As with so many things related to cannabis, ice water hash washing has its roots in Amsterdam. As the legend goes, a man named Sadu Sam determined that the resinous trichomes on the cannabis plant are packed with oil-based compounds. Trichomes are the "mitochondria" of the cannabis plant—the part full of precious cannabinoids. The trichomes' oil results in the compounds sinking in water. Meanwhile, the rest of the plant floats to the top. This is the basis of hash washing, or "Sadu Sam's Secret."