Body, Mind, & Spirit Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-07-2022

Social psychology uses the tools of science to understand why people behave as they do. Whether it’s why they are attracted to some people, but not others, why they are not convinced by an elegant political argument, but are persuaded by a celebrity endorsement, or where their prejudices come from, social psychology can help you to understand why people interact the way they do. This Cheat Sheet will give you some pointers in answering some of the key questions.

Article / Updated 04-05-2022

Some contemporary Hatha Yoga manuals feature more than 50 sitting postures, which demonstrate not only the inventiveness of Yoga practitioners, but also the body's amazing versatility. Still, all you may ever need are perhaps half a dozen yogic sitting postures. Chair-sitting posture If you, like most Westerners, are accustomed to sitting on furniture rather than the floor, you may find that holding a floor position for an extended period of time is something you have to work up to. Try a chair-sitting position first. 1. Use a sturdy armless chair and sit near the front edge of the seat, without leaning against the chair back. Make sure that your feet are flat on the floor. If they don't quite reach, support them with a phone book. 2. Rest your hands on your knees; palms down, and then close your eyes. 3. Rock your spine a few times, alternately slumping forward and arching back, to explore its full range of motion. Settle into a comfortable upright position, midway between the two extremes. 4. Lift your chest, without exaggerating the gentle inward curve in your lower back, and balance your head over the torso. The easy posture Posture should be steady, easy, and comfortable. The basic Yoga sitting position is called, appropriately, the easy posture (Westerners sometimes call it the tailor's seat). Beginners should start their floor sitting practice with this posture. This is a comfortable sitting position for meditation and breathing exercises. The posture also helps you become more aware of, and actually increase, the flexibility in your hips and spine. Therefore, it's a good preparation for more advanced postures. In this posture, and the ones that follow, raising the buttocks off the floor on a firm cushion or thickly folded blanket is helpful, as it allows you to sit comfortably and stably. 1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Place your hands on the floor beside your hips, palms down and fingers pointing forward; shake your legs up and down a few times to get the kinks out. 2. Cross your legs at the ankles with the left leg on top, the right leg below. 3. Now press your palms on the floor and slide each foot toward the opposite knee, until the right foot is underneath the left knee and the left foot is underneath the right knee. 4. Lengthen the spine by stretching your back in an upward motion and balance your head over the torso. Note: In the classic posture, you drop your chin to your chest and extend your arms and lock your elbows. But to start, rest your hands on your knees, palms down and elbows bent, and keep the head upright. This is more relaxing for beginners. Be sure to alternate the cross of the legs from day to day when practicing any of the sitting postures because you don't want to become lopsided. The thunderbolt posture This is one of the safer sitting postures for students with back problems, increasing flexibility of the ankles, knees and thighs, improving circulation to the abdomen, and aiding digestion. 1. Kneel on the floor and sit back on your heels. Position each heel under the buttock on the same side and rest your hands on the tops of your knees, elbows bent, palms down. 2. Lengthen your spine by stretching your back upwards, balance your head over your torso, and look straight ahead. This classic posture isn't recommended for beginners. If you have trouble sitting on your heels because of tight thigh muscles or pain in your knees, put a cushion between your thighs and calves. Increase the thickness of your lift until you can sit down comfortably. If you feel discomfort in the fronts of your ankles, put a rolled-up towel or blanket underneath them. The auspicious posture This posture improves the flexibility of the hips, knees and ankles, and strengthens the back. 1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you; place your hands on the floor beside your hips, palms down and fingers pointing forward. 2. Bend your left knee and place the left foot sole against the inside of your right thigh with the left heel close to the groin. (If this step is difficult, don't use this pose.) 3. Bend your right knee toward you and take hold of the right foot with both hands. 4. Grip the front of the ankle with your right hand and the ball of the big toe with your left. Now slide the little-toe side of the foot between the left thigh and calf until only the big toe is visible. If you can, wiggle the big-toe side of the left foot up between the right thigh and calf. 5. Rest your hands on your knees, arms relaxed, palms down. 6. Stretch your back in an upward motion, balance your head over your torso and look straight ahead.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-05-2022

Cannabidiol (CBD) has become popular during the past several years — and for good reason. This active compound of cannabis is proving to be beneficial to many people suffering from conditions that are either hard to treat or require prescription medicines that are hard to take. CBD has appeared just about everywhere, from grocery store shelves to gas stations to clothing stores. It can be hard to know who to trust and what companies make safe products. It's important to be able to discern fact from fiction and make choices to serve your needs, whether it's reducing pain or stress, improving your sleep, or just general supplementation.

Video / Updated 04-01-2022

When you find yourself in a stressful situation, having a simple dialog with yourself can de-escalate the situation, take away your anxiety and stress, and help you cope. You can teach yourself to talk through your stress, put things into perspective, and empower yourself to deal with just about any stressor. Download this audio script along with the companion script " Guided Muscle Relaxation"

Article / Updated 04-01-2022

Reading retention is a big issue in educational circles. Having the ability to read a sentence, pronounce all the words fluently, and have a vocabulary wide enough that doesn't necessitate referring to a dictionary is one thing. But having the ability to remember what you read is something else entirely. If you can't remember what you read, why read at all? If you want to make sure you retain what you read, try to use one or part of the various study systems developed by educators. Along with psychologists, they've been studying how people retain what they read for a long time. Learn from their experience! One of the oldest such systems is called SQ3R. (Many of these systems have names that make them appear more complicated than they really are.) The SQ3R system works like this: S = Survey the book. Q = Question. Generate questions based on your survey. R = Read the book. R = Recite the material. R = Review. To begin with, consider what you do when you open a nonfiction book you hope to be able to remember after you've completed it. If you simply barrel into reading it without looking it over, you may find yourself wondering what's coming up or not understanding how this body of knowledge is organized. Survey the book The first step in remembering what you read is to survey the material. Scan the book cover to cover. Read the dust jacket (if it has one) and the preface. Then read the acknowledgments section to get an idea of what the author went through to write the book, who the author was influenced by, and who made significant contributions. Scan the table of contents to see how the book is organized and how the chapters present the information. Read the chapter summaries and look at the graphs, pictures, and diagrams. This way, you learn a great deal about the subject before you actually read the book. In many ways, you've begun to glimpse the big picture that the book offers. This overview gives you a framework on which to hang the new information you gather as you read the book. Develop questions Generate questions based on what you saw in your scan of the book. These questions can provoke other thoughts about what you expect when reading further. Later, during the actual reading (remember, you haven't even begun reading yet), your questions may be answered as you begin to master the subject matter. If not, you can always find more books on the subject and read further to get more answers. Read the book The third step in the SQ3R system is to read everything. Don't skim. You can highlight or underline the important bits, such as the passages that answer the questions you formulated, as you go along. Don't underline or highlight too much. Not everything you read is intended to be a kernel of truth or the heart of the subject matter. When you go over the material later, you don't want to sift through page after page of over-underlined sentences, wondering why you went crazy with your pen. Remember that a highlighter should light up the high points. In addition to underlining, use vertical lines to the right or left of the text to indicate particular sections that are important. These sections elaborate upon the sections that you underline above or below the vertical lines. Use a double line to indicate that the section is particularly important. Many people do their underlining on the second reading to ensure that they don't underline points that don't end up being that important. If you don't have time for two readings, you can underline as you do your one read through the material. (Just don't let your highlighter get carried away and underline every word as you read it!) Recite the material After you finish reading the entire book, you can now move to the next step of the SQ3R system: reciting. Reciting the material can help you integrate, understand at a deeper level, and pull everything together. If you can explain the material to another person, you really do understand it. One advantage of teaching is that by speaking so much out loud, the teacher is forced to really know the material. In this way, teaching is learning. Spend as much time as possible on the material that you aren't quite sure about. As you do, you bring it into focus with the material you already understand and deepen your memory of it. Review main points and notes Your job isn't completely done yet. The next task is to review. Here's your chance to go over it all again. Make use of your underlined passages and highlight as review your notes. In fact, incorporating review into your reading process is always a good idea. After you read each section (even the first time through), review the main points in that section. Because most forgetting occurs soon after information is read, the reviewing step allows you the opportunity to really lay down those memories in a comprehensive way, inputting them into long-term storage.

Article / Updated 04-01-2022

Through appropriate anger management techniques, you can use your anger as a motivator to make positive changes around you. Constructive anger involves these two things: Deciding where it is you want your anger to take you. Arriving at that destination through a step-by-step process. Before you begin, remind yourself of the following things: I need to reason through my anger. I need to put my anger into perspective. I can’t do a thing about what has happened to provoke my anger. The situation that made me angry should be rectified. I need to find other ways to express my anger. Step 1: Decide how you want to feel after you get angry How you use anger is a choice. If you choose to use anger constructively you’ll generally expect that, after you finish expressing your anger, you will: Have a better understanding of the person with whom you had the angry exchange. Feel better about that other person. Feel closer to resolving issues between you and the other person. Realize that things were never as bad as you initially thought they were when you first became angry. Feel that both parties came away feeling like something good happened. Have less conflict in the future. On the other hand, if you choose to use your anger destructively, you should expect the opposite outcomes — more conflict in the future, more tension between you and the other person, and so on. Step 2: Acknowledge your anger A simple statement will suffice. What you want to do is give a heads-up to the other party in the conversation, letting them know that emotions are in play here and that the emotion you’re feeling is anger. It’s not enough just to acknowledge to yourself that you’re angry — you have to articulate that feeling to the person you’re angry with. Step 3: Focus your anger on the problem, not the person Focus on the issue that triggered your anger, not the person on the other side of that issue. When you begin to personalize anger, your anger will invariably turn vengeful. Step 4: Identify the source of the anger This step is an easy one. Why? Because the source of all your anger is you! All your emotions are a reflection of yourself. Right away, as you internalize the source of your anger, you begin to feel more in control of your anger. Now, the question is: Do you alter your expectations of that other person or do you clarify for them what those expectations are and what will happen if your expectations aren’t met? Step 5: Accept that the problem that made you angry can be solved Fixing problems is much easier than fixing people. What you have is a problem situation. Try to remain optimistic. Be open-minded. Don’t be afraid to try new solutions when the old ones don’t work. If you can’t think of any new possible solutions, talk to someone else about it and see what that person suggests. After you come up with a new strategy, use it the next time you’re in this situation. Step 6: Try to see things from the other person’s perspective Anger is so subjective that it’s hard to see past it, to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. But seeing the situation from the other person’s perspective is one of the most essential steps in using anger constructively. The easiest way to understand why the other person thinks, feels, or acts the way she does is to invite their input. If you don’t give the other person an opportunity to tell you where she’s coming from, you’re left to speculate — and odds are, you’ll guess incorrectly. Step 7: Co-op the other party Enlist the cooperation of the person you’re angry with in resolving the problem. The minute you begin to share the responsibility of resolving an anger-producing problem, the intensity of your anger decreases. Step 8: Keep a civil tone throughout What you say in anger isn’t what causes problems — it’s the tone in which you say it. If you can keep a civil tone to your conversation, you’ll find that actively listening to the person with whom you’re angry is easier — it’s also easier to get your message across to that person. Lowering your tone will in turn cause him to lower his. Step 9: Avoid disrespectful behavior Clearly, there are some things — gestures, behaviors — you need to avoid if you’re going to use anger constructively. Step 10: Don’t be afraid to take a timeout if you start to feel angry and resume the discussion later Don’t be afraid to say to the other person, “I think we’ve gone as far as we can with this issue right now, but I really think we should continue our discussion at a later date. Do you agree?” Some issues take longer to solve than others. This strategy only works if you actually do resume the discussion later. Otherwise, all your constructive efforts were in vain! Step 11: Make it a two-way conversation When it comes to addressing your anger in a constructive way, you have to let the other person have a turn, too. Vengeful anger and simply “letting off steam” don’t involve the other party except as the object of your wrath. You’re trying to do something different in this case. Step 12: Acknowledge that you’ve made progress Old bad habits like vengeful anger die hard. So, if you’re trying to begin using anger more constructively, it’s important to acknowledge when progress is being made anywhere along the way. Then ask the other person if they agree that progress has been made. You hope, of course, that they say yes. But if they don’t, that’s okay. Maybe they’ll change their mind in the future. (Most important, don’t get mad just because they don’t agree with you!)

Article / Updated 03-31-2022

At the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, families break the fast and celebrate during a three-day festival called Eid al-Fitr (Eid means "recurring event,"and Fitr means "break"). It is also known as HariRaya Puasa in Southeast Asia and Seker Bayrami in Turkey. Greetings of "Eid-Mubarak!" ("A Blessed Eid!") fill the air. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated during the months of April and May. The dates change every year in the Gregorian calendar (also known as the Western or Christian calendar) because Muslims, for religious matters, use a lunar calendar -- one that follows the phases of the moon. Within the Islamic calendar, the holiday takes place during the ninth month of the year. Although festivities include family gatherings, new clothes, and feasting, a strong focus remains on giving alms. Charity, especially to the poor and needy, is central to Islam, as represented by its inclusion in the Five Pillars of Islam (the basic tenets of the religion). An economically self-sufficient Muslim is expected to give alms in an act called zakat in Arabic. Giving to charity shows that one's faith in Allah is true and that material possessions do not control his or her life. Eid al-Fitr follows specific Islamic concepts In Islam, this "charity" isn't so much giving because of sympathy for a cause or because of a catastrophe. Rather, it's a regular, sacrificial giving (much like charitable offerings at church) that — in addition to helping the needy — reaffirms the following Islamic ideas: Everything belongs to Allah, even those material possessions that people think they own. By sacrificing these things for the sake of Allah, people are just giving things back to their rightful owner. Nothing should be hoarded. Society works best when things — including money and resources — flow naturally. By giving things away that you don't need or use, you give people who can use them or may need them the opportunity to do so. In this way, you save yourself from greed, and you prevent envy and jealousy in others. Islam also developed another element of charity called waqf. The waqf is a way of endowing money or land to be devoted to the maintenance of mosques, shrines, schools, hospitals, and other public works in Muslim lands.

Article / Updated 03-31-2022

Bar none, Easter is the single most important holy day of the Christian Church. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the central event in Christianity. To Christians, the resurrection backs up Jesus’ claim that he had the authority to die for the sins of the world and the power to come back to life again. It also gives hope to Christians that they too will experience a resurrected life in heaven. The exact day of the year that Easter falls on is very confusing, and the logic seems pretty old-fashioned in this digital age; it’s based on the lunar calendar and tied to the start of the solar spring. But the Western Church (Catholic and Protestant) continues to observe it based on the rules of long ago — that it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21 (the vernal equinox). It can’t come before March 22 or after April 25. In contrast, Orthodox Churches wanted to tie Easter to Jewish Passover, given the relationship between Passover and the day of Christ’s resurrection. Because the Jewish calendar determines the date that Jews celebrate Passover, Easter for Orthodox Churches can vary by as much as five weeks from the Western Church. No one knows for certain where the term Easter came from, but one theory is that it’s derived from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who was connected with fertility and spring. If so, Christians named their high holy day Easter aiming to replace the pagan celebration of spring with their own holiday — like they did with Christmas. Easter is also often known as Pasch, which comes from the Hebrew word Pesach, meaning “Passover.” Some Protestants prefer to call it simply Resurrection Day to remove the commercialized baggage that they see associated with Easter. In addition, the Easter bunny has pagan origins and has no real connection with the Christian celebration, although some churches use eggs as a metaphor for the new life Christians receive because of the Resurrection.

Article / Updated 03-31-2022

Based on the number of recipes available for cannabis-infused desserts, most people seem to prefer to take their cannabis after or between meals. Here are some cannabis-infused dessert recipes that represent a diverse range of desserts from cookies and brownies to cakes and pies, along with sweet sauces to dribble on ice cream and other dessert favorites. Almond Cutout Cookies Source: Janielle Hultberg, Private Chef Serving size depends on the size of the cutout for the cookies. Ingredients 8 oz unsalted cannabis-infused butter, cold and cubed 5 oz powdered sugar 1/2 tsp salt 11 oz gluten-free flour blend 4 oz almond meal 2 egg yolks (save whites for icing) Directions Cream butter and sugar and add egg yolks one at a time. Add powdered sugar, salt, flour, and almond meal and continue mixing until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap or put in Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. On lightly dusted (with arrowroot powder or corn starch) board/counter/table, roll dough to desired thickness, cut out, and bake until lightly golden. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Source: Janielle Hultberg, Private Chef Serving size depends on size of cookie. Ingredients 1/2 cup unsalted cannabis-infused butter (See “Buddha Budda” recipe.) 1/2 cup coconut oil 3/4 cup palm sugar 1/4 cup agave syrup 2 eggs plus 1 egg white 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/4 cup gluten free oats 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice Optional: You may replace chocolate chips with 1 cup craisins or any other dried fruit. You may also add 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease baking pan or line it with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Using a spoon, scoop batter onto greased pan or parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–15 minutes to the desired crispness. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack. Eat warm or store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer. French Toast Cupcakes Source: Sweet Mary Jane: 75 Delicious Cannabis-Infused High-End Desserts, a 2015 Random House title (978-1583335659) Makes 12 servings Ingredients Cupcakes 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup Buddha Budda, slightly softened (See the “Buddha Budda” recipe.) 1/2 cup sour cream 2 large eggs 1/2 tsp maple extract 4 slices bacon Topping 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup chopped pecans Directions Prepare the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and pecans. Using your fingers, mix in the butter until no pieces are larger than a small pea. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the Buddha Budda, sour cream, eggs, and maple extract until completely smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Fill each well of the muffin tin three-quarters of the way with batter. Divide the topping evenly and sprinkle it over the top of each cupcake, gently pressing it into the batter with your fingertips. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the bacon into 12 pieces total and press a piece onto the top of each muffin. If you are going to freeze these, omit the bacon. Store the bacon-topped cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat in the toaster oven for extra deliciousness. Key Lime Kickers Source: Sweet Mary Jane: 75 Delicious Cannabis-Infused High-End Desserts, a 2015 Random House title (978-1583335659) Makes 24 truffles Ingredients 6 Tbsp heavy cream 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/4 cup Hey Sugar! (See the “Hey Sugar!” recipe.) 10 oz good-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped 8 drips pure key lime oil Graham cracker crumbs, for coating Key lime oil can be found in craft shops and natural food grocers, or ordered online. Directions Weigh the bowl that will hold the finished ganache and write down this number. Set up a double boiler with 2–3 inches of water in the bottom pot and bring the water to a simmer. Pour the cream in the top section and heat until it begins to simmer gently. Stir in the butter, corn syrup, and Hey Sugar!. When well combined, add the white chocolate; stir well. When the ganache is smooth, remove the top section of the double boiler from the heat and add the key lime oil, stirring to combine. Wipe the water off the bottom and sides of the pan (you don’t want any water dripping into the ganache) and pour the ganache into the bowl you weighed previously. Place in the freezer for 45–60 minutes, or until the ganache is firm but pliable. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Weigh the ganache, subtract the weight of the bowl, and divide by 24: This is your per-truffle weight. Using a spoon, scoop out the ganache, weigh to make sure it’s the correct portion, and set on one of the prepared baking sheets. Using your hands, quickly roll the ganache into balls and then roll in the graham cracker crumbs to coat completely. Set the truffles on the second prepared baking sheet. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 weeks. Truffles are best served at room temperature. Merciful Source: Sweet Mary Jane: 75 Delicious Cannabis-Infused High-End Desserts, a 2015 Random House title (978-1583335659) Makes 18 brownies Ingredients Vegetable shortening, for greasing the pan 3/4 cup Buddha Budda (See “Buddha Budda” recipe.) 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter 10 oz semisweet chocolate 4 oz unsweetened chocolate 6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 6 large eggs 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour Drizzle 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 1/4 tsp vegetable shortening Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 10-by-15-inch baking pan. In a small saucepan, melt the Buddha Budda and butter together over low heat. Add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates and stir until the chocolates have melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder and remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk well. Fold in the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Let cool completely before cutting into 18 equal-sized bars. Prepare the drizzle: In the top section of a double boiler, melt the white chocolate and the shortening over simmering water. Stir continuously until the chocolate has melted, being careful not to get any water into the chocolate or it will seize. Chocolate should melt into a smooth, satiny pool, but it’s temperamental and won’t tolerate moisture. If even the tiniest bit of condensation drips down the inside of a pan, or if steam escapes from the bottom of the double boiler, the chocolate will react badly, becoming a grainy mess; this is known as “seizing.” Dip a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle it over the tops of the brownies. Let the chocolate set. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Michelle’s Bombass Balls (or Just the Chocolate Sauce Source: Michelle Karlebach, Nectar Cannabis 15 servings based on quarter-sized patties Ingredients For patties: 1 cup (about 10 to 12) pitted medjool dates 1 cup cashews 3 Tbsp creamy almond butter 1 Tbsp maple syrup 1 cup shredded coconut (or 1/2 with 1/2 cup of hemp hearts) Pinch of sea salt (optional) For chocolate sauce: 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup raw cacao or cocoa powder 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (the desired amount of medicated coconut oil should be included in this quantity. If you use only medicated coconut oil, you will have very strong patties!) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp chili powder Himalayan salt Directions In a food processor, mix cashews until crumbly. Add dates, almond butter, and maple syrup and continue mixing. Transfer to a bowl. Place shredded coconut into a shallow bowl or a plate. Roll mixture from food processor into balls about the size of a quarter and flatten gently between hands to form a patty. Press the patties into coconut mixture to coat. Place patties on a tray or sheet lined with parchment paper and pace in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Whisk together ingredients for chocolate sauce in a bowl. Dip most of each frozen patty into chocolate sauce and place on parchment paper. Place tray back in freezer. Double dip! Re-dip the patties into the remaining chocolate, sprinkle Himalayan salt on top, and then return to freezer until hard. Makes about 15 servings depending on how big your balls are! Store in an airtight container in either fridge or freezer. Enjoy and please do so responsibly. Michelle’s Medicated Blueberry Pie Source: Michelle Karlebach, Nectar Cannabis This pie is what started my love of edibles! Cannabis and blueberries really complement each other beautifully. It also takes about 10 minutes to get it in the oven if you opt for store-bought crust, so it’s fast and easy! If you’re vegan, you can use medicated coconut oil instead of the butter with a vegan pie crust recipe. Approximately 6 to 8 slices in a 9-inch diameter pie Ingredients 6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (You may substitute some pitted cherries, too!) 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 tsp cinnamon 2 Tbsp medicated butter, cut into small pieces (You may substitute medicated coconut oil) Double recipe for pie crust, or buy roll-out kind from the store Directions Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix blueberries, lemon juice, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Roll out the bottom pie crust in a pie dish. Transfer blueberry mixture into the bottom pie crust and dot pieces of medicated butter along the top. Place top crust over blueberry mixture, tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom crust, and pinch together. Cut slits into top of pie. (Consider cutting slits into the pattern of a smiley face!) Place the pie on the middle rack for 20 minutes at 425°F, reduce heat to 350°F, and bake for 30–40 minutes longer. Allow to cool completely before serving. No-Guilt Nosh Source: Janielle Hultberg, Private Chef Number of servings depends on serving size of ball Ingredients 1 cup dates 1 cup raw almonds 1 cup raw walnuts 2 Tbsp cannabis-infused coconut oil (or infused butter) 1 Tbsp flax meal 1 Tbsp water Shredded coconut Directions In food processor blend all ingredients except for the shredded coconut until you can form balls out of dough. Roll a small portion of dough between the palms of your hands to form a ball about the diameter of a quarter. Roll the ball over the shredded coconut and place it on parchment paper. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Sesame Seed Cookies Source: Janielle Hultberg, Private Chef Approximately 24 cookies Ingredients 2 1/2 cups sesame seeds 1 cup palm sugar 2 Tbsp dark agave syrup 8 oz unsalted cannabis-infused butter, room temp 2 eggs Pinch of salt 1/8 tsp baking powder 1 1/3 cup gluten-free flour blend Directions Grease baking pan or line it with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast sesame seeds until lightly golden and let cool. Cream together butter, sugar, and syrup, scraping the bowl often. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl a couple of times. Add salt, baking powder, flour, and seeds, and mix well. Using a teaspoon, scoop the cookie dough out on the baking pan or parchment paper spacing at least 2 inches apart. Bake 6–8 minutes until golden. They’ll be crispy when cooled.

Article / Updated 03-31-2022

Concentrates and extracts can be made from medical cannabis through a variety of extraction methods, some more complex and dangerous than others. The extraction method of choice is based on the desired end product, as presented in the following table. Choosing an Extraction Method Desired End Product Concentrate/ Extract Extraction Method Starting Material Various concentrates and MIPs Kief Dry sift Flower Smoke product or edible Hash Ice water and agitation Hand rolling Flower Dab and other products Rosin or whipped rosin Pressure and heat Bubble hash, kief, flower Dab and other products Shatter, wax, live resin, THC crystalline, or terpene juice Butane or propane Flower for shatter and wax Frozen flower for live resin, THC crystalline, and terpene juice Vape oil and other products Oil CO2 Flower and trim Edibles Butter Heat Flower and trim Tinctures Tincture Alcohol or glycerin Flower and trim Non-solvent extraction methods for cannabis The most common non-solvent extraction methods use water or a combination of heat and pressure. These methods are much easier than solvent methods to perform safely and typically are less strictly regulated. Dry sift Dry sift consists of physically knocking the trichomes off the flower and collecting them to produce kief. Many herb grinders have three chambers; as you grind your flower, it falls into the second chamber that has a screen on the bottom through which the kief passes, collecting in the third chamber. To produce larger volumes of kief, you can use silk screening equipment to separate the kief from the plant matter. Hand rolling One of the oldest methods for making hash is hand rolling. You start with fresh cannabis (not dried or cured) and gently roll it between the palms of your hands. The sticky trichomes come off the plant and stick to your hands. You can then scrape the substance off or continue to rub your hands together to create a sticky ball or stick of hash — commonly referred to as “charas.” Ice water or dry ice If you’re interested in creating your own concentrates, the ice water and dry ice methods are safest and easiest. The process consists of placing flower in ice water to freeze the trichomes and then agitating the mixture to knock the trichomes off the flower. You then filter the mixture through progressively smaller screens to remove the plant matter. You place the wet hash in a cool, dark place to dry it, and then you press it into cakes to create hashish — technically referred to as bubble hash. You can smoke bubble hash or use it as an ingredient in edible products. Pressure and heat To create rosin, you apply pressure and heat to flower, kief, or bubble hash. You can purchase a rosin press that’s built specifically for the job or use a hair straightener or T-shirt press. You place your starting flower, kief, or bubble hash between two pieces of parchment paper or in a small-micron bag and squeeze it between two heated metal plates. You can whip rosin by stirring it to create a consistency that’s more like peanut butter, which may make it easier to handle and to mix with other edible ingredients, but whipping may reduce its potency. Heat and butter By baking cannabis and then simmering it in butter and water, you can create your own cannabis-infused butter. When it cools, the butter separates out from the water, and you can discard the water. You can then use the butter to create your own edibles. Alcohol By baking cannabis and then simmering it in alcohol, you can create your own tinctures, which you can take sublingually or add to beverages. Solvent extraction methods for cannabis In solvent extraction processes, a solvent is added to the plant material. Pressure and temperature are then altered to enable the solvent to dissolve the desired components of the plant. Any remaining solvent is removed, leaving behind the oils, cannabinoids, and terpenes extracted from the plant. Think of solvent extraction methods like brewing a pot of coffee. You pour hot water over coffee grounds contained in a filter. The hot water acts as a solvent, extracting the caffeine and the substances that give coffee its aroma and flavor. The filter removes all the plant matter — the ground coffee beans. Although hot water isn’t the greatest solvent for cannabis, the concept is the same. Below, we describe several different solvent extraction methods, so you have a general idea of what’s involved in each process. Don’t try any solvent extraction method at home. Combinations of solvents, heat, pressure, and even static electricity can result in deadly explosions. If you work in an extraction facility, safety is your top priority. Many regulatory bodies require closed loop systems, which allow only minute amounts of solvents into the surrounding air; the result is that volatile fumes can easily build up in the contained spaces of a facility. Facilities employing this type of extraction should include filters, fire resistant building materials, sensors, alarms, and safety protocols. Personnel should be required to wear fireproof coverings and anti-static footwear (to prevent sparks). Any plastic materials, including plastic bags, which are susceptible to creating static electricity, should be banned. Even the smallest spark can ignite the volatile gasses and cause an explosion. Personnel must be trained properly on all processes and procedures and should perform their duties with the utmost care and diligence. Butane, propane, or both Butane and propane are commonly used as solvents to create extracts referred to as butane hash oil (BHO) or propane hash oil (PHO). Depending on the raw materials and the process, the extracts produced vary in consistency and include shatter, wax, budder, live resin, THC crystalline, and terpene juice, most of which you can purchase at a dispensary. Regardless of whether the solvent used is butane, propane, or a combination of the two, the process is generally the same. Plant matter is placed in a column with a screen at one end, and butane passes through the column, extracting the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant matter. The solution is then placed in a vacuum oven to purge (evaporate) the solvent, leaving behind the BHO or PHO, which should contain very little to no solvent. In commercial facilities, butane and propane extractions also involve manipulating pressure and temperature. Pressurizing and chilling the gas converts it to a liquid, which can then be mixed with the plant matter to create a “soup.” A vacuum oven uses heat and depressurization to convert the solvent back into its gas form, and the gas is reclaimed. The process is most safely performed using a closed loop system — an automated or semi-automated system that regulates the parameters of the process. Due to the hazards associated with these solvents, many regulatory bodies require special licensing and permits to perform butane and propane extractions. A closed loop system uses heat to reclaim the gas from the “soup” prior to placing it in the oven. CO2 CO2 extraction is similar to that of butane and propane extraction in that it manipulates the temperature and the pressure of a gas to extract substances from cannabis plants. However, CO2 extraction has some notable benefits: The CO2 extraction process kills any mold or bacteria in the processed plant matter, as it does in the butane and propane extractions. Pressure and temperature can be manipulated to extract selected compounds from the plant instead of just a combination of all compounds blended together. The process doesn’t involve the use of volatile gasses. However, due to high pressures, the process isn’t completely safe. CO2 tanks and other equipment have been known to explode. The one potential drawback of CO2 extraction is that the extracts may lack the flavor profile (due to a loss of terpene content) present in BHO and PHO. Oil produced by CO2 extraction is used in almost every vaporizer (vape) device on the market. It’s also used for dabbing and to manufacture a wide variety of MIPs, including edibles and lotions. Terpenes are sometimes added back into the CO2 oil to add desired flavors and aroma. You may have heard about Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), named after its creator, who claims it cured his cancer. While we respect Mr. Simpson’s work and especially his dedication to helping others, we caution you not to try it yourself. His method involves the use of toxic, volatile solvents along with boiling off the solvents. The fumes can be very harmful and, when combined with the heat needed for the boiling-off process, susceptible to explosion. While he provides guidance on how to reduce the risks, the process is still dangerous, especially if done indoors, which would be a big no-no.