Yes/No answer, but also a mild indication about how rich it might be, and for accurate comparisons you only need to correctly measure the amount of solution and the weight of the samples used.
Disposal: The cannabis community respects the environment. I wish Trump's Environmental Protection Agency did. Never pour potassium hydroxide solutions down the drain/sewer, and even small amounts are hazardous to aquatic life. Pour unused solution (hey its only 10mL anyway, easy to deal with) into a container of sand or earth or similar absorbent dry material so it's diluted. Seal the container and it can be disposed of.
But it'd be nicer to have more than an approximate CBD - Yes/No? answer ...
I'm not a chemist, just a regular person like you (unless you're a chemist), and it took a long time for me to figure all of this out. I WISH somebody who actually knew what they were doing had posted a tutorial like this. I know how daunting it is to even consider using TLC because of the lack of specific information (cannabinoid testing) available, but it turns out it IS EASY, so even if this only helps one person hopefully this is a small step towards making TLC more accessible to those on the hunt for CBD, especially medicinal users.
The need to detect CBD as a medicinal home grower ...
Late last year a family friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 1 in 3 of us will go through cancer so this is of course nothing new., but this wasn't "just cancer" - it's terminal cancer... it's effectively Game Over, after this round. It's now just the rest of the low charge in your one remaining battery keeping you alive, which has since been assaulted by chemotherapy chemicals like cytotoxins which are warfare on the body's immune system.
So I did the only thing I knew I could do to help... fill up a USB stick with every comedy series and movie in my collection (laughter is an underrated medicine, and everyone should aim to get at least 30 mins laughter in their daily diet). Oh, and also get them some full spectrum CBD oil to try (cannabis is a pretty amazing medicine too yknow!?) Anyway they had really good success with the CBD oil, so now I'm helping them with their small two-plant grow, with some strains touted to have high CBD/low THC. (THC is also very important, but it's always easy enough to add THC later, so we really, really need high-CBD/low-THC strains first)
... but how the hell can you determine how much of a non-psychoactive substances is in your buds!? Only need to consume/smoke it to figure out if it has THC, but... CBD!? I guess, ultimately, if the patient says it's working well for them that's the ultimate test, but it's still good to know exactly what you're consuming or growing, especially for example if you can find out early for culling or wanting to find a good mother plant.
Of course you can pay for lab analysis, and they are of course excellent because of their accuracy as well as information about all the terpenes as well - they give you a great 'fingerprint'. BUT, lab analysis isn't available in many countries, and it's not cheap - Greenleaf Lab just as one random example charges $40 sampling fee, $75 for potency testing, $90 for terpene testing. If you want 2 strains/samples tested, it's double.
Anyway after several months further reading, to my knowledge, for people wanting to test their small grows at home for CBD, that only leaves 2 DIY options:
Beam's Test, and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) ...
I was however very, very frustrated by how little information was available in regards to using TLC for cannabinoids. It shouldn't take months for somebody to have to figure out.
This information should be freely available to everyone.
So why wasn't it?!? I don't know. Let's change that, because TLC is an amazingly valuable tool that IS within easy reach of home users.
Beam's Test for CBD
(Beam's Test isn't TLC, but it has many attractive qualities as a CBD test in its own right)
PROS: Easy. Quick. Affordable. Accessible. Field-friendly. Can be used as a 'filter' to determine if you want to go forward and use TLC on the sample.
CONS: Doesn't tell you much other than Yes/No "does this sample have CBD?"
"In 1911, Dr. W. Beam discovered that the tissue of hemp, which is typically low in THC but high in CBD, gives a purple color when treated with bases."
Beam's is a fantastic little test that I only had the privilege of trying for the first time just recently. It basically gives you a Yes/No answer to the question "does this sample have CBD?". Handily, it does not react to THC.
You only need:
- KOH, aka Potassium hydroxide, aka "lye" - used to make soap - easy to find pellets on ebay etc. If it's being sold as "lye" make sure it's potassium and not sodium hydroxide!
- Ethanol. I used cheap methylated spirits (95% ethanol, denatured), or you can use that "Everclear" 99% stuff but that's probably more expensive. Or distill your own.
- Container for the test: a small glass such as a shotglass is ideal, OR a small (eg. 1.5mL) plastic eppendorf tube is great too - plus you can then use those in the field/mobile.
The standard recipe calls for a stock solution of 5% KOH in ethanol, so about 5gms of KOH pellets to 95 mL of ethanol. So that's enough for 10 tests @ 10mL each, although really you could just use 1.5mL eppendorf tubes which would make for 66 tests - you don't need much at all.
When you've made that stock solution you can put it aside and it'll last many years. Then whenever you want to do a test, simply pour a tiny amount into a shotglass or some other glassware - about 10mL is all you need, so about 1/3rd of a standard shot, and sprinkle in your dried-and-crushed bud sample, you only need a small amount the size of a pea.
If the sample has a good amount of CBD, within a couple minutes you'll see the solution start to take on a red/purple tinge. Try it with a sample that has no CBD, for example just a regular THC-rich strain, and there'll be a slight change like a mild white-yellow blur, but definitely no red/purple tinge. For CBD-rich samples the tinge will be especially darker, but lighter for samples with only a low level of CBD, so in that sense it actually gives you slightly more than just a Yes/No answer, but also a mild indication about how rich it might be, and for accurate comparisons you only need to correctly measure the amount of solution and the weight of the samples used.
Disposal: The cannabis community respects the environment. I wish Trump's Environmental Protection Agency did. Never pour potassium hydroxide solutions down the drain/sewer, and even small amounts are hazardous to aquatic life. Pour unused solution (hey its only 10mL anyway, easy to deal with) into a container of sand or earth or similar absorbent dry material so it's diluted. Seal the container and it can be disposed of.
But it'd be nicer to have more than an approximate CBD - Yes/No? answer ...
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