# Charas

> Charas is hashish made by rubbing the resin off living cannabis flowers by hand and rolling it into balls or sticks, a traditional method of the Himalayan regions.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/charas.html
- Also written: hand-rubbed hash, hand rubbed hash, finger hash, rubbed hash, Himalayan charas
- Glossary category: Processing · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Charas is the hand-rubbed form of [hashish](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hashish.md). Instead of drying and sieving the plant, the maker rubs living, resinous flower [tops](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/top-shelf.md) between the palms so that sticky resin accumulates on the hands, then scrapes and rolls it into balls, sticks or small slabs. The method is traditional in the Himalayan foothills of India and Nepal and nearby regions. Clarke documented it in Nepal and in *Hashish!*.

## In practice

Because it is collected from fresh plants, charas tends to be soft, dark and aromatic, and it often includes plant fragments and moisture, making quality highly variable. It is labour-intensive: a long day of rubbing [yields](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/yield.md) a small amount per person. Collected from local [landrace](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/landrace.md) populations, charas reflects regional plant genetics and tradition, and it's one of the oldest living concentrate cultures. GenetixBay defines the product only.

## Don't confuse with

- **Sieved hashish**: made from dried plants, not live ones.
- **Temple ball**: a shaping and curing style, traditionally associated with Nepalese [hash](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hash.md).
- **Live rosin**: also made from fresh material, but by ice water separation and pressing.

## Myth check

House position: the landrace growers behind charas traditions deserve far more credit. See [landraces of the world](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/landraces-of-the-world.md).

## Related terms

[Hashish](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hashish.md), [Hash](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hash.md), [Temple ball](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/temple-ball.md), [Trichome heads](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome-heads.md), [Solventless](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/solventless.md)

## Read more

- [Landraces of the world: an overview](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/landraces-of-the-world.md)
- [Old cannabis wasn't weak: the "so much stronger than 20 years ago" myth](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/old-cannabis-was-not-weak.md)

## Sources

1. Clarke RC. 1998. Hashish! Red Eye Press, Los Angeles (updated edition 2010).