Trichomes: The Little Guys That Make It All Happen
3 Bros magical trichomes
Trichomes
Frosty, sparkly, kiefy — all words we use to describe a tasty looking nug full of little aromatic crystals we call trichomes. Trichomes are where all the “magic” is stored in cannabis. These resinous glands contain all the healing properties of the plant as they are where 3 special groups of chemical compounds are produced. These compounds are called cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG, CBN, etc.), terpenes (myrcene, β-caryophyllene, limonene, linalool, etc.), and flavonoids. Without trichomes, the psychoactive and medicinal aspects of cannabis would not exist.
Cannabis trichomes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, some tiny and sharp, some wide and round, but the most iconic and recognizable kind is the mushroom shaped capitate-stalked trichome. These are the largest and most voluminous of the trichomes and can be seen with the naked eye. Take a close up look at a frosty bud and we promise you’ll be able to see thousands of these guys! Inside the big round tops of these glands, or the resin head, contains a sticky, pungent, and resinous material where all the cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids are synthesized and stored.
The extraction of trichomes is fundamental in producing most cannabis products on the market. The only products that do not require trichome extraction are flower and flower based products like prerolls and preground and also certain kinds of hash. Edibles, concentrates (most), topicals, and tinctures all require bud to be processed in a way that separates the trichomes from the rest of the plant material.
There are two general methods of extraction and processing, mechanical and chemical. Mechanical extraction typically consists of agitating the buds until the trichomes break off the plant and pass through mesh screens or mesh bags called micron bags and into a collection area. This is usually done in intervals, using a series of screens or bags with a decreasing micron size until a satisfactory amount of plant matter is sifted out. The smaller the micron size (size of holes in screen or bag), the more pure the sifted trichomes are. Sometimes this kind of extraction is done in water. Mechanical extraction can also be done using some kind of pressing mechanism to squish buds until all the resin inside the trichomes is released.
Chemical extraction involves using certain chemicals and laboratory techniques to process and extract the resin inside trichomes. The most common methods include using hydrocarbons and other chemical solvents to dissolve plant matter while preserving resin matter. These processes produce refined cannabis oils including distillate, butane hash oil, CO2 oil, etc. These cannabis oils are the foundation of many other extract textures but can also be vaporized themselves.
In short, the trichome is the foundation of both medical and recreational cannabis and their small size should not overshadow their power as a medicine.