Have you ever wondered what the green color is that finds its way into your infusions? It’s chlorophyll, and while it’s not tasty, it is harmless. Learn what chlorophyll is, why it is an important part of the cannabis plant, and its health benefits, and discover whether or not you really want chlorophyll in your cannabis edibles – and how to remove it if you don’t.
Article Features
- What chlorophyll is and why it’s important
- How to reduce the amount that ends up in your edibles
- Want to skip the hard work? Shop with me and have premium, high-quality cannabis products delivered directly to your door! Now shipping across the US.
Why You Will Love This Guide
As you already know, the cannabis plant is a lovely shade of bright green. This is due to a pigment called chlorophyll.
All plants and vegetables that are green contain chlorophyll. According to National Geographic, consuming this pigment can have many potential health benefits.
Some people choose to consume cannabis that contains this pigment, while others choose to attempt to remove it before consumption since it gives the product a distinct flavor and smell.
In this guide, you will find a quick overview of the health benefits of chlorophyll and how it affects cannabis consumption.
My goal is to help you decide whether you’d like to consume your cannabis with a side of chlorophyll or whether you’d rather eat it in your leafy greens instead.
What Is Chlorophyll?
The word chlorophyll comes from the Greek words khlลros (“green”) and phullon (“leaf”), and it’s present in every green plant on earth2.
Chlorophyll, a pigment that gives a plant its green hue, is located in the chloroplasts of a plant’s cells.
Chlorophyll helps a plant make its own food and produce oxygen for humans and animals to breathe through an amazing process called photosynthesis.
With the help of chlorophyll, the cannabis plant can absorb sunlight and use the energy to convert water into glucose.
The plant uses glucose to grow new leaves and other healthy plant parts to thrive.
Chlorophyll also aids in a plant’s ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for us to breathe3.
There are many proven health benefits to consuming chlorophyll, and studies are ongoing about additional benefits.
Still, cannabis consumers are divided when it comes to keeping it in their product due to its bitter taste.
The Health Benefits of Chlorophyll
In the human body, chlorophyll acts like hemoglobin in your blood, helping to replenish blood cells, increase energy levels, and provide the body with natural antioxidants3.
Chlorophyll consumption has also been proven to bind to carcinogenic chemicals in the intestines, helping to prevent cancer cells from spreading.
Ongoing studies are observing chlorophyll’s ability to prevent cancers of the liver, skin, stomach, and colon4.
Additionally, chlorophyll is a great source of vitamins A, C, E, and K, and it’s been proven to help the liver remove harmful toxins from your body.
Get Chlorophyll from Veggies, Not Cannabis
Since chlorophyll has been proven to provide so many health benefits to humans, it’s a no-brainer to keep it in your cannabis, right?
Well, not all consumers agree.
Chlorophyll gives cannabis a distinct grassy flavor and smell that most consumers don’t particularly enjoy.
Since this overwhelming taste can ruin the experience for many people, and since chlorophyll is present in a variety of green vegetables, many argue that it’s just better to obtain your chlorophyll from veggies, not cannabis.
If you’d like to reap the benefits of chlorophyll consumption while keeping your cannabis chlorophyll-free, try some of these green veggies instead:
- Spinach, kale, parsley, broccoli, collard and mustard greens, cucumbers, algae, leeks, brussels sprouts, green beans, peas, asparagus
As a general rule, the greener the vegetable, the more chlorophyll it contains, the greater the health benefits you’ll receive.
With so many great options for chlorophyll consumption, you don’t need to compromise your cannabis experience with a bad flavor or smell.
Try adding more leafy greens to your diet instead.
How To Remove The Chlorophyll From Edibles
If you’re finding that the taste and smell of edibles make you gag – have no fear; there are some things we can try to make this better.
While it is not always possible to remove 100% of the chlorophyll in a home kitchen, there are some ways you can try to reduce the amount.
To start, most cannabis consumers choose to cure their cannabis after drying, thus removing some of the chlorophyll from the dried flower.
This makes the cannabis taste and smell much sweeter.
Do Not Grind Your Bud
For more mild-tasting edibles, do not grind the flower before adding it to any infusion or extraction.
This releases more chlorophyll with more surface area.
Instead of grinding, gently break up the buds with your hands into small, popcorn-sized pieces.
When Making Butter and Oils
When making butter or oil, one of the best ways to cut down on the chlorophyll that seeps into the infusion is to use kief or flower, not trim or fan leaves.
This is because the more plant matter you include, the more chlorophyll will be released.
Additionally, infusing for shorter times can help reduce the chlorophyll seeped into the final product.
An infusion time of 4 hours provides much less plant taste and color than infusions that last 24 hours or more.
When Making Tinctures
When making tinctures, the best way to cut down on the chlorophyll transferred into the extract is to follow QWET – quick wash extraction technique – rather than the Green Dragon method.
The Green Dragon tincture method involves very long wash times, 24 hours to up to six months, resulting in a very green, chlorophyll-filled tincture.
In the QWET method, also known as the Golden Dragon, we freeze the cannabis first, which helps to prevent the chlorophyll from being leeched into the alcohol.
We also use very short wash times of just 3-5 minutes.
While the Green Dragon tends to be slightly more potent than the Golden Dragon, many people are happy to sacrifice a small bit of potency for a much better-tasting end product.
Opt For Cannabis Concentrates
Many agree that cannabis concentrates can be the most convenient, easy-to-use, pre-prepared products for cannabis infusions.
For those who are turned off by the taste of the cannabis plant, concentrates can be a great alternative.
They have had most of the plant matter removed, resulting in a clean, almost negligible cannabis taste.
And if your concentrate does have a slight flavor, because you only need to use a little bit, it’s unlikely you will taste it in your final recipe.
If You Like The Taste
As I am always telling the members of my Well With Cannabis Community, there is no one right way to do cannabis.
If you LIKE the taste of cannabis, do not let me discourage you from enjoying it that way!
There is no harm in consuming your cannabis and chlorophyll together (although some people do report a bit of stomach irritation if they consume too much).
Many people LOVE the taste of cannabis and enjoy it in their edibles. Others believe you can’t really have a true FECO without it.
Additionally, many people love to use fresh fan leaves in edibles or to make cannabis juice.
Others love to use just plain, ground, decarbed cannabis in their edibles rather than infusing or making a tincture.
That is perfectly OK, and you should continue to enjoy cannabis any way you like it.
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Well, very interesting, and this is the first thing I could find that was remotely what I was looking for. I make my own concentrates, and then turn the final product into a water soluble solution. I do get trim because it is cheap and you end up with the same yield and purpose for me, I make sure to dry my herb even after cured and bought at a dispensary. I then immediately winterize it, alcohol already in the freezer, for 4 hrs or so. I pull it out, immediately combine the two, and give it a swish, let it sit about 30 seconds, give it a shake, not much, and dump it in the cloth, all within a minute, and I am STILL pulling out green….what am I doing wrong keeping it from staying a nice golden color? All the good stuff does get washed in that short amount of time, I made sure and tried running the stuff again, like 3 oz worth, didn’t get A THING, so I know I’m getting it all in the quick wash, and it’s a very very light tint of just green color, no smell or extra product, not dark green, (until fully concentrated). Even then, especially after adding terpene back in, it’s a small enough amount you can’t see thru the product but it tastes normal. Will the activated carbon turn it golden? Or would I be wasting my money and time? If its not dangerous I don’t see it as a problem, just wondering if it is at all. And now that I am turning a lot of what I make water soluble for drinking, is that small amount of chlorophyll any issue is what I want to know for my sake, broken down even further after mixed into solution and juice remember, but still. And is it as easy as pouring it in a funnel with activated carbon? (I know you have to rinse the carbon first ofcourse)….just can’t find the answer, been playing trial and error for 3 yrs, the last yr has been good to me, but always intrigued to learn more! Thank you for reading my whole ridiculously long message lol, hope to hear something-
~ZJAK
Fyi, I would buy the book but im always broke so I can’t I’m sorry, I saw that coming already lol, I just can’t find the answer.(referring to a comment I sent right before this). I was reading the page about your journey and was surprised and happy to see/hear such a success story. I have severely struggled with Orthostatic Hypotention for 6 years, and was dependent on two diffrent poisons at diffrent times, Opiods first after a bad accident, 8yrs of that then finally got off because I was sick of them, would rather live with pain which I do now all the time, but second was Benzos, and still is a factor, as it has been the only thing that kept my BP regulated. But then I learned how to make thc drinkable. Now I forget to take the Benzos and my pain is in the back seat, I’m very comfortable which is a HUGE huge step in the right direction. But is that tiny amount of green tint in the extract before being evaporated a safe amount to be consuming once dried and gathered? Again once it’s heated it gets mixed back into a solution turning it water soluble which does dilute the chlorophyll back, and then your only putting say 10ml of that into 6oz of juice, that’s cut down to a point the chlorophyll is of no interference or problem correct? Ugh yes they is what I was trying to get out hahaha. Before evaporating i also run everything thru a coffee filter twice and that does catch all the greener stuff with any mater to it, and that does smell wax like, but again that gets done twice until there is nothing being caught at all anymore. Thank you, and very sorry for my rambles. Just making sure I am doing this the safest way possible with the smallest amount of “extra” stuff. Live, fail, learn, succeed!
~ZJAK
Hi Zack. We appreciate your thoughtful comment and your dedication to perfecting your concentrate-making process. It sounds like you’ve already put a lot of effort into refining your technique. Achieving that nice golden color can be a challenge and not always in your control, but there are a few things you van try. It ultimately has to do with the flower itself and the components within it.
Firstly, using activated carbon can indeed help remove impurities and potentially improve the color of your final product. It’s worth giving it a shot, but make sure to rinse the carbon thoroughly beforehand.
Additionally, the duration and temperature of your winterization process might have an impact on the color. You mentioned soaking it for about 4 hours, but you could experiment with longer or shorter durations to see if it makes a difference.
Regarding the chlorophyll issue when making your concentrate water soluble, it’s important to consider the potential impact when consuming it. While small amounts of chlorophyll are generally not a concern, if you have any specific health considerations or concerns, it’s always a good idea to consult with a medical professional.
Keep up the spirit of curiosity and experimentation! It’s through trial and error that we continue to learn and improve. Best of luck with your concentrate-making journey, and feel free to reach out if you have any more questions.
Hi Zack. Thank you for sharing your experience and congratulations on finding relief from Orthostatic Hypotension through THC drinkables. It’s great to hear that you’ve been able to reduce your dependence on opioids and benzodiazepines and that you’re feeling more comfortable.
Regarding the small amount of green tint in the extract before evaporation, it’s understandable that you have concerns about consuming it. While I’m not a medical professional, based on the information available, it seems that once the extract is heated and mixed back into a solution, the chlorophyll is diluted to a point where it should not cause interference or pose a significant problem. However, if you have any specific health concerns or questions, it’s best to consult with a medical professional who can provide personalized guidance.
It’s great to hear that you’re taking precautions by running everything through a coffee filter multiple times to ensure the removal of any greener substances. Learning and refining your process is an important part of ensuring safety and achieving the desired results.
Remember, it’s always important to prioritize your health and well-being. If you have any further questions or need clarification, don’t hesitate to reach out. Best of luck on your journey of learning and success!
So glad I found this article!! My tincture after the second wash of clear came out so pretty and clear but it was green., the last batch was more of a yellowish . Scared I screwed it up, but since Iโm making gummies , hopefully it will be fine. I thought I lost all my investment I out in, cause I made a huge batch
Thank you for being here for me ๐ฅฐ
Hi there, Lora, I’m so glad to hear from you ๐ It sounds like you’re making fantastic progress with your tincture. The color can vary depending on a number of factors, but a green hue doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done anything wrong. In fact, it could simply be a reflection of the plant material used. And yes, when making gummies, the color of the tincture shouldnโt significantly affect the final product. Remember, every batch is a learning experience! Thank you for your kind words, keep experimenting and having fun with it!
Hi Emily,
I just wanted to let you how much I enjoy reading your guides and also the comments in the outstanding forums.
Thank you for doing this — as a person with arthritis in nearly every bone of my body, using cannabis is about the only thing that kills the pain and lets me sleep. Since I really don’t like smoke, I make edibles. Occasionally, I will use my Mighty II vape to take the edge off (to a temp of no more than 314, since after that it doesn’t taste good to me).
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and kind words, Eric! It’s incredibly rewarding to hear how much value you’ve found in the guides and discussions. Managing arthritis pain through cannabis is all about finding what works best for you, and it sounds like you’ve done just that. Sending good vibes your way! Thank you for being here!
Thank you very much, Emily! I love your expert advice and appreciate you sharing!! ๐ฟ
You are so kind, thank you so much for your continued support, Jann! ๐