Marijuana Tea Benefits, Effects, Recipe & Dosages
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Many patients who use medical marijuana on a regular or semi-regular basis are familiar with the more traditional ways of ingesting it—smoking, vaping, and eating. But did you know that marijuana-infused tea is considered a gentler, healthier alternative to smoking?
Marijuana-infused teas are becoming an increasingly popular choice for those looking for a convenient alternative to traditional consumption methods and wanting to avoid the associated risks of smoking, which can be especially helpful if you’re battling respiratory diseases or afflictions of the mouth or throat.
But these drinkables are by no means new innovations. Throughout history, several prominent cultures have harnessed cannabis’ healing power through teas. In many Jamaican and East Indian households a common home remedy for morning sickness and pregnancy-related stress is is often a cup of cannabis-infused tea. Intrigued? Keep reading!
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Therapeutic Benefits of Marijuana Tea
Another reason for marijuana-infused teas’ increasing popularity is that they contain more therapeutic benefits than traditional smoking. And, unlike smoking’s quick reaction time, cannabis-infused teas have a longer build due to the digestive tract’s absorption of the liquid’s active ingredients.
Tea made from brewing the leaves of the plant, not the bud, produces milder effects and doesn’t generate the traditional “heavy” or “stoned” sensations associated with other ingestion methods. Because of this, many say they feel “renewed” by the overall mild euphoria that often accompanies drinking cannabis tea, providing a great choice for those wishing to avoid becoming overly intoxicated.
If you’re going to brew your tea from flowers or leaves, you should make sure that you have a verified and tested organic source. Your best way to do this is to purchase your marijuana from a state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary. Be sure to check with your state to make sure that they allow flower. If you live in Oklahoma, you can purchase up to 8 ounces of flower at a time, which is more than enough to make tea for a month, but you’ll have to get your Oklahoma medical marijuana card first.
SEE ALSO: In-Depth Review of Spring THC Soda
Dosages
As with all these cannabis ingestion methods, finding the correct dose for you will take a little trial-and-error, so it’s wiser to start small. If you’ve never tried marijuana before, in any form, begin with a very small dose to familiarize yourself with its associated sensations and side-effects. We recommend trying ½ a cup (125 ml) per day.
Otherwise, if you’re a regular or semi-regular user, a standard starting dose is one cup (250 ml) every 24-hours. If you find that the medicinal effect isn’t quite enough for your situation, you can increase to two cups (500 ml) every 24-hours, taken at 12-hour intervals (once in the morning, once before bed).
THC Per Cup
The amount of THC per tea cup will vary depending on the strain(s) you use to create your home-brew. For example, if you’re using a single gram of cannabis (1,000 mg dry weight) that has an approximate 10% THC content, your tea would contain roughly 100 mg of THC. As with all teas, strength depends on how long you allow it to steep; longer equals stronger tea.
Effects of Marijuana Tea
Cannabis-infused teas typically take somewhere between 30-90 minutes for the full impact to be felt. Some people with a higher metabolism or lower body mass may feel the effects more rapidly, while those with a slower metabolism or denser body mass may not feel the impact until almost 2 hours later.
So the first time you try this tea, plan to be in a familiar, safe environment for a few hours until you know how your body reacts. Drinkers typically experience effects lasting 4-8 hours. And it’s because of these long-lasting results that many find it particularly beneficial treating chronic conditions like MS, nausea, and rheumatoid pain.
How to Make Marijuana Tea
Want to make your own marijuana tea? The easiest way to brew a cup is to simmer the marijuana buds, leaves or stems for 30 minutes with an added fat (like butter or coconut oil), depending on the medicinal strength you want.
Marijuana-infused teas made from cannabis buds produce the strongest effect; teas made from leaves are milder; and stem-made teas have the weakest effect of all three.
Here are three different marijuana tea recipes utilizing each of these plant parts that you can easily make at home!
1. Marijuana Bud Tea
Ingredients:
For each cup of tea you’ll need:
- 1/2 gram marijuana buds (for leaves or stems check out the second recipe below!)
- 1/2 teaspoon softened butter (unsalted)
- 1.5 cups water (400 ml)
- Optional: Tea bag (any flavor, mint works very well)
- Optional: Milk, sugar or honey to taste.
- Utensils: tea strainer, stainless steel pot, spoon
Instructions:
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- Grind the buds. Remove any stems and put them aside to make a separate cup of stem-infused tea.
- Place the ground buds into a bowl and add the butter, mixing carefully; the back of a spoon works very well for this. Try to get every piece coated with a little butter.
- Carefully add the water to a stovetop pot on medium heat, slowly bringing it to a simmer, then gently spoon in the marijuana butter mixture (be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl). Keep the water simmering and “brew” your tea for 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove your pot from the stove and allow to rest for a moment, or until the bubbles to stop breaking the surface; once cooler slowly pour it through a strainer and voila—tea!
If you find the taste too strong, you can always add a tea bag of your choosing to the pot during the last 3-5 minutes of brewing.
2. Marijuana Leaf/Steam Tea
To make a mild-tasting tea with even lesser “intoxicating” effects, simmer 1-2 grams of stems, leaves, or a combination of both in 1.5 cups of water for 30 minutes. Strain and drink! That’s it! It’s a perfect drink before bedtime.
3. Ready-Made Teas
If you’re not feeling up to the challenge of making your own cup of marijuana tea, you can always enjoy these pre-packaged ready-made teas anytime, hot or cold!
- Sarah’s Medicated Teas, based in Colorado Springs, CO, are available for purchase online. They’re currently branching out into Northern California and will soon be available at Dank Valley Farm, Indigo, Humble Root, and From the Earth.
- The Venice Cookie Co. offers four different flavors of their “Subtle Tea”: PM, a non-caffeinated chamomile, spearmint and valerian combo, Chai, Green, and Black (Ceylon). Each bag contains 40mg of THC.
- Have a discerning palate? House of Jane offers “Jane’s Brew Gourmet Cannabis-Infused Teas,” available in both C-Cups (for Keurig style machines) and traditional bags available in three doses: 20mg, 80mg or 200mg THC.
- Pot-o-Coffee also has a 10mg K-Cup option of their “Hemp-Derived CBD-Infused Tea.”
You can also find cannabis-infused tea by searching for the keyword “tea” on Nugg, which will search the inventories of nearby cannabis dispensaries and let you order delivery online if any are available!
Consumer Reactions
“[Marijuana tea is] the absolute best for medical use…[I] drink one cup of tea and have it relieve my symptoms for at least 6 hours. Not a really strong tea either…[its] effects took between 1-1.5 hours and it sneaks up on you…you may not notice anything ‘happen’ rather you may notice a few hours later, hey I’m not in pain.” —Kelly of Cowichan Bay, BC
“I prefer teas to smoking because I don’t feel sluggish, just relaxed and alert.” —Ember Rose of Denver, CO.
“Drinking marijuana tea can give you all the medicinal effects you’re after, and you don’t get the smoke in your lungs—or the smell on your breath. It’s great if you happen to have a sore throat or something like that. When I’m down, a steaming hot cup of this tea drops my pain level down to where I can actually function like a human being! I think it would be perfect, too, for people who are non-smokers but still need pain relief!!” —Janet M. of Ann Arbor, MI,
6 Cannabis Candy Edibles to Tickle Your Sweet Tooth
2 CommentsThere’s something exciting in the air, and by air, I mean your mouth. That’s because the days of “classic” cannabis edibles — those fat-filled, calorie-laden chocolate pot brownies and cookies — are officially gone.
Sure, you can still find the traditional marijuana desert edibles, but they’re quickly being replaced by more exciting, exotic, even healthy cannabis treats. This post won’t cover the new-age healthy options (you can check out our post on vegan marijuana edibles for that), but rather how “desert-edibles” are getting a makeover.
Six edibles you'll learn about:
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Edipure Watermelon Tarts
Edipure products are potent (for their size) and taste great. The company prides itself on successfully eliminating the taste of cannabis in all their products. They think cannabis candy should taste more like candy and less like cannabis, and we agree! (On that note, the strength of cannabis-taste in an edible can be a fine indicator of the potency of that product, so having no taste at all can be misleading, so beware!)
Edipure candy products usually come in small 10mg pieces, so it’s easy to control your dosing. If you’re going to give these little guys a shot, we recommend the “Watermelon Tart” flavor! Just make sure you place these goodies out of reach of children, since they directly resemble sugary sweets like Sour Patch Kids.
If you want to find EdiPure products near you, you can use their product locator, or you can just search for “Edipure” in the search bar of the Nugg app!
Wizzle Sticks
Remember the powdered candy craze from the 90’s? Well it’s back with a vengeance in medicated marijuana form. Wizzie Stix are basically Pixy Sticks, but each stick contains 50mg of THC! That’s potent enough for even the stoniest of stoners to feel, so be extremely careful if you’re a new cannabis user. In fact, we recommend starting with just 1/4 of one straw, then working your way up to a full straw if you feel comfortable.
In my personal opinion, these straight-sugar edible straws represent one of the most convenient and fun ways to consume cannabis — just pour some sugar down your throat, get medicated and simultaneously enjoy a rush of nostalgia from your days as a young lad!
Cannabis Cotton Candy
Kandy Care’s medicated cotton candy doesn’t need much explanation. It’s another straight-sugar product, delightfully infused with THC and lab-tested for quality and potency. The only downside to this product is its geo-location lock, which seals the packaging shut until it recognizes you’re either at a monster-truck rally, a baseball game, or the county fairgrounds — the only three places one would ever eat cotton candy.
Kushy Punch
Many cannabis-users dismiss cannabis candy products due to their traditionally low potency (many come in 10mg increments). Well, now there’s a cannabis candy for those with a higher tolerance. Whether you prefer sativa, indica, hybrid, or even pure CBD; Kushy Punch has a bite-sized product to provide maximum relief.
The company hasn’t been around for long (and they produce everything in California) but I’ve seen their products flying off dispensary shelves. And it might not just be their tasty products… the company also donates 10% of their profits to local charities! That’s something we haven’t seen many cannabis brands do, but is something we whole-heartedly endorse. Go Kushy!
Cheeba Chews
Do you have a plethora of food allergies? Never fear! Cheeba Chews are here! Cheeba Chew products are both gluten and peanut free and the best thing about them is that there are so many different types. There’s a huge selection of doses, strains, and flavors available. They even have some containing only CBD for those of you trying to stay clear headed while still treating your symptoms.
Also, you don’t have to look too hard for these. Cheeba Chews tend to be everywhere. In fact, chances are you’ve already heard of this Cannabis Cup winner, these guys are veterans in the world of all things cannabis! They also tend to be on the cheaper side, so if you’re trying to save some dough, this might be the best choice. Plus, check out the artsy video below to see how they’re made!
Incredibles
Are you sick of commonplace, tart & sour cannabis candy? Or maybe you’re a cannabis candy connoisseur? Incredibles has created a name for themselves in the vast world of cannabis candy by inventing a variety of exotic flavors. Most cannabis candies are usually just medicated versions of everyday candy, but Incredibles has created something truly unique.
By combining contrasting flavors like raspberry and habanero, the company has set out to create unimaginable taste sensations, fueled by a cannabis-infused high. You could consider this product the fine wine of cannabis candy, so try a bite!
Well there you have it folks, six sweet marijuana edibles that will do your sweet tooth some good.
High Dining: THC Infused Salmon
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Sliced thin with flecks of dill peeking out, the salmon looks like any other of gravlax you would have for brunch. But put it on a bagel with a schmear of cream cheese, and you will get pretty stoned eating this delicacy.
The mastermind behind the THC infused salmon – cured in salt, dill, lemon, sugar and a weed tincture – is Josh Pollack, owner of Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen in Denver.
“I love bagels and lox, and I love cannabis,” Pollack said.
Pollack, a New Jersey native who grew up going to establishments like Russ and Daughters, moved to Colorado for college. He loved the state, but missed the bagels from back east. After graduating, he worked in finance for a while, but tired of that and moved on to a more fulfilling passion: food.
“I’ve always been food obsessed,” Pollack said. “Bagels and lox has always been a comfort food.”
It was tough to find his favorite comfort food, so specific to the New York and New Jersey area, in Denver. So last year, Pollack opened Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen to serve up classics like bagels and lox.
The idea to infuse salmon with a weed tincture came about as a “fun little thing to do” for the 4/20 “stoner holiday”, as Pollack called it, earlier this year. It was a hit.
“It puts two things that people really love together,” he said. “That’s why I did it. There were people freaking out when they heard about it.”
The first batch of THC-infused salmon, which Pollack and his team passed out to people at a 4/20 event, was a little strong, making it difficult for people to eat a whole bagel covered in the stuff. Through trial and error, Pollack and his team at Rosenberg’s have figured out the right proportion of weed to salmon.
According to Colorado marijuana regulations, edibles sold recreationally must be wrapped individually or distributed in increments of no more than 10 milligrams of activated THC. To meet this law, which Pollack said is a “safe point” for most people, every three ounces of fish – the ideal serving amount for a bagel – should contain 10 milligrams of the tincture.
Pollack is still in the process of perfecting the dish, and said he has gotten more calculated each time they make a batch.
Pollack can’t currently sell the special salmon, but once he perfects the proportions, he hopes to sell it through local dispensaries. Unlike other edibles, salmon is “not a particularly shelf stable product”, so he said he will likely sell it on a special order basis.
The process of giving the salmon what Pollack calls a “tiny herbaceous flavor” is similar to the way he cures all the salmon for his delicatessen. First he makes a tincture by soaking weed in strong alcohol, straining it out and cooking the alcohol out of the remaining green liquid without activating the THC. Then, he adds the tincture to the recipe used for the cure recipe the delicatessen uses on all gravlax – a mixture of spices and a little bit of alcohol that acts as a retaining agent.
The salmon dries in the fridge for 72 hours to let the flavor disperse throughout the flesh and form a hard outer shell, and is then topped with lemon and dill.
“With this application, it goes really well to appropriately mask the flavor of the cannabis,” Pollack said. He said people like it because most edible products are brownies or candies – sweets filled with sugar that don’t really hide the flavor of cannabis, which not everyone likes. Savory items infused with weed, though on the rise, are still rare.
Now, Pollack is working on a new batch of gravlax for the Harvest Gathering, a Jewish food event in Colorado at the end of September, where he plans to teach Jewish chefs how to cook with cannabis. Lox isn’t the only Jewish food Pollack is currently infusing with weed; he’s also trying his hand at matzah ball soup, made with cannabis-infused schmaltz.
“Anything you can cook with fat, you can cook with cannabis,” he said.
Six Vegan Marijuana Edibles You Should Try
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Whether you are an animal rights activist, allergic to dairy, or simply just watching your weight; you’re probably wondering where all the vegan marijuana edibles are, right? Some certainly have “vegan” printed in bold letters on the packaging, but for the most part it’s hard to tell which edibles are actually vegan, and which ones are filled with animal byproducts. Your budtenders MIGHT be able to help you, but I wouldn’t count on it, and don’t be surprised if they don’t understand what the hell you’re asking about.
So we did some digging and some taste testing for you, to find the best, most yummy vegan marijuana edibles on the market right now. There’s sweet, savory, salty, and fruity to please even the most picky of our vegan friends, so dive in and eat up.
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Korova Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar
Korova’s new vegan marijuana edible is made with 100% organic ingredients and packed with 300mg of THC. If you happen to get your hands on a Korova edible, it’s best you nibble like a rabbit. Taking too big a bite could send you deep into a blackhole of confusion and paranoia. There are a bunch of great vegan edibles out there, but Korova takes the crown when it comes to potency.
Star-Nosed Mole’s Citrus Tamarind Almonds
Maybe cookies and brownies are a bit too basic for you. Perhaps you’re an elitist foodie with a sophisticated tongue. Well in that case it’s highly likely that Winterlife has something with your name on it – medicated almonds. They don’t come close to Korova in terms of potency, but your tastebuds will explode and likely gain several thousand XP. Definitely one of the most exotic vegan marijuana edibles we’ve ever come across.
Verdelux Chocolate
Maybe you’re not into brownies, cookies, or nuts. Maybe you’re a connoisseur of fine chocolates. Verdelux’s Vegan Mocha Chocolate is so good the chocolate gets you high even without the added THC. You think you’ve had a chocolate cannabis edible before? Think again.
Catnip Brownies
If you’re trying to save money, I’d recommend making your own vegan weed edibles. And trust me, there’s several vegan pot brownie recipes already out there. My advice? Ignore them and go with this one – the epitome of pot brownies. You’re welcome, now go and bake like you’re trying to get baked.
Medical Fruit Leather Strips
You’re probably not eating enough fruit. If you don’t screw up this recipe, you can cure your vitamin C deficiency and medicate at the same time. Also keep in mind that fruit leather is for eating. Don’t try to make yourself a jacket or a couch with this stuff. Actually I take that back. DO IT. Just don’t blame me if your fruit leather jacket melts and you suddenly become a living ant hill. Here’s the recipe.
Frosted Raw Brownies
Maybe you’re a bit crazier than most vegans. Maybe you’re super paranoid about what goes into your body or maybe you’re just super trendy and feel like bragging about your new diet. In that case you’re probably a “rawist.” You don’t touch processed foods. You study the art of “uncooking.” You’re probably lost somewhere in the Amazon rainforest… Well. If this sounds like you, this raw vegan marijuana edibles brownie recipe is right up your alley.
7 Tips to Control Your Cannabis Dosing
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Once you understand the different ways to consume medical marijuana, it’s important to have a basis for how you manage your cannabis dosing.
Cannabis dosing depends on the person, condition being treated, and consumption method. The following is not medical advice and is meant only to provide general guidelines to approach medicating with cannabis.
Hint: Seek the opinion of your primary doctor or a cannabis specialist to learn if marijuana might be right for you. Additionally, when using cannabis for the first time, do so under close-watch of someone you trust with extensive cannabis experience.
Checklist for cannabis dosing:
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Learn Which Consumption Method Is Best for You
Cannabis medicines are infused with CBD:THC rich extracts, and come in sublingual sprays, edibles, flowers, tinctures, concentrates and other forms. Depending on your condition, dose sensitivity, and other factors, one consumption type may be better than another.
Hint: experiment with different consumption types to see which is most effective for you. Be conservative when trying a new form of consumption.
Check out an unofficial guide to trying cannabis edibles.
Begin with a Low Dose
Especially for those with little or no experience using cannabis, start small and slowly increase your doses. Many recommend starting with a 10mg dose and working your way up in 5-10mg increments. Want to see specific stats on successful cannabis dosing experiments? Click here.
Spread Out Your Doses
If you’re a novice user, take multiple small doses over the course of a day, rather than a large dose at once. It’ll let you stay active and aware of how the marijuana is affecting you.
Find Your THC:CBD Ratio
Cannabis products have varying amounts of CBD and THC. Different combinations of the two help treat different ailments and types of pain, and the two together are said to enhance each other’s therapeutic effects.
For maximum benefit, choose cannabis products that include both cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis.
Experiment Before Making Major Changes
Once you’ve found the right CBD/THC ratio and dose level that suits you, observe the effects over at least a short period of time (one week is recommended). Then consider if you need to adjust the type or amount of cannabis you consume to produce the desired effect.
Don’t Overdo It
Often with cannabinoid therapeutics, “less is more.” With cannabinoid compounds, higher doses of CBD may not be as effective as low or moderate doses. In some individuals, too much THC can increase anxiety and cause mood disorders, among other side effects.
Hint: Start with a CBD-rich remedy, and slowly increase the amount of THC in your cannabis doses until you find a balance you’re comfortable with.
Consider the Condition You’re Treating
Anxiety, depression, spasms, and other pediatric seizure disorders may be better treated with a moderate dose of a CBD-dominant remedy—look for a CBD:THC ratio of more than 14:1. For cancer or neuropathic pain, you may need more THC, for instance, a 1:1 ratio.
Conclusion
As with any medication, it’s important to exercise caution when using cannabis. Understand the differences in chemical composition between different cannabis strains (sativa, indica, hybrid).
With the disappointing lack of cannabis research, it’s important to look to others’ experiences with cannabis for guidance on proper use. Know your medical history, and consult with your doctor or a cannabis specialist before use.
Ask us. We’re here to give you the information and resources you need to make an informed decision about cannabis use. Just comment below with any questions!