What is reclaim and how to use it?

What is reclaim?

Any lover of dabbing cannabis extracts and concentrates has seen, every now and then, some yellowish/brownish residue stuck to the internal parts of his water pipe or bubbler. This residue is basically composed of resin, which gets stuck to the glass due to the recondensation of the vapour.

This residue is often called reclaim, and while its appearance may not seem as eye-catching as the "raw" concentrate, it still contains large amounts of cannabinoids that can be used.

Be careful though, for reclaim must not be confused with the resin stuck to the pipes from the combustion of dried flowers, which does not contain much cannabinoids due to the high temperatures reached during combustion. We're exclusively talking about the resin accumulated in rigs and dropdowns when dabbing extracts.

According to the cannabinoid tests made by Scott Churchill - Director of Methodology at MCR Labs - reclaim does contain large amounts of cannabinoids. Several types of reclaim were analyzed in these tests, with diverse texture, consistency, colour and collecting methods.

Indeed, all samples tested showed high cannabinoid content, ranging from 30 to 60% THC. It is then obvious that recovering this resin is worthwile, especially for enthusiasts of BHO in times of shortage.

How to collect reclaim?

There is a very useful accessory for collecting reclaim called drop down, with which vapour is condensed and concentrated. Reclaim is mainly found at the base of the drop down, right below the nail. In this way, you can keep your bubbler clean longer.

To collect reclaim from a drop down, simply heat the accessory with a flame torch and leave it on a silicone pad, reclaim will slowly drip on it. It is important not to overheat the resin, otherwise it'll lose most of its properties.

If you don't have a drop down but want to collect the reclaim in your bubbler, you can dilute it with some ethanol. If that's the case, remember that you must purge your reclaim as you'd normally do with other resin extracts made with alcohol.

How to smoke or vape reclaim?

There are several ways to smoke or vape reclaim, but let's be honest now: unless you vaped very flavourful strains (Tangie, Shoreline, etc.) at very low temperature, reclaim is not as tasty as other concentrates. Its taste may remind of pencil leads, a bit unpleasant, and its texture is not as attractive as BHO, rosin or hash.

We recommend using a few drops of terpenes to improve the smell and taste of reclaim. You don't need to do this if you don't have terpenes at hand, but the quality of the product is highly increased. It is not by chance that most lovers of dabbing store their reclaim for the hard times when personal stocks are low!

Since reclaim is already decarbed during the vaporisation of the resin, its psychoactive effects can be noticed if ingested. A good idea is to mix it with some fruits, it is a very refreshing way to enjoy your reclaim!

Of course, you can always ingest your reclaim directly or fill some capsules with it, also cook some good cannabis recipes like space cakes, etc.

Remember that reclaim and any edible cooked with it contain THC and are thus psychoactive, so keep it out of reach of children, pets or persons who don't want to experience the feeling of "being high".

Sources:

• Mcr Labs : https://mcrlabs.com/resources-post/we-tested-reclaim-and-this-is-what-we-found/
• CannaHacker : http://www.cannahacker.com/how-to-use-reclaim-creative-concoctions/
• High Times : https://hightimes.com/culture/how-to-get-reclaim-out-of-your-oil-rig/
• Smoke Weed : http://smokeweed.me/cook-concentrate-reclaim/