CHARAS. ALL THE CURIOSITIES
Have you ever wondered how many interesting facts are around the mysterious Charas hash? Let’s find out it together in this article. Charas is a drug of Indian origin, comes from the extraction of cannabis resin and contains THC. Which is the psychoactive component of cannabis.
ORIGINS AND HISTORY
Charas hash has its origins in Asia (India, Pakistan). The legend tells it that its birth is to be attributed to Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism. Who has lost the love of the beloved Parvati tore off a seed from his thigh? Then, he threw it on the surrounding mountains. From there the new plants were born and Shiva since then began his consumption of charas. Which helped him to forget the absence of the woman he deeply loved.
HOW CHARAS IS MADE?
Making charas hash is not exactly a walk in the park. Charas is hand-picked from the tops of the plant’s inflorescences. Then, always maneuvering with your hands and with the heat produced by them, everything is transformed into the balls. It is different from hashish produced in Morocco because it is extracted from live plants, while in Morocco dried inflorescences are used.
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
The process is not difficult, but it takes a lot of patience and a long period of time. As mentioned earlier, you need to get fresh, live buds and inflorescences. You have to rub these buds between your palms and after a while, you will get this brown, gooey resin. It’s all about the trichomes.
Of course, before carrying out any operation, make sure your hands are very clean. You need to avoid washing them with flavours with a chemical or very intense scent, which would risk “sticking” to the resin and consequently to the charas.
As mentioned, you need a lot, a lot of patience: you need to rub the buds until you feel you have obtained a good amount of the resin, from there the accumulated residues can be joined together and kneaded in the shape of small sticks or balls.
Once this is done, the product obtained can be placed in plastic bags or in transparent plastic sheets, to preserve it and not to let it dry. If you want to produce it “by hand”, make sure you have particularly sticky cannabis strains.
Done! You got your charas.
CHARAS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VARIOUS TYPES
Charas is mainly produced in India, and one of the main places where it is produced is a village called Malana. This quality is considered to be the most prized variety of hashish. It is extracted, as we have said, from the trichomes present on the inflorescences, from which the resin is obtained. Charas hash differs from other types of hashish mainly in that the extraction takes place from live plants, with fresh resin. Which is moulded in the hands until it reaches the shape of elongated balls or sticks. On the other hand, hashish is made by many other methods, including sieving, ice and water, and other techniques. This kind of hash is typical of India and Pakistan while other hash varieties are easily found in Morocco and elsewhere. Of course, the different types of extraction and production determine the different effects that charas produces in the body.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THC AND CBD CHARAS
CBD charas hash is the one with low THC content (less than 0.2%) and high CBD content. This makes charas legal and affordable. Otherwise, charas is traditionally full of THC, containing very high percentages.
Very fine charas is also inviting in appearance, dark brown in colour and in a compact, softballs with a decidedly full-bodied consistency. The scent is intense and enveloping and is very reminiscent of that of grass, and hay, even if it also contains fruity notes. Charas is truly high-quality hashish the perceived sensations, however, vary greatly depending on the consumer.
NOW LET’S SEE WHAT ARE THE USES OF CHARAS AND HOW IT IS POSSIBLE TO SMOKE IT
Charas, as we have seen, is smoked by Hindu devotees using the chillum. It is used in numerous Hindu rituals to achieve high states of awareness. This is because, as we have seen, among the effects of charas are an amplification of the sensory experience, euphoria, and sometimes hilarity, an increase in appetite, and a decrease in the perception of reality. In general, however, the effects are very variable and depend on the state of mind in which one finds oneself, the “setting” (group in which one is smoking), and the type of drug used and taken. Someone reports anxiety, even severe nausea, hallucinations, and even severe paranoia.
However, it is a product containing high percentages of THC and this is in the case of THC charas. If instead, it is CBD charas, we are faced with a product with a high cannabidiol content and therefore perfectly legal, and with very different effects.
Other effects related to the use of charas with THC are the possible hallucinations, a feeling of a muddy mouth, red eyes and the so-called “munchies”, that is to say, a powerful increase in appetite linked to the consumption of cannabis.
CHARAS AND CBD WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS?
First of all, as we have said, charas contains a good percentage of THC, the psychoactive compound of cannabis.
This variety produces various effects. Among the main ones we remember, are relaxation, hilarity, a slight decrease in blood pressure, alteration of the ability to perceive reality, a feeling of fulfilment, increase in perceptions of the five senses.
Also, the fact that it alters the perception of reality, is crucial in some types of religious practices of Hinduism. Shiva is sometimes portrayed smoking the chillum, a traditional pipe used to fully enjoy charas. The chillum is a straight conical pipe.
This sort of hash is produced in the areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nepal. Another difference with Moroccan hash is that charas is not produced and distributed in blocks. In any case, it is prized because it is produced in a few places Kashmir and the Parvati Valley. Malana Cream and Kerala Gold are two very popular varieties of it, with high THC content.
THE PRICE
In Italy, CBD charas is particularly popular. The price varies a lot depending on the quantity and quality. Generally, it starts from around ten euros per gram, to reach around 300 euros for 50 grams.