The THCA does convert to THC over time but since we heat up our bud and the temperature converts it to THC that is not the answer. Over time the THC converts to CBN. I have been looking into CBN (know some of you know this but mentioning it as background) and it is in the trics more when the plant is harvested later with amber rather than cloudy. The difference in people’s experience may have to do with the different time people harvest as well as the plant type.
As time goes by the THC converts to CBN, producing a more couch lock effect. I have been looking for papers on CBN (not that I don’t think you guys know what you are talking about, just many falsies about pot gets passed around due to Bro science). I will just post the abstract of this one.
“The interaction of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabinol (CBN) was studied in man. Five male volunteers were given placebo, 50 mg CBN, 25 mg Δ9-THC, 12.5 mg Δ9-THC + 25 mg CBN, and 25 mg Δ9-THC + 50 mg CBN (orally). Administrations were spaced 1 week apart. With physiological measures, Δ9-THC produced an increase in heart rate while CBN did not. When combined, no change of the Δ9-THC effect occurred. No changes occurred on the electrocardiogram, blood pressure, or body temperature. With psychophysical measures no changes occurred in pain thresholds or skin sensitivity as a function of drug treatment. In time estimates of the passage of 1 minute, Δ9 -THC alone produced underestimates of the passage of 1 minute and CBN alone had no effect. In combination the two drugs had a tendency to produce significant overestimates and underestimates of the passage of 1 minute. On a 66-item adjective-pair drug reaction scale, the volunteers reported feeling drugged, drunk, dizzy, and drowsy under the Δ9 -THC condition, but not under the CBN condition. With combined drug treatment, volunteers reported feeling more drugged, drunk, dizzy, and drowsy than under the Δ9-THC condition alone. None of the drug treatments produced significant changes on other items which included items on perception, emotion, cognition and sociability. It appears that CBN increases the effect of Δ9-THC on some aspects of physiological and psychological processes, but that these effects are small and cannot account for the greater potency which has been reported when plant material is used.”
Another.
Oral doses of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) 20 mg, combined with placebo or with 40 mg dses of cannabinol (CBN) and cannabidiol (CBD), were given to volunteers. The combination of THC with CBN produced no detectable changes in the quality, intensity, or duration of the effects of THC alone. The THC-CBD combination tended to delay onset and prolong effects of THC, while making them somewhat more intense. Even this interactive effect was slight, providing no reason to abandon the current practice of basing doses of marihuana for clinical studies solely on THC content.
So there seems to be a response to the different combinations of THC< CBD and CBN. The chemical concentration of the three also change over time. I still want to find a better article, like finding a needle in a haystack.
Very cool read!!! Love it!
I can go down this rabbit hole, finding more interesting stuff. But I have things to do. I will have to come back to this one. Don’t mean too much to me now, but I am good aty picking out words that may point me to stuff I can almost understand.
“Psychoactive cannabinoids of Cannabis sativa are derived from an aromatic polyketide, olivetolic acid, biosynthesized by an unexpected heteromeric T3PKS system discussed later. Olivetolic acid is poised for geranylation catalyzed by the C. sativa encoded aPTase CsPT1 to form cannabigerolic acid [24]. The geranyl moiety then serves as a reactive handle that undergoes carbocation-mediated cyclization catalyzed by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase (Figure 3) [25].”
I just rolled up some 1 year old Nympho and Nympho cross that was a couple of months older Nympho on the right. We fired up the cross first, which no more potent than it was originally. That’s slight over a years time in the jar. As you see it was hit a few more times trying to get the effects.
However, the instant high of the Nympho was still there. That beautiful Afghani taste… the grape, bubblegum, skunky, berries terps are also recognizable. One little hit and im fully blazed. I’m finding it hard to concentrate cause I’m in full relaxed mode.
The I cannot tell the difference in the year old Nympho compared to the ones I harvest in August of this year. I know every strains is different, this is my experience with what I have.
Flavor and the entourage effect.
Took a quick read through, a lot of interesting opinions. The truth is that there is actually something very scientific happening when you properly dry and cure your cannabis that 100% makes it better smoke. Ed Rosenthal put it nicely:
It increases the intensity of the flavor and will slowly but steadily lower THC in favor of CBN, which is much less potent than THC.
The high of cured weed is always deeper and more introspective, often becoming a meditation and inner-vision tool.
The flavor becomes much more complex and refined, gaining in depth as well as in variation of bouquet.
Cured buds that were started a little moist look slightly brownish and have a typical deep smell, one that real smokers love from the bottom of their souls.
Buds cured when they were dryer retain more THC, chlorophyll, and a fresher bouquet.
Like very good aged wine, there is something unique about a well-cured crop that any aspiring connoisseur should experience at least once.
If your talking absolute connoisseur level cannabis, the curing process is vital.
I was.checking my mason jars last.night that I.put back a month ago and got a surprise
I.put them up at 65 to 70% rh with hygrometers in the jars
All were still there about 60% except the one that had a plastic lid instead of metal ring and flat. It read 47%!
My preferred rh is 58. 55 is a little to dry for me. It burns good but the dryness throws off the smoke. Usually very little terps and taste.
62 and above, takes too long to cure. The amount of green-ness also effects the cure and the length of time
The added moisture does hold the flavor, but it harder to burn. So the high doesn’t come on as easily.
I have went back to bud that I left at 62 and it was perfect. But it took a long time. I was surprised at how nice it was.
It really is about preference though. As mentioned above. I prefer the gold bud. I plan for it during my grow. I use a technique in my dry and cure to make sure it turns gold.
The smoke is so smooth to a point, that people who are unfamiliar, think is fake
I try other techniques, but I always come back to this way. I dream of it as being Acapulco gold. Of course it isn’t, being an auto.
To each his/her own. Enjoy your bud how you like it. As said above, from a connoisseur perspective, well cured bud is a great smoking experience.
According to at least this experiment, cannabinoids peaked at the 2-4 week stage of curing, then steadily dropped until the 12 week mark. But then the percent starts to climb to week 16 where the experiments stops.
The terps however took an overall dip to week 8 before steadily climbing to the week 16 mark, where they again end the experiment.
They tested using multiple atmospheres (argon,co2,vacuum,air,etc) that do gives some differing results in places.
its not a large, vigorous study but but an interesting experiment done by someone with a phd in organic chemistry.
here’s that part of the video:
I definately would need more data but it is interesting.
This is a very good post with sources. it lists decarb time and heat relation (you can decarb a flower by just curing for 5 months for example)
and then in this another thread discussing the science of curing, but we didnt really get anywhere.
Takes a long time for thc to break down to cbn during a cure with about 5-10% loss of thc to cbn per YEAR. He doesn’t mention the magic that happens much earlier. Thc is not water soluble. When you cure you are removing excess water, making for more available thc when smoking. Up to 25% more thc. Times have changed and growers have selected plants that require little or no cure for potency, but I will say again if you grow an older heirloom or landrace and don’t cure you have wasted your time. It won’t be nearly as potent as it could be by curing…
@the_bot That’s what I was looking for, thank you
Not meaning to drag anyone into an argument…I knew I had at least seen some say it gets stronger the longer it cures.
My observation has been it’s better the longer it cures but I’ve only grown about 20 differnet strains to date. And the taste and smell usually improve as well.
Hard to verify any of this on my behalf tho…6 weeks is a long time for me to hang on to a jar of weed. 6 months lol not a chance!
I’m so new to this, I don’t even smoke, I just grow… but my partner has been smoking for decades… we go by this: I chop the plant, let it dry in the herb rack for at least a week while I clean the leaves, put it in a jar with a hygrometer and a humidity pack, and open the lid for 15 minutes every day for two weeks before he smokes any of it.
He says smoking it before then, it is way too harsh on the throat. After the two weeks, I still open the jar now and then, almost every day for at least a few seconds, (if he doesn’t open it to get some out to smoke). The longer it stays in the jar, he says, the smoother it gets. I wouldn’t know.
EXCEPTION: If we are making canna oil or butter in the LEVO, then it doesn’t matter how fresh or cured it is, or if it’s bud or shake, cuz the machine does all the work. It’s never harsh… It smells wonderful and tastes… oh, I can’t even describe how good it tastes.
Sooo… that’s been my experience… for what it’s worth.
Curing is just long-term storage of your flowers in a manner that minimizes degradation.
You can smoke your medicine as soon as it’s properly dry. Curing does, in many cases, “improve” the experience by kind of evening out the aroma and flavor, and in my personal opinion a couple months cure time can make heady weed a little more mellow.
Potency is a stress response of the plant during growth, and can never be increased after the plant is cut down.
If he likes smooth, take those boveda packs out. Imo those things take terps (taste) away from bud.
NO, dont do that… They do not absorb terps, only moisture…
I got an UNBIASED opinion from the wife…an “EMPHATIC NO!!!” B-U-T, at 75, “I ain’t worried” 
SS/BW, enjoy a pleasant weekend…mister 
I agree they suck big time there has been some discussion about them and they’re definitely a terp killer .
My biggest beef with them is reusing the pack in a different strain gives a off taste to your bud over time.