What is Charas and how do I do it?

Charas is a rudimentary product, a concentrate prized by cannabis users for its effects and flavor.

 Originally from India, the Charas is very easy to make yourself. It is a rather rare dish even in coffee-shops (t'bizla, manali, white Nepalese or black bombay) and which always costs an exorbitant price. Here is some information on charas and an explanation of how to prepare it.

How is Charas made?

The charas is the sticky, resinous part of the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant grows profusely in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jamaica as well as Morocco. Charas or hashish as it is called outside of India is a very potent psychoactive drug which is used all over India. The cannabis plant grows well in the hilly terrain of northern India and it is here that most of the Charas making takes place in places like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Even though charas is illegal in India, many are using this drug today with very poor results.

The process of making Charas is long and tedious, it should be done by people with experience in the matter. For example a person can rub their hands with the cannabis flowers. Charas resin sticks to the hands of the person harvesting this way and after a long day spent in the cannabis fields, one will probably only harvest about ten grams of Charas. If the harvester goes very fast passing through the flowers, the charas obtained will be of lower quality.

The Primitive Form of Hash Charas

Charas is the oldest and most primitive form of hash, made exclusively in Hindu Kush in North and West India.

Charas are traditionally infused in sheep's milk (or goat milk, more rarely cow's milk), hot, or smoked with shilum or pipe.

The result obtained is an extremely psychoactive and cerebral effect, so charas have been used for centuries in the religious rituals of the peoples of the Himalayas. Cannabis has always been a part of life in India and has been closely associated with the magical, medical, religious and social customs of India for thousands of years.

There are 4 qualities of Charas:

• 1er quality
  Consisting of 100% resinous flowers either fresh or dried at 50%
• 2 quality
  Essentially composed of small leaves and heads full of resins
• 3 quality
  It consists only of small leaves and heads of good to excellent quality

Charas is considered the Black Gold of India, but remember that marijuana is prohibited in India

What are the effects of Charas?

Charas can have a powerful and numbing effect on the smoker. THC, which is the active ingredient in Charas, is in greater concentration than in regular hashish or marijuana. The effects of Charas are as below;

• This can have psychedelic effects such as altered consciousness and hallucinations.
• Those who smoke charas will have slurred speech, heavy eyelids, and bloodshot eyes.
• Charas users experience dreamlike states where warmth and relaxation are felt.
• Intense hunger is caused by the use of Charas.
• Brain cells die slowly in many cases of Charas smoking.
• Charas smoker's lungs are negatively affected after some time.

The Ancestral Technique

There are many techniques for extracting cannabis, in order to make homemade hash or better ... But the famous charras depends on a simple and rudimentary technique, which like the vine and the good wine opens up unheard-of perspectives concerning the effects and the taste. He is still considered the best hashish in the world.

By extracting the trichomes of plants still standing between the fingers, a resin condensed into cannabinoids is obtained. This unusual percentage of THC (and CBD) will increase during the drying period, by the process of oxidation of the buds.

Namely that the specialized collectors in India have leather suits; the plantations are irrigated by rivers that descend from the glaciers… You will have to do everything possible to re-create an environment similar to that of the Himalayas (cool place, and if possible supplied with a fairly cold temperature…)

During the process, moisten (slightly) the hands and regularly rub the heads between your palms in order to take off the charas; the process is long, don't stop until your hands are black… Manali workers spend all day there 😉

At the end of the process, the palms of the hands are scraped in order to obtain the precious charas. If the species of the plant corresponds to this maneuver (ex: Nepalese land race), we will obtain a few grams of the precious met ...

Dry the resulting charras, the percentage of THC depends on it. Indeed, cannabinoids (THC & CBD) increase their effects during the oxidation process, as well as the flavor in terpenes (taste & smell).

Prefer a wooden content and let dry a few weeks. During the drying process, it is recommended to add some additional flavors (buds, see a different species). Before long your charras will emit a strong and penetrating odor so particular to its own nature ...