What are you claiming is incorrect? The boiling point of THC? It's not that the number is wrong, it's that it was measured under strong vacuum, so it's relevant for lab use, but maybe not for our every-day vaporization.
Actually there are some flaws here if you read the whole study, especially how they collected the samples. I've discussed all of these tests recently with
@biohacker in great detail. My Volcano is from 2006 so I'm pretty familiar with most of the studies done with that device. Anybody that has ever owned a Volcano knows its not going to perform well with .05g of herb. In fact, here's an except from the study you cited in your previous post.
"Although the Volcano vaporizer has several advan-
tages compared to cannabis cigarette smoke, the proper
use for the administration of medicinal cannabis has to
be established in more detail. Based on our results, the
amount of cannabis used plays a crucial role in the vapor
quality and should thus not be left to random administra-
tion, but carefully adjusted. Vaporizing temperature is
another factor to be optimized."
I have an Arizer Air which is very similar to the Solo, (same heater, IIRC) and IMO it's the worst vaporizer I've ever owned as far as medicating potential. Go figure?
I actually agree with part of this, but I wouldn't call it terp hype. Those essential oils are capable of inhibiting enzymes which allow them to modulate the effects of the cannabinoids. Vaporizing at higher temperatures likely oxidizes or degrades those terpenes which affects their medicinal or therapeutic value. It's why a low temp hit feels SO different from a high temp hit, as far as pscyhoactivity is concerned.
Yes there are more cannabinoids by vaping at higher temps BUT these cannabinoids are not necessarily desirable for ones particular medical condition. Certain high temp cannabinoids like CBC are very sedative in my experience. Also, it goes without saying that high temp vapor can certainly be quite harsh, with lots of expectorant potential. But I absolutely agree with your general premise, that higher temp vapor does release a more complete spectrum of cannabinoids.
THC and CBD are desired cannabinoids. You get more of these at higher temps and the vapor is purer. In my experience, the vast majority of patients use THC and/or CBD. I understand your point, but most people want to get the most THC and CBD. That said, empirical evidence in the first study (Volcano only) shows that all cannabinoids tested were extracted better at higher temperatures. You will get more of an entourage effect by vaping at higher temperatures. The entourage effect refers to the synergy of cannabinoids that bind to or influence CB1 and CB2 receptors. I just watched The Scientist a few weeks ago. The doctor who discovered the entourage effect never mentioned terpenes once. The whole documentary doesn’t mention terpenes, because the best cannabis scientists in the world don’t think they are that important. Let me know when linalool stops a child from having 200 seizures per week. In fact, medicine is going the other way, with terps stripped out of the products altogether, but a full range of cannabinoids. These are modern cannabis pharmaceutical products that effectively treat serious diseases, without so much as a whiff of terps.
If you are buying medical cannabis to get the terpenes at low temps, save some money and just buy the terpenes. They are cheap and legal everywhere. If we are talking about the entourage effect or enzyme interactions, there isn’t much science out there to support it. Specifically, at what temps does this new age magic happen? There is one source, the table. Another source is molecular interaction diagrams. Mash ‘em together and you get — conjecture.
Terpenes aside, the multicolored chart is fundamentally incorrect when applied to any vaporizer on the market. At 347° you are not getting much THC at all. You are wasting cannabis. Millions of people are wasting cannabis because of this misinformation.
The notion of starting a session low and increasing the temp is interesting, but you may be vaping the terps before they interact with the cannabinoids. I looked and I couldn’t find any empirical evidence to back this up.
You seem to think a vaporizer is like dialing into a radio frequency or something. In practice, you really can’t just dial in a temp and get a specific terpene or cannabinoid. I know, the mythical chart I have seen all over the Internet makes this claim. Where is the analysis of vapor content that proves any of it?
In my experience, the Volcano is overpriced and produces wimpy vapor. Bag systems also waste a lot of cannabinoids because they adhere to the bag.
I posted two studies and it appears that one of them was skimmed over. From the first one, which tests the Volcano at three temps:
“The following amounts of dried cannabis were tested: 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 mg. Each amount was pre-pared and tested in triplicate as described earlier.”
This study has the most relevance to different temperature vaporizing. Also, note in the results that all cannbinoids increase at higher temperatures. This empircally disproves the new age vape chart. You can’t just dial into a temp and extract certain cannabinoids like tuning into radio stations. Fact. They didn’t test for all cannabinoids, but there is enough evidence to invalidate the multicolored new age chart. (Which reminds me of some hippy guy in Santa Cruz that we used to call “rainbow pants”.)
The study found that low temperature vaping actually produced vapor that had more by-products and fewer cannabinoids. It is worse for your lungs. Most people will need more puffs to get the desired medication. They will also waste a lot of money, unless they eat their ABV.
Low temp vaporization has less THC in the vapor. That’s why it has weak psychoactive effects.
Sorry, but I will take science over pseudoscience any day. None of these charts have a single citation. It is more of a simulacrum than science. It is two diagrams conflated into a theory that has limited backing. Yes, terpenes have an effect. Some are even CB2 ligands. Let me know who’s spending $ for cannabis that is rich in a particular terpene. Patients and recreational users care about cannabinoids.
That’s exactly why I looked for these studies. I figured someone bothered to examine the composition of vapor. A few studies have done this. These are facts about vapor composition.
In the end, if you guys want to waste your weed for cookie or skunk ass flavors, that is your choice. If you think the medicinal effects are better, science seems to indicate that it is probably the placebo effect. I know a lot of people who have such high tolerance, they can no longer guage these differences accurately.