Beginner’s Guide to Extractions

What is an Extraction?

Cannabis extraction removes active compounds and terpenes from plant material using a solvent such as ethanol, producing a concentrate far stronger than dried flower. Ethanol extractions are a popular method for creating concentrated herb products.

Why Choose Extractions?

Extractions offer several advantages over other methods of herb consumption:

High Concentration: Extractions contain a much higher concentration of plant-based wellness molecules and terpenes than dried herb flowers. This makes them more effective for medicinal purposes and can provide stronger psychoactive effects.

Precise Dosing: With extractions, it is easier to determine the exact dosage of plant-based wellness molecules, which is important for medicinal users.

Versatility: Extractions can be consumed in various ways, such as orally, sublingually, vapes  or in food and beverages.

Longer Shelf Life: Extractions generally have a longer shelf life than dried herb flowers.

Create Powerful and Pure Concentrates of Your Favorite Herbs With a dedicated herb cooker

Steps:

• Activate your herbs in the Cooker.
• Soak the decarboxylated herbs in ethanol. (3 hours recommended)
• Filter the plant material using the beaker filter.
• Fill the beaker with the infused ethanol, place the filter lid (without filter mesh) on the POT, and attach the condenser. Start the “evaporation” function.
• Done! Once the LED light changes from green to white, your concentrate is ready.

Enjoy the Benefits!

With a dedicated herb cooker, you can create powerful concentrates quickly and easily. Enjoy pure products and a safe and user-friendly method. Bonus: reuse up to 85% of the ethanol for future extractions!

Last reviewed: April 2026

This process can be performed with the NOIDS Herb Lab.

Three specific methods are covered in full elsewhere on this site. QWET is a 20 second to 3 minute wash in frozen ethanol for a pale, clean oil. FECO is a 3 to 6 hour soak that pulls everything, and how to make RSO at home is the step-by-step version of the Simpson protocol done with food-grade ethanol.