What is Reclaim and is it worth saving it?

What is Reclaim and is it worth saving it?

Look at your dab rig, it probably has brown goo stuck to the sides, that's reclaim. Find out how to collect reclaim, and if it's worth it.

After ripping a bountiful amount of dabs, the vaporized compounds eventually start to build up on the side of the glass, which accumulates over time and makes the glass look dirty. It may not look very appealing, however, this gooey stuff is called “reclaim” and contains high levels of THC.

Scott Churchill, Director of Methodology at MCR Labs, tested the contents of reclaim and stated that it can contain a solid amount of cannabinoids.[1] Reclaim can measure up to 30-60% THC, which is a very solid amount.

To answer the question of the headline, yes, reclaim is well worth it- especially for times you would otherwise be without. 


So, when you are in need of anything to dab but you ran out of fresh concentrate, you might want to consider reclaiming your reclaim.

There are three main ways of collecting your precious reclaim. Most dab rigs contain a drop-down, a piece which allows the user to collect the reclaim from the rig.

All you need to do is remove the drop-down piece, and gently heat it up with a torch. The flame should barely touch the glass, otherwise, the reclaim can lose the desired properties. By slightly heating up the reclaim, it will dribble down the drop-down into a small cavity, from where it can be collected on parchment paper or a wax container.

If your dab rig doesn’t have a drop down, you can collect the reclaim by turning the dab rig upside down and then gently heating the sides. Ensuring that the dab rig is drained of water, allows a mess-free collection of reclaim. 

If it’s too hard to collect the reclaim by heating the glass, perhaps due to the structure of the dab rig, you can also use alcohol as a solvent. When alcohol (grain alcohol like ethanol, not drinking alcohol, like beer) is poured into the dab rig, it will dissolve the reclaim.

The remaining alcohol/reclaim mixture can then be poured into a Pyrex dish, or any other heat resistant dish, and gently heated on a heating plate.

The mixture should not touch any flames because alcohol is very flammable. Be careful using this method, and make sure to take all the safety precautions necessary. 


Reclaim is not very pleasurable to dab. It’s not like those fresh concentrates on the shelves of dispensaries. All the terpenes are virtually gone and therefore the delicious weed taste will not be there. Some people add terpenes to enhance the flavor.

However, in our opinion, using reclaim for making edibles is the smartest move. Because the reclaim has already been heated and decarboxylated during the toke, the THCA has turned into THC. When eaten, the liver turns THC into 11-Hydroxy, which is a very psychoactive version of THC.

Although you could eat the raw reclaim and get super baked, we advise to mix it into some delicious chocolate and spread it over a cookie, or make whatever edibles suit you. Believe us, reclaim is really not that tasty.

Make sure not to heat the reclaim in the oven with temperatures exceeding 157°C/314°F, otherwise, the THC will start to evaporate.


Some people believe reclaim is icky and prefer to simply rinse out the dab rig and not bother with reclaim, which is fair enough. But for those who wish to save reclaim for that rainy day when cash flow is scarce, reclaim can be a lifesaver.

The best advice is to get a dab rig which has a drop down, this allows for a very easy collection of reclaim, which can then be re-smoked or used in delicious edibles.


  1. ^ MCR Labs, We tested reclaim, and this is what we found., retrieved November-16-2018