So, here is my method, taken from another post I was working on. Please feel free to critique!!! I can be a bit of a smart-ass at times, too, but it's all good. I'm here to learn, and teach, as we all are...this is derived from the post entitled:
Filtering botrytis affected Cannabis oil to remove spores/botrytis
OK so I did some research today with multiple textbooks. It appears what I stated earlier was only half-correct, so I shall share what I learned. (Yes, I got it partially wrong, darn it!) Botrytis (for some weird reason) has never been included in the Atlas of Clinical Fungi, so I got the reference wrong. However, amongst several reviewed medical texts, The Compendium of Soil Fungi was the most comprehensive on this genus, and the "typical" and most common species represented is Botrytis cinerea.
Some comments:
1) An earlier poster stated that Botrytis is not very toxic, to which I replied, "Why, of course it's toxic!" (LOL). So I wanted to research, "Just HOW toxic is Botrytis?" Answer: Not very toxic when comparing only one spore to another spore of something likeAspergillus fumigatus, or Stachybotrys spp. (the latter makes your lungs bleed). However, one cannot know exactly how many spores are present in that infected cannabis oil or precious buds. A microscope with resolution or magnification to at least 600x is the minimum to "see" the spores and their relative abundance. Thus, just how toxic depends on how many spores. Since I work with fungal and bacterial cultures daily, take my word, by the time the growth is visible to the naked eye, there are usually thousands of spores seen under the scope, in say, a 1 cm round growth on the petri dish (called a fungal colony).
OK, so you're asking, after all that, what is bad about it? The simple answer is that some people are allergic to these spores, and fungi can still grow in your lungs even after filtration. Although not an M.D. or Immunologist, I am a Microbiologist and Medical Technologist so I have some immunology info in my brain. Let me try to explain why Botrytis can not only be bad, but possibly life-threatening. For whatever reason, if a person has a bad enough allergy to something, the first time they come into contact with it, the results can be a severe or even mild allergic reaction. The body says, "Oh, I didn't like that spore, just wait until I see it again, then WHAM - I'm going to smash it's head in! Teach it to mess with me!" So, the second time though, an allergic person's immune system comes into contact with that same allergen (say a Botrytis spore), the immune system goes into Godzilla-beast-mode and activates defenders (also called memory cells) to defend the body so quickly, that sadly, your throat can close and you can die (aka anaphylactic shock). A simplified version of course. Thus, as a general rule of thumb, if a person has ANY allergies at all, it is best they not consume weed with known fungal spores/toxins in it. "Not very toxic," refers to the fact that Botrytis isn't known for having really bad chemicals in it, compared to some other spores like mentioned above.
2) I am aware of the methods wine-makers use to filter out these spores. If you read ingredients on a bottle of wine, most contain sulfites - aka preservatives and conveniently, fungal-growth retardants. Butane extraction followed by .45μm filtration, then finally 0.2μm filtration. Sorry, "μm" means micrometer (aka micron,) or 1/1,ooo,oooth of a meter. They use that sill Metric system crap in science, so don't sue me, sue Science. It's very small. In the US, a typical doorknob height is about 1 meter from the floor, so that means you could fit 1 million spores from end-end if that spore was 1μm. Small, eh? Here's the problem that I discovered: Let's assume you do want to remove or kill every single Botrytis spore, like a cancer patient, for example. There are 2 kinds of spores produced by Botrytis, a large one called a conidia that is ovoid-elliptical in shape and measures 9-15μm long by 6.5-10μm wide. The 0.45μm filtration WILL remove all of these spores, and as a bonus, almost all known bacteria, too. Unless there are too many spores to begin with, and the filter clogs up (another topic, maybe later? LOL.) OK, onto the problem: Botrytis, to the naked eye, looks very similar if not identical to another fungi named Fusarium. There are other similar fungi, but I'll just use Fusarium for now. No use confusing everyone. Compared to Botrytis, Fusarium is very toxic, also infects crops, (yes, weed too), and without a scope, or many years of experience with the naked eye on culture plates comparing the two, the novice cannot tell the two apart. Fusarium just so happens to make a very toxic, much smaller spore (called microconidia) which measures...wait for it...bet you think I'm going to say it's smaller than 0.2μm, aren't you? If so, you get a gold star on the chalkboard. You're paying attention - good! Microconidia ofFusarium measure 1.5μm wide. Wait, what? Won't a 0.2μm filter catch even these small guys? Good catch! You are right. All intactspores of Botrytis and Fusarium will be removed by that 0.2μm filter. Problem solved, eh? Sorry, not so easy. In layman's terms, I tell my clients this analogy: Fungi are like trees: They both have roots, a trunk, branches, and then leaves. The spores would be the leaves. The problem is that fungi parts, especially the "branches parts" can break apart or fracture into smaller sizes than 0.2μm, and that fragment still has the ability to grow new fungi (like taking a clone - the clone can re-grow a whole new plant even though you only took a small part of the mother plant). It only takes a single tiny fragment of fungi pieces-parts to start growing in your lungs. If your immune system is good (not a baby, not real old, no cancer) and you don't have allergies, that's probably not taking a great risk - using the material after filtering at 0.2μm. Chances are slim you'd get sick from that fragment - our immune system should get rid of it if it did start growing in our lungs or anywhere in the air-way. By now, with all this technical crap, you're prolly thinking, "Dude-WTF then?" LOL. No worries, the answer comes right now. Had to do some 'esplaining ( I used to teach...).
3)Use acetone! Just put your gorgeous weed covered with that nasty wooly, greyish Weed-hatin' fungi into a glass jar, pour in enough acetone (from Home Depot or any paint store) to cover the weed, screw the lid on tight, (acetone can eat away at rubber, so prolly best not to get jars with rubber seals) then let sit at least 24 hours. Then, open a window, turn a fan on high and remove lid so the acetone vapors get blown out the window. Yes, you have to place the jar right in between the fan and the window, silly. Acetone smells and is HIGHLY flammable, so keep away from sparks or you'll end up like a novice meth-lab wanna-be who blew up his mama's house: burnt, dead, homeless, and ashamed, LOL. Plus, nosy neighbors close to your window will know something's up - it's a powerful odor. Eventually, the acetone will evaporate, leaving weed and fungi. Acetone doesn't remove fungi, but it does kill it - there are many studies done on acetone's ability to kill all parts of fungi, making it sterile and unable to grow. So, that pesky grow in your lungs problem is solved....but acetone won't help with the allergy problem. Many experts are divided on whether acetone extraction renders fungal spores/fragments not allergic anymore...sorry we don't have that answer.
You might be thinking, "Yo, fool,where's the filtration steps?" No filtration needed really, unless one is concerned about the allergic problem. Another VERY critical point is that spores are very easily dispersed into the air when you handle your weed. When I see fungal growth on mine, and yes, I did have to deal with Botrytis once, I make sure to disturb it as little as possible, get it acetoned ASAP, and only THEN will I handle the weed. Remember the little white flower you used to make a wish and blow on it, and all them little flower-lets go flying into the wind, carrying your childish fantasies to distant lands? A form of dandelion...but a good illustration of what happens to fungi spores when you handle your weed - them spores go flying! Get the weed into a sealed glass jar as gently as possible, and obviously, gently pour acetone over so as not to disturb spores. Man, aren't fungi-impregnated weed just like women? Us men have to behave as gently as possible during their menstrual period or else - feel the wrath! Sorry girls, just clowning around. Nobody wants period wrath, nor flying spores. Side Note: Ziploc bags are NOT air-tight! Nope, nope, nope...I never put weed in Ziploc's.
All jokes aside, last step: It just so happens to be that acetone is probably (by far) the chemical that removes the most THC from your plant, and is cheap and easy to get. See where I'm going with this? No, you can't take that weed after the acetone evaporates and smoke it...it'd be quite the buzz-kill. Might as well smoke a dandelion. :) You'll notice after awhile that your acetone has turned from clear to a nice green tint. THAT is where all your THC is now, not in the plant. So what I do is let the weed sit in acetone about a week, the longer the better, remove the weed and grind it up in a coffee-bean grinder, then pour the ground-up weed back into the acetone which as I said, will be a nice green color. Next, I use a coffee filter (the brown kind because I think the white ones are bleached paper, and I don't want bleach in my green potion), remove the plant material, and then evaporate the acetone, leaving something like hash. Whoa, what? Now he's saying hash? Yup, you got it. The safest way to consume fungi-contaminated weed is to turn it into hash/oil/residue...many names. It'll be very potent stuff, and usually kinda black and sticky when done. Now, I have to admit, since I'm a microbiologist, I also have a degree in chemistry, so I learned a lot in chemistry labs. Consequently, I gained the expertise to safely use heat to evaporate the acetone. But I do NOT recommend you try heat - acetone is TOO flammable and without practice with a know-it-all professor constantly looking at your lab apparatus while you heat away acetone (or other flammable solvents), it's too dangerous. Take an entry-level chemistry class with a lab section at your local community college before you try to heat acetone...PLEASE! You might not pass the class because science is hard, ummmkayyy, but getting an "A" isn't really why you are there, is it? I have the luxury of purchasing a lab-grade hot-plate that I can precisely control the temperature, and glassware that doesn't break when heated. The heat is VERY low, with constant fan blowing the vapors out the open window (I don't use my work for this, I'm not THAT stupid, LOL). I fill the glass about 1/3, then use just barely enough heat so that the liquid gently bubbles. I don't take my eyes off that jar while doing this - I went to college to earn enuff dough so I could buy a house to smoke weed in, and the last thing I want to do is blow it up! Plus prolly end up on bricks, jumping when the man says go. OK, back to it: When the liquid is almost gone, if I have remaining acetone, then I slowly keep adding the THC-laden acetone up to the 1/3 mark, let it evaporate down, and repeat until all my acetone is gone. Then I end up with a nice, black, sticky goo that, to put it scientifically, fucks you up, homey. 'Scuse my French, but it's very strong. I think (but am not positive so don't hate on me if I'm wrong on this) the black goo is way over 30% THC... the number of 45% just jumped into my head, but again, don't quote me on this %). You can STILL evaporate off all the acetone with a fan, but I know it'll take much, much longer. Since I haven't done the non-heat method in so long, I don't remember how long it'll take...depends on how much you have to process...maybe a day? Not sure how long, so if someone knows that answer (time vs. amount of acetone), be sure to reply to help us out. I do know it'll happen eventually, but I don't think it gets all black and gooey like with the heat; more green, I think. I'd have to research this one, or wait for one of our bright members on this site to enlighten us, LOL. Good to have a back-up method in case my hot-plate gets cold feet one day.
Well that's my novel for the day. As a scientist, I am used to peer-review (and stupid red ink on my exams!), so please feel free to reply with any mistakes I made or just comment cuz you liked my artickle. (Misspelling intended). Gotta have fun with it, or else, why do we giggle so much when we are high? Live long, laugh, and smoke in moderation, my good friends.
