Module 6 – Accessories & Device Generations
Part of the Purus Lumina Device Care Education Programme
The device is one part of the system. The accessories are the rest.
Patients prescribed botanical medicine using a dry herb device rarely use the device alone. A grinder — referred to by Storz & Bickel as the Herbing Mill — prepares the botanical material. Dosing capsules contain it. A capsule unit loads it. A filling set transfers it. Each of these accessories contacts the prescription before it reaches the device. Each of them accumulates residue. None of them come with a documented care standard.
This module addresses the full accessory ecosystem — what each component does, how it contributes to contamination risk, and what the correct care standard is. It also addresses device generations and the specific circumstances of patients who received their device through a clinic, a funding scheme, or a grant-assisted programme.
The grinder (Herbing Mill)
The grinder (Herbing Mill) is the first point of contact between the patient and the prescription. Botanical material is placed into the grinder, broken down, and transferred to the device or capsule. At every stage, the grinder introduces variables that affect what is ultimately inhaled.
Residue accumulation: Terpenes, cannabinoid oils, and botanical particulate accumulate on the grinder teeth, in the collection chamber, and on the screen if a three-chamber grinder is used. This residue degrades over time. It also retains the terpene profile of every strain that has passed through the grinder. A patient using multiple strains through an uncleaned grinder or Herbing Mill is not receiving each strain in isolation — they are receiving each strain combined with residue from every previous session.
Material types and cleaning: Grinders are manufactured from aluminium, stainless steel, titanium, wood, and plastic. Each material has different cleaning requirements. Aluminium and stainless steel grinders can be cleaned with pharmaceutical-grade isopropanol applied via cotton bud or soak, followed by full drying before use. Wooden grinders should not be soaked — isopropanol will damage the wood and introduce particulate. Plastic grinders are the highest contamination risk: scratches in the plastic surface harbour residue that cannot be fully removed. A plastic grinder used for a prescribed CBPM is not an appropriate instrument.
Cleaning frequency: The grinder or Herbing Mill should be cleaned at least as frequently as the device — and in most cases more frequently, because it contacts the botanical material before any heat is applied. Residue in the grinder is unprocessed. It degrades differently to residue in the device chamber and presents a different contamination profile.
The screen: Three-chamber grinders include a fine mesh screen that separates botanical particulate from the collection chamber. This screen blocks with use. A blocked screen alters the grind consistency transferred to the device. It should be cleaned with isopropanol and a soft brush, inspected under light, and replaced when cleaning no longer restores airflow through the mesh.
Dosing capsules
Dosing capsules are small stainless steel or titanium containers that hold a pre-measured amount of botanical material for loading into the device. They are designed to reduce direct contact between the patient's hands and the botanical material, and to allow pre-loading of multiple sessions.
Contamination between sessions: A dosing capsule that is not cleaned between strains retains the terpene profile of the previous fill. A patient prescribed two different strains for different therapeutic purposes — one for daytime use, one for evening — who uses the same uncleaned capsule for both is not receiving either strain in its prescribed form.
Cleaning standard: Dosing capsules should be cleaned with pharmaceutical-grade isopropanol, fully dried before reuse, and inspected for residue in the base and around the rim. Capsules that show discolouration that cleaning does not resolve should be replaced. Stainless steel and titanium capsules are appropriate for repeated use when maintained correctly. No other material is appropriate for a prescribed CBPM.
Storage: Pre-loaded capsules should be stored in a sealed, clean container. A capsule caddy or equivalent sealed unit is appropriate. Open storage on a surface exposes the botanical material to ambient particulate and moisture.
The capsule unit and filling set
The capsule unit is the component that holds dosing capsules within the device. It sits in the filling chamber and contacts the heating element's airflow directly. The filling set — where supplied — is used to transfer botanical material from the grinder or Herbing Mill into the capsule.
The capsule unit: Residue accumulates on the exterior of the capsule unit and in the contact points between the unit and the device chamber. This residue is subject to the same heat cycles as the device itself and degrades in the same way. The capsule unit should be cleaned with the same frequency and to the same standard as the cooling unit — isopropanol, full disassembly where possible, full drying before reassembly.
The filling set: The filling set contacts the botanical material directly. The funnel, tamper, and tray accumulate residue with every use. The grinder lid is frequently used as an improvised filling tray — this is shown in manufacturer video content and is a common patient practice. Whether the grinder lid or the supplied filling set is used, the surface that contacts the botanical material before it enters the device must be cleaned to the same standard as the device itself.
Replacement schedules for accessories
No manufacturer of prescribed dry herb devices publishes a documented replacement schedule for accessories in the context of prescribed CBPM use. The following is the standard that should apply, derived from the same principles that govern the device itself.
- Dosing capsule screens: Replace when cleaning no longer restores airflow. Inspect after every clean.
- Dosing capsules: Replace when discolouration is permanent, when the rim is damaged, or when the base shows residue that cannot be removed. Do not use a damaged capsule with a prescribed CBPM.
- Capsule unit: Replace when the exterior shows permanent discolouration or when the contact points with the device chamber show degradation that cleaning does not resolve.
- Grinder (Herbing Mill) screen: Replace when cleaning does not restore mesh airflow. A blocked grinder screen alters grind consistency and therefore the temperature profile of the session.
- Filling set components: Replace the funnel and tamper when residue accumulation cannot be fully removed. These are low-cost components. Replacement is preferable to continued use of a contaminated instrument.
Device generations
The classified medical devices used to administer CBPMs in the UK have been manufactured across multiple generations. The Mighty, the Mighty+, the Mighty Medic, the Crafty, the Crafty+, and predecessor models are all in active use within the UK patient population. Patients who have been prescribed CBPMs for several years may be using an earlier generation device. Patients who received their device through a clinic or funding scheme may be using whichever model was supplied at the time of supply, regardless of whether a newer generation exists.
The protocol applies to every generation. The cleaning and maintenance standard documented in this curriculum is not model-specific. The components differ between generations — the Mighty and Mighty+ use a different cooling unit design to the Crafty+, and the Medic variant has specific clinical configuration differences — but the principle is identical across all of them: residue accumulates, residue degrades, and a contaminated device does not deliver the prescription as intended.
Older generation devices: Earlier generation devices may show greater wear on seals, O-rings, and screens due to age and accumulated use. The replacement schedule for these components is more critical, not less. A patient using a three-year-old device that has never had its O-rings replaced is using a device that is materially different from the one that was originally supplied. The care obligation does not diminish with device age — it increases.
Clinic-supplied and grant/fund-assisted devices
A significant proportion of UK medical cannabis patients received their device through a clinic, a funding scheme, or a grant-assisted programme. In some cases, the device was supplied directly by the prescribing clinic. In others, it was funded through a patient support scheme operated by a manufacturer or third party. In all cases, the device was supplied without a documented handover protocol for care and maintenance.
The care obligation does not change based on how the device was obtained. A patient who purchased their device independently and a patient who received it through a clinic-funded scheme are in identical positions with respect to the care standard that applies. The device is a classified medical instrument. The prescription is administered through it. The obligation to maintain it correctly rests with the patient in both cases.
The clinic's position: A clinic that supplies a classified medical device to a patient occupies a position within the UK medical device supply chain. Under the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 and the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002, the MHRA's enforcement powers extend to all parties in the marketing and supply chain — not only manufacturers. A clinic that supplies a device without providing care and maintenance guidance has supplied a medical instrument without the information required for its correct use. Whether this constitutes a breach of the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002 has not been tested. It is a question this curriculum exists, in part, to raise.
Grant and fund-assisted devices: Where a device was obtained through a patient support fund or manufacturer grant scheme, the patient should confirm directly with the scheme operator what maintenance guidance was provided at the point of supply. In the absence of any documented guidance, this curriculum applies in full.
In plain terms
Your grinder (Herbing Mill), your capsules, your filling set — everything that touches your prescription before it reaches the device is part of the delivery system. None of it came with a cleaning guide written for a medical context. This module is that guide.
Clean your accessories to the same standard as your device. Replace components when cleaning no longer works. If your device was supplied by a clinic or a funding scheme, the care obligation is yours regardless. The device is yours. The prescription is yours. The standard is yours to maintain.
Notice of Intent
This curriculum has been submitted to the MHRA, Home Office, NHS England, NICE, the Care Quality Commission, relevant parliamentary and clinical bodies, and device manufacturers operating within the UK prescribed CBPM pathway, as a formal educational contribution to a documented gap in patient care. It is published in perpetuity as a matter of public record. Purus Lumina reserves all rights to the curriculum structure, content, and methodology.
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Module 6 is part of the Purus Lumina Device Care Curriculum — the world's first documented device care education programme for patients prescribed botanical medicine. Published as a matter of public record. Preserved in perpetuity.
This module was published on 4 July 2026 and exists in perpetuity as part of the Purus Lumina Device Care Curriculum — the world's first documented device care education programme for patients prescribed botanical medicine. It will not be removed.
Glenn Hailes · Director · Purus Lumina Ltd · London · United Kingdom · Registered in England and Wales