Are you looking for an all-natural sleep solution that can be made from the comfort of your own home? Read more about cannabinol, known as CBN, discover why this cannabinoid has earned the nickname ‘the sleep cannabinoid,’ and learn how to make your own CBN oil at home following a simple oil infusion process.
Table of Contents
Article Features
- Made with two simple ingredients: THC flower & oil
- Perfect if you want a homemade alternative to sleep medications
- Want to skip the hard work? Shop with me and have my premium CBN Sleep Oil delivered directly to your door. Now shipping across the United States!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The cannabis plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids, which give the plant its powerful properties.
While you usually hear about CBD and THC, the minor cannabinoid called cannabinol, or CBN, has been getting a lot of attention due in my Well With Cannabis Community to its unique sleep effects.
But what is CBN, why is it nicknamed the sleep cannabinoid, and is it right for you?
In this guide, we will quickly review CBN’s potential benefits, and I will show you how to use your THC-dominant flower to make your own CBN oil at home.
What You’ll Need
- THCA-dominant cannabis flower – To make a CBN oil at home, you must start with a cannabis flower that has THCA or CBNA already present. Aged cannabis is a great option, too.
- Lecithin, optional: If you’re new to working with lecithin, you can learn more about adding lecithin to edibles here. If needed, you can purchase liquid lecithin or powdered lecithin. This ingredient is optional and used for bioavailability purposes.
- Carrier oil of choice– There are many oil options to choose from. Unsure what to pick? Check out my guide to understanding different types of cannabis oils here.
Note: A complete list of ingredients with amounts and printable instructions is located in the recipe card below.
The Step-by-Step Process
- Step 1 – The goal is to create a water bath that stays at approximately 180-190° F for the cooking process. The printable instructions in the recipe card below are for using a crockpot to create the water bath, but you can use anything you want, like an Instant Pot or sous-vide.
- Step 2 – While the water bath is heating in the crockpot, measure and decarb the THC flower. To decarb in the oven, bake the material at 240°F for 180 minutes. See more information on how to decarb for CBN below.
- Step 3 – Add the decarbed cannabis flower and MCT oil to the mason jar you plan to use. If you plan on using sunflower lecithin, add it now.
- Step 4 – Carefully place the jar into the water bath. Then, place the lid on the crockpot and leave it alone to infuse for 4 hours. After 4 hours, remove the jars from the hot water and allow them to cool.
- Step 5 – Set up a straining station to separate the plant matter from the oil using a paper filter and funnel, cheesecloth, French press, or a simple coffee filter.
- Step 6 – Once cool enough to handle, strain the prepared oil with your method of choice. You can save the leftover cannabis pulp for future recipes.
- Step 7 – Return the prepared CBN oil to whatever jar you want to store it in; I use a small blue tincture dropper bottle.
- Step 8 – Store the prepared CBN oil in a cool, dry place. It will last longer in the refrigerator and even longer in the freezer.
Note: Complete step-by-step printable instructions are located in the recipe card below.
Storage Instructions
Store your prepared CBN oil in a cool, dry place. A dark cabinet is good.
It will last longer if stored in the refrigerator and even longer if stored in the freezer.
About CBN
Unlike CBD or THC, CBN is typically found in cannabis in trace quantities – also known as a minor cannabinoid.
CBN is what you might call the product of patience, slowly developing as THC transforms over time.
With a little nudge from UV light, heat, or just plain old neglect, THC starts a transformation that leads to the creation of CBN.
CBN’s claim to fame lies in its potential to produce sedative effects, offering a natural bridge to restful sleep and relaxation.
Anecdotally, members of my cannabis community often attribute CBN with the power to soothe insomnia and anxiety.
How to Create CBN at Home
Fortunately for us, CBN can be achieved through the degradation of THC, which can be done in a home kitchen through the process of decarboxylation.
This means if you have old cannabis or have exposed the THC to oxygen and/or heat, you likely already have plant material that has developed a higher concentration of CBN.
If you want to try to make your own CBN products at home, you will want to start with THC-dominant flowers.
Remember, the more THC available, the more opportunity for THC to CBN conversion.
The traditional decarboxylation recommendation for THC to CBN conversion is to decarb at 240°F for 180 minutes.
*Please note: I do not have lab tests to confirm these times and temperatures for CBN formation.
These recommendations are based on reports of what works for consumers inside my Well With Cannabis Community.
Follow this process at your own discretion, and consider starting with a small batch to start.
Small-Batch CBN Sleep Oil
Ingredients
- 2 ounces MCT oil
- 3.5 grams THC cannabis flower
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid sunflower lecithin optional
Instructions
- Lay a clean tea towel down on the bottom of the crockpot. This will create a buffer between your mason jars and the crockpot, potentially preventing any jar from moving or cracking during cooking.
- Fill your crockpot with enough warm to hot water to cover the top of the mason jars you plan on using by an inch to create a water bath.
- While the water bath is heating in the crockpot, measure and decarb the cannabis flower in the oven at 240° F for 180 minutes. Click here for a full cannabis decarboxylation tutorial, if needed.
- If you plan on using lecithin, add it to the mason jars now.
- Evenly divide the decarbed flower between the MCT oil-filled jars. Stir well. Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean paper towel and place the lid on. Tighten the metal ring to finger-tip tightness, it does not have to be tightened all the way. Do not tighten too tightly.
- Once the water bath reaches a temperature of 185° F, carefully place the jars into the water bath.
- Place the lid on the crockpot and leave it alone to infuse for 4 hours.
- After 4 hours, carefully remove the lid, followed by the jars from the hot water. Set them aside to cool.
- Save the leftover cannabis pulp for use in future recipes. Then, return the prepared cannabis oil to whatever jar you want to store it in. We use a small amber tincture jar.
- Store the prepared CBN oil in a cool, dry place. It will last longer if stored in the refrigerator and even longer if stored in the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
You can choose whatever carrier oil you desire to make your infused oil, it does not need to be MCT oil. You can experiment with the following cooking oils: coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and safflower oil.
In theory, using lecithin will make valuable cannabinoids like CBD, THC, or CBN more bioavailable or ready for use by the body. You will still have a great infused CBN oil if you don’t use lecithin; this recipe is not a make-or-break ingredient. If you use lecithin, I recommend using a liquid lecithin option rather than a powdered or granulated version, as it will mix in easier.
Store your prepared CBN oil in a cool, dry place. It will last longer if stored in the refrigerator and even longer if stored in the freezer.
More Sleep Resources For You
Articles & How-To Guides
The Ultimate Guide to CBN » For Sleep
Articles & How-To Guides
Cannabis for Sleep: Your Guide to Restful Nights
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Question – is it only the sativa form of flower that makes CBN? I thought I saw that somewhere. Vs Indica. I want to make sure before I “degrade” the Indica flower to attempt to get CBN.
TIA!
Hey Evan! No, it doesn’t matter if the flower is Indica vs. Sativa, it matters how much THC the strain contains. The more THC present, the more opportunity there is for it to degrade into CBN. Be sure to start with a small test batch, first, to make sure it works for you 🙂
I made it today and it turned out great. I took 3 teaspoons in a glass of tea and took a nice nap.
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Linda! Thanks so much for letting us know here 😀
I’m trying to figure out the right amount of THC flower to decarb and convert to CBN for making sleep gummies. I use your edible dosing calculator, but don’t know how to calculate for CBN. The article by Dr. Ethan Russo you link to in the CBN guide states that, “CBN maintains about ¼ the potency relative to THC.” Does this mean that to get 10mg of CBN I would need to calculate for 40mg of THC and decarb that amount?
Hey Laura! I wish I had a good answer, but unfortunately I do not currently have any lab tests to suggest or confirm how much CBN can be formed through the decarboxylation. I am not confident that is what he meant. I will add this topic to my list of lab tests to run to see if I can find a better answer for you!
Hi Emily,
I am an active 72-year-old who has struggled with insomnia most of my life. I am a lightweight (115 lb) and have a question for you…
I grow my own cannabis organically. I have quite successfully been making (Magic Butter Machine)and taking 3 ml of 1:1 THC to CBD for sleep (3ml) and was getting a full eight hours. Lately however, it hasn’t been as successful and I am assuming I have built up a tolerance level to it. I’ve been researching and there seems to be a common opinion that I would need to not take it at all for three or four weeks to reset my tolerance level. But three or four weeks of poor sleep would be devastating for me.
I don’t want to start increasing the dose… Which would probably work… as it tends to leave my head a bit stupid the next day. I’m not entirely sure what the solution is but I was hoping you might have some advice for me.
I also have made what I believe is CBN tincture made with hooch – high alcohol – and tried that for sleep a while back and didn’t find it all that great. I have not tried combining CBN with CBD. Would that help? Any other advice?
Hello Maggie, thank you for taking the time to write; I’m so proud of you for all of your adventures in cannabis. I am sorry to hear you are struggling with insomnia. Yes, we can build up a tolerance to cannabis over time. I have heard that a tolerance level can be reset in as little as 2-3 days, but I don’t know the right answer. I would assume it would be different for everyone based on how much you consume, body type, etc. I would experiment with a 2-3 day abstinence before attempting a 3-4 week one and see if that helps. Otherwise, experimenting with different cannabinoids and strains would be the next best step. Adding the CBD may help to offset the “stupid” feeling the next day. For your alcohol tincture, you can always evaporate off the alcohol to make it stronger, and burn less. I hope these suggestions help!
I also see you are a member of my private Well With Cannabis Community, feel free to share this comment there as well to see if you get more responses from the other members 🙂
Are you able to use any strain of cannabis to create CBN? I thought I had read/heard that it was only Sativa. Does Indica work as well?
TIA!
Hey Evan! I have not heard the Sativa vs. Indica argument before. From everything I know, THC converts into CBN, so you would want to select a high strain in THCA/THC for conversion. High THC strains can be seen in both Indica and Sativa-dominant varieties.