How To Use the Scientific Edibles Calculator

In this guide we will walk you through how to use the Scientific Edibles calculator when making your own edibles. Getting dosage right is important so that you know exactly what kind of experience you will have. With homemade edibles this can be tricky, but you can get a good estimate by following this guide.

Choosing your cannabis

The most important step when making your edibles is choosing what type of cannabis you will be using. While using flower is most common, nowadays there are other types of cannabis available. Concentrates such as BHO or distilate infuse differently to flower, so it is important to choose carefully when calculating your dosage.

The dialog above allows you to select your cannabis type, or set the THC/CBD percentage manually. THC and CBD are the main cannabinoids present in cannabis, and THC is the primary cannabinoid that is responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis. When making edibles, the THC potency is one of the most important factors, since this will be the component that creates the most noticable effect.

Based on the cannabis that you have, you can select a preset value from the dropdown which will set up the other values for you. However, bear in mind these are estimates. It is much better to check the THC/CBD percentage of your cannabis yourself and type the values in. What if you don't know the potency of your cannabis? You can choose one of our standard presents (swag, mids, top shelf, etc) or estimate yourself. For example, it has been estimated that the average THC percentage of cannabis in the USA is 12%

Make sure to weigh your cannabis accurately, preferably using a scale. If you have a pre weighed amount, then you can use the fast presets.

The next section deals with decarboxylation (or decarbing), and is very important when it comes to edible potency. Depending on your cannabis, decarbing is a crucial step in activating your cannabis. You can read about the details of decarbing here, however the general idea is that you need heat to convert THCa (non psychoactive) into THC (psychoactive). The calculator lets you choose which method you will be using, which affects the efficiency slightly. Some cannabis (such as distilate) is already decarbed when you get it, so it doesn't need to be decarbed again. If that is the case then select the "already decarbed" option which will let the calculator factor it in.

If you are using flower or trim etc then you should choose the "Plant Based" cannabis option, otherwise choose "Concentrate". The reason for this is that if you plan to remove the flower then some cannabinoids may not be extracted fully. Contentrates typically are left inside, and therefore lead to higher efficiency.

Choosing your solvent

When we use the word "solvent" we mean a substance that we infuse the cannabis into! The calculator lists several solvent options for you to choose from. Different solvents have different infusion rates, and the calculator makes some estimates based on each solvent and also the estimated amount lost when infusing flower. Note also, that certain solvents may lose volume when they are infused. Butter for instance is often up to 30% water! When infused, it may lose weight due to water evaporating. If that happens, you should add more normal butter to your infused butter to make up the weight. Alternatively, use clarified butter which doesn't have the water content.

Your recipe

If you are making an actual recipe (such as brownies or cookies) then you can use this section to estimate your edible potency. Input how much of your infused solvent you are going to use (or select all of it) and also input the number of portions you will make. If you are looking for a specific dosage, you can keep changing this field until your "per portion" dosage is what you wish it to be.

Your potency results

This section of the results page shows you information about the infusion that you made. If you plan on using your infusion directly, such as eating a teaspoon of butter etc, then you can use the custom unit selector to see what the potency is per unit. Note also that your THC and CBD percentage is shown separately, so you can get an idea of dosage for both.

This section of the results page shows you your per-portion dosage, assuming you put in details about your recipe in the earlier section. You can use the meter to get an idea of the THC potency of each of your portions. The description below will give you an idea of what the effects might be depending on your dosage. Note also that the calculator tells you how many portions you should eat to get a 10mg dose. 10mg is considered a good initial dose and it is reccomended that when you make your edibles, to test this amount just in case your infusion is stronger than expected.

Want to share your results with others? You can use the provided link to create a sharable URL to your exact calculation so that others can see how potent your edibles are, and how they were made.

Conclusion

Getting the dosage of edibles right can be confusing, but if you follow the steps above you should be able to get a better idea of your edible potency. As with anything not made in a lab, you cannot guarantee accuracy, but you can get a good estimate so that you are less likely to be suprised. Good luck with your edibles, and contact us if you have any questions or suggestions!