Introduction to vaporization – All you should know about the vaporization of plants
Correct using of cannabis brings distinct medical benefits. In reality, it is possible to prevent almost all health problems and issues related to the potentially detrimental smoking (including carcinogens, tar, etc.). If the plant is heated only until the point in which required cannabinoids (can be typically found in resins of the flower) are released without lighting / destroying the material. It is exactly what the vaporizer can do.
In consequence of this, a range of devices has flooded the market. In reality, many products, which use this process, including vape pens, portable vaporizers and desktop vaporizers, exist nowadays. Despite the wide range of options, all vaporizers are created by heating and the system of vapours transferring. We will have a look at individual types of vaporizers, resources of heating, systems of vapour transferring, and we will also look at what are the best options for patients who use vaporization for health.
Types of vaporizers
Vape pens
Vape pens are basically small vaporizers in the shape of a pen or electronic cigarettes. They are usually discreet, easily usable and much cheaper than sturdy portable vaporizers or table vaporizers – and it has a good reason. Vape pens use almost always a conduct heating (in the contrary of the preferable way of conventional heating), so it is important to understand how to operate with the device to be sure that your product will not overheat or even burn. At the recent time the market offers a really immense amount of vape pens.
Portable vaporizers
The popularity of portable vaporizers is also increasing thanks to the reason that the technology of vaporizing is still developing. If you want to vaporize in different places or travel a lot, maybe you find a portable vaporizer as the most suitable device for you. The portable vaporizer is slightly bigger than the vape pen, but you can still take it with you on travels. The comfort is crucial in these vaporizers, and they can be easily packed and taken everywhere, where you would like to. The majority of portable vaporizers are rechargeable, but vaporizers using butane or fire also exist.
Example: DaVinci IQ2, PAX 3
Desktop / Solid vaporizers
Desktop vaporizers (or “solid vaporizers”) are usually vaporizers that have to be firmly connected. Therefore these vaporizers are not portable square units, generally secure a much higher quality of vapours by convectional heating and offer much more functions. You can add a balloon into solid vaporizers, for example. Equally, solid vaporizers usually enable a group get-together on the contrary of solo events with smaller devices. They are usually furnished by bigger bowls and more robust heating systems which provide relaxant and fulfilling experience from the vaporizing of herbs.
Systems of transferring vapours
Whip vaporizers
A vapour created by the vaporizer is transferred from a warm-up chamber to use by various systems of transferring vapours. A ventilator or pump, which bring air through a plant and a tube, or into a bag which is called “balloon”, are used in conventional vaporizers. Tubes are produced from silicon and are long about one meter. In one ending of the tube, there is a mouthpiece, while the second one is a glass coupler which carries all your herbs and interferes through or inside the heating unit. The ending which carries the herb is usually called as a chamber for herbs, and it includes a sieve which ensures that the material will not get through the tube into the mouth.
Vaporizers with balloons
Vaporizers with balloons, such as Arizer Extreme Q, use plastics in food quality which are often used in the production of oven bags (oven bags can be used as cheap options). Balloons can be secured and detached from a device using a valve, which prevents from losses of vapour. Then the mouthpiece can be inserted into the valve which enables circulation of the balloon in the room.
Several vaporizers use tubes or hoses produced from different materials from glass to wood, while other devices require that you vape directly from the device. Whereas these vaporizers supply the direct steam of vapour practically without the loss of taste, many users consider vapour as too hot and concentrated. Many of those vaporizers can be furnished by the hose or tube.
Direct-fired vaporizers
The direct inlet is the most often used in portable vaporizers / vape pens. These vaporizers offer mouthpieces which are connected directly to the unit and enable that the vapour flows directly from the heating unit to the user. Some direct-fired vaporizers offer removable extension (typically glass), while others have mouthpieces permanently attached (vape pens for example).
Sources of heat
Conduct heating
Conduct heating works with the use of direct contact of herb with an electronically heated surface, often with solid metal or sieve. The common problem in such vaporizers is burning of the herb because of the incorrect distribution of heat. In vaporizers using conduction is very difficult to regulate the temperature. In this category, we class electronic cigarettes, vape pens and the majority of portable vaporizers which are available at the market now.
Conventional heating
Conventional heating, on the other hand, functions the way that warmed air passes through the dried plant, thanks to which the material can evaporate more equally and effectively. That is why conventional heating is the preferred option for many patients who want to achieve the best results. The plant never comes in contact with the heating unit; instead of this, air is either forced to, by ventilator or inhalation, pass through herbs and the system of transferring vapours. Heating units for conventional vaporizers are typically produced from ceramics, although some of them can be produced from stainless steel or other metals. Ceramic heating units keep the heat extremely well, and they are not influenced by cold air emptied by the system.
Infra-red heating
These vaporizers use the energy of radiation which arises thanks to the source of electricity, or source of light, which ensures heat. The plant absorbs radiant energy and warms up until its components do not evaporate. These types of vaporizers are rarer, and if we speak about the quality of produced vapours, they are on the same level with conventional vaporizers. Magic Flight Launch Box combines radiation (or infra-red radiation) with conduct heating in the way that uses a battery, emits current through a metal sieve carrying the heat on your herbs collected above. Simultaneously the hot sieve emits infra-red rays which transfer another heat through the herb.
Compatibility
Vaporization of dried herbs
Vaporizers created for heating of cannabis in raw form are known as vaporizers of dried herbs. Dried herbs of all types have been used for meditation, relaxation and therapeutic purposes for centuries. Some flowers and herbs (including cannabis) can be dried up, crushed and then inserted into a vape pen which is suitable for it.
Heating chamber heats dried herbs which release vapour, and it then can be inhaled. If you want to enjoy vaporizing the most, crush the herbs by using a grinder and crush the material in the way to create the biggest surface for heating.
Vaporization of concentrates
Wax, shatters, crumblers and oils are concentrated forms of cannabinoids and terpenes. That is why they are called cannabis concentrates. Given the fact that these products are a concentrated mix, their advantage is, that you will need only a tiny amount to acquire the same effect as in the much larger amount of less concentrated mix. If you want to vaporize concentrates, you will need a vape pen which is suitable for this type of smoking because only some vaporizers have this function. In reality, many producers of vaporizers now offer special added devices which adjust a standard heating chambers the way that they are compatible with concentrates, but it often costs more money.
Temperatures
Studies found out that the right point for cannabis vaporizing is around 170 °C, even though cannabinoids (curative substances located in cannabis) start to evaporate at 140 °C. At this temperature, active cannabinoids in cannabis change into vapour which can be comfortably inhaled, on the contrary of the joint which can have 1000 °C or more.
Whereas the exact amount of released substances depends on compounds presented and the temperature, no products arising during smoking of the herb are presented. It means that vapour has in comparison with the smoke much higher percentage of the required content of cannabinoids / terpenes.
Many vaporizers are typically furnished by digital control of the temperature, which enables to change ratio (the term ratio is important here) of active components which are vaporized. When you light cannabis with a lighter, all cannabinoids are released at the same time, required cannabinoids and terpenes which give to cannabis an original taste, smell and effects, are destroyed. Because terpenes have the lowest boiling temperature, around 55 °C, they are typically the first substances which are released by vaporizing. To reach the tasty and aromatic experience, it is the best to choose the lowest accessible setting of the temperature on the vaporizer and slowly develop up to 180 °C for the final processing of the material. As you approach the boiling point of other compounds, you increase the number of compounds that evaporate.
It is important to bear in mind that even at temperatures under the boiling point, the vapour is created. This vapour is similar to the situation when water releases water vapours even before reaching the boiling point. Vapour is presented only in lower ratios. Since vapour is not always visible at lower temperatures, you have to assess what temperature you set the vaporizer according to taste and smell of produced vapours.
Although the controlling of the temperature is possible in the majority of conventional units, conduct vaporizers with controlled temperature start to appear. Even when it is clear that the majority of displays do not show the exact temperature, the majority of them are very close, and they are much more precise than vaporizers without the regulation of the temperature. It is also necessary to note that the displayed temperature is not, in reality, the temperature of herbs that you evaporate.
Related studies
In 1999, the medical institute discovered that because of health issues related to smoking, the smoking of cannabis should not be recommended for long-term medical use. Although there is no evidence that smoking of cannabis causes cancer of lungs, or damage them, it is assumed that smoke can potentially cause difficulties which can lead to breathing problems.
A study published in the magazine Journal of the American Academy of Neurology reached to the conclusion that during the use of vaporizing devices has practically no exposition to harmful products, while burning.
Because of this reason, vaporization should be the primary way for patients treated by cannabis. Several scientific studies which confirm that the vaporizing is a healthy alternative to traditional smoking of cannabis were executed.
Another study, which was executed by scientists from Leiden University, discovered that the effects of using the vaporizer are comparable to cannabis smoking and equally without disadvantages which smoking carries.
These results are not the culmination of partiality or pious thinking in the hands of defenders of curative marijuana or their sympathizers; they are the result of the verification of the scientific theories and the documentation of evidence. It is a fact: vaporizers successfully supply the therapeutic effects of cannabis without the exposition of patients to harmful side-effects of smoking.
Long-term risks related to inhalation of burnt materials (such as respiratory diseases and multiple types of cancer) are not often the problem of older patients or patients who already have cancer or other weakening diseases. However, in younger patients who are treated because of reasons, such as food intake disorder, anxiety, stress, insomnia, etc., it is important to take into consideration the long-term effects of medical cannabis smoking. In simple terms, cannabis vaporization is the healthy alternative which will not come back in the form of patients’ health damage in the future which smoking can cause.