Live Resin: Benefits and How Do You Consume It?

what is live resin isolate

Live resin is a type of cannabis concentrate that’s extracted through a flash-freezing process that retains all of the plant’s natural properties and prevents degradation. The process allows for more cannabinoids to be extracted, resulting in a more flavorful and aromatic concentrate. The original creator of live resin, Kind Bill, said that it gets its name from the fact that “the finished product smells exactly like the living product.”

Traditional drying and curing methods aren’t able to preserve all the compounds present in cannabis. In fact, once you cut the plant, it begins to lose some of its valuable compounds, up to 50-60 percent. By by-passing this process, the plant’s essential oils (known as the terpenes) can be preserved.

Live resin is just one of the many types of cannabis concentrates that exist on the market. Other kinds include saps, sugar, badder, shatter, and sauce. The consistency and color of the concentrate is dependent on the type of strain being used. Live resin usually has a more fluid consistency than other concentrates due to the higher presence of terpenes, which make it runnier and more malleable.

How to store it

To preserve the live resin’s potency and quality, you’ll want to keep it away from moisture, light, heat, and open air. A container that’s lightproof and airtight is ideal to maintain its integrity and protect the live resin from degradation. Use containers made of either glass or silicone.

Heat can speed up the breakdown of the cannabinoids so store the container in a cool environment, like a fridge or a cold room. Make sure to return it to its container after each use and making sure the container is sealed properly. Leaving it out can lead to change in texture, potency, color, and taste.

How to consume live resin

The most popular way of consuming live resin is by ‘dabbing.’ This process uses a type of water pipe, called a ‘rig’, and a flat bowl, called a ‘nail.’ Nails are typically made from materials that can withstand higher temperatures than conventional smoking equipment.

First off, here are a list of tools you’ll need:

- a glass water pipe or ‘rig’, filled with water

- a torch filled with butane

- A ‘dabber’, which will hold the live resin, and a carb cap, which covers the nail

- A ‘nail’, which vaporizes the live resin

- Live resin

Use the dabber to take the amount of live resin you want to smoke. The amount is up to you. Always start small and gradually work your way up as you get more comfortable with it. Remember, concentrates like live resin contain 65 to 85 percent THC, while the conventional weed only contains 15 to 25 percent. Know your tolerance before inhaling.

Heat the nail, moving the torch from side to side, taking care to evenly coat the bottom of the nail. Once it starts glowing red, you’ll know it’s hot enough. Wait a few seconds to let the temperature go down. When the nail glows red, it’s approximately at 800 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll want it at 315-400 Fahrenheit. To check the temperature, hold the side of your hand about half an inch from the nail. If you can’t keep it there comfortably, it’s too hot and you could burn your lungs or run the risk of burning the live resin should you try to smoke it at this temperature. You should be good to go when the side of your hand feels warm next to the nail.

Take the dabber and place the live resin into the nail, letting it slide off from the heat. At the same time, breathe the smoke in and cover the nail with the carb cap until you’ve taken it all in. Release the smoke from your lungs and exhale slowly.

Apart from dabbing live resin, you can also vape it with a live resin cartridge or by sprinkling it on a bowl of flower using a glass pipe or rolled in a joint. These both provide different experiences and allow you to enjoy different flavors as well.

Benefits of live resin

According to some research, there may be more benefits to live resin than just improved taste and aroma. Researchers believe that higher levels of cannabinoids are associated with increased health benefits, which include reduced inflammation and pain, reduced anxiety/depression, weight and appetite management, nausea control, and cancer-fighting properties.

Live resin also allows users to take in large amounts of cannabinoids in one single inhale. This decreases the adverse health effects associated with smoking and increases the benefits due to the bioavailability. People dealing with the effects of chemotherapy, migraines, and epilepsy can benefit a lot from using live resin.

So if you’re looking for a new way to experience all the benefits the cannabis plant has to offer, live resin is a great option.