People have used cannabis for centuries. Today, it’s common to smoke it, but there are other ways to feel the effects of the THC and other cannabinoids that are found in this plant. Some people will use edibles that they purchase at the local head shop. Others may bake it into brownies or other foods. But if you haven’t tried cannabis infused tea, then you may be missing out.
What Will I Learn?
Cannabis Infused Tea
One of the benefits of cannabis infused tea is that you don’t have to smoke it. That means that your risk of lung cancer or other adverse effects associated with smoking are virtually eliminated. All that’s left is the plant itself, and its psychoactive effects. There are several ways to make “weed tea”. These include: infusing water with dry cannabis flowers, mixing cannabis oil with tea leaves, and mixing a cannabis tincture with tea. Generally, oils like coconut oil and butter will work best.
Cannabis infused tea is a great way to get the effects of the plant, but keep in mind that it’s not easy. Decarboxylation is the process of converting the inert THCA into the active ingredient, THC. Usually this is accomplished with heat, such as when the plant is smoked. This can also occur when you cook the cannabis in some sort of oil. The trick is in understanding how long, and how hot you need to make the cannabis in order to decarboxylate it. Factors that matter include the level of moisture in the cannabis, the total amount to be used, and whether you’re using a gas or electric burner.
When you smoke cannabis, you can often feel the effects immediately. However, when you consume it as a tea, or other edible, it takes longer to kick in, since it must pass through your digestive system. It is only when your liver metabolizes it that you begin to feel the effects. With this in mind, it’s best to start slow. Don’t consume too much at once, because you could end up with more THC in your system than you anticipated.
One popular cannabis tea is made using rose and chamomile. Many people will include cannabis infused honey, but it can be made without it. Other ingredients include 2 teaspoons of ground cannabis, coconut milk, 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile, and 2 teaspoons of dried rose buds. There are other cannabis tea recipes that you can try, but first, it’s good to know some other options for mood enhancing teas.
If you don’t want the psychoactive effects of THC, then you can try CBD oil in your tea instead. It’s often derived from hemp, and contains virtually no THC.
Kratom Tea
One popular plant product these days is kratom. It comes from the dried leaves of the mitragyna speciosa tree, which grows in Southeast Asia. Kratom contains mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. People report that crushed leaf kratom is great for brewing tea. Just keep in mind that kratom has a strong flavor, so you may want to mask the flavor with something a bit stronger. People report that small amounts of kratom can help produce a stimulating effect, while larger quantities can help with a sedative effect. With this in mind, you’ll want to keep the amount relatively low if you’re including it in a mood enhancing tea.
Note that kratom (and cannabis) are not FDA approved for the treatment of any disease or condition. This is partly because there aren’t enough peer reviewed studies. In fact, at the time of this writing, there appears to only be a few cannabis-derived products (and no kratom products) that are approved for any use by the FDA. These include Epidiolex (cannabidiol), and three synthetic cannabis-related drug products: Marinol (dronabinol), Syndros (dronabinol), and Cesamet (nabilone). These approved drug products are only available with a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider. Epidiolex is a purified CBD oil used to treat certain types of seizures. Marinol and Syndros contain dronabinol, a synthetic delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). They are approved in the US for nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and some other uses.
Other Mood Boosting Teas
There are a number of other teas that you can try in your quest to boost your mood. Generally, caffeine can be beneficial in moderate quantities. Just don’t overdo it. You can easily become dependent on caffeine, where your body will need it just to feel “normal.” But in moderate quantities (no more than the equivalent of a cup or two of coffee per day), it can improve your mood. The benefit of tea is that it usually has a lower quantity of caffeine than coffee in each serving. Give some of these teas a try:
- Green Tea: This has lower caffeine content than coffee, so you can drink more of it throughout the day.
- Valerian Root Tea: People report beneficial effects from drinking this tea at night. This is an herbal tea that doesn’t contain caffeine.
- Yerba Mate Tea: This is a special kind of green tea that contains caffeine, as well as theophylline and theobromine.
Work on Your Mood
If you like these ideas, then give them a try. Mood boosting teas are a great addition to your routine, when combined with a healthy diet and exercise program. You can try cannabis in different ways if you want to, but pay attention to your body and consider keeping a journal of your progress.
