5 Reasons to Try Cannabis Tea
Cannabis sativa has been prepared in dozens of different ways over the centuries. Even though most people now associate cannabis with smoking, incinerating cannabis buds and inhaling the resulting smoke wasn’t always popular in the ancient world.
In fact, cannabis has been consumed in tea form in China for at least 4700 years. The occultist emperor Shen Neng prescribed cannabis tea for gout, rheumatism, and a variety of other conditions, and the medicinal use of cannabis tea gradually spread throughout Asia, Arabia, and Eastern Africa.
Today’s cannabis tea is somewhat different from its ancient counterpart. For one thing, THC isn’t the only dominant cannabinoid available in Cannabis sativa anymore. With the rise of CBD, tea drinkers now have access to an entirely different type of brewed cannabis beverage. Discover the top five reasons you should brew your own cannabis tea at home using high-quality CBD flower.
1. Cannabis tea is easy to make
Drinking cannabis tea is one of the easiest ways to ingest the beneficial constituents of the hemp plant. Unlike other hemp ingestion methods, cannabis tea only requires a few simple implements to make, and it’s practically as easy to brew and drink as any other type of tea. Follow this simple recipe to make CBD tea at home:
Easy CBD-rich cannabis tea recipe
Here’s what you’ll need:
- At least 1 gram of CBD-rich Cannabis sativa buds
- An herb grinder
- A pot or kettle
- A tea strainer
- Flavoring or sweeteners like vanilla extract or honey
- Your favorite mug
Here are the steps you’ll need to follow:
Pick a strain of Cannabis sativa
Each cannabis strain has different properties. CBD-rich strains are uniquely suited to tea due to their relaxing, calming benefits. Terpenes vary widely between strains of CBD-rich hemp flower, and each terpene profile has unique effects. Carefully select a strain that will provide the exact effects you’re looking for.
Grind it up
Using an herb grinder, grind the CBD-rich hemp buds you’ve selected. In most cases, around 1 gram of flower is the perfect quantity to make a large cup of tea. Make sure that you don’t grind your flower too finely.
Place it in a tea strainer
Place the ground-up CBD flower into a tea strainer. Use a conventional stainless steel mesh tea ball, or branch out into other available options.
Immerse the strainer in hot water
Boil around 2-3 cups of water, and remove the water from heat. Pour the water into a large mug. Immerse your tea strainer in the water, and keep it submerged for 3-5 minutes.
Strain, cool, and enjoy!
Remove the strainer from the water, and allow the remaining water that has permeated the hemp flower to drip into the mug. After allowing the water to cool, add any desired flavorings or sweeteners, and enjoy your tea.
2. Hemp tea is aromatic and flavorful
You’ll be surprised by how effectively cannabis tea translates the appealing tastes and aromas of hemp flower into beverage form. The heat of the boiling water separates the hemp flower from its terpenes, which are beneficial aromatic oils found in Cannabis sativa and a wide variety of other plants.
Terpenes provide hemp tea with natural flavoring, and they also infuse your tea with taste sensations that range from minty to hazy to fruity. While you’re free to add additional flavoring substances to your tea, you might find that the cannabis buds you brewed into your beverage provided enough flavor on its own.
Terpenes also have unique benefits
Terpenes don’t just smell pretty and taste good. These plant-derived substances are nearly as beneficial as cannabinoids, and in many cases, they offer benefits that cannabinoids do not possess or boost the benefits that cannabinoids provide.
Some terpenes, for instance, may offer antimicrobial benefits, and others appear to have anti-inflammatory or anti-fungal properties. Learn more about the terpene profile present in the specific strain of Cannabis sativa you used in your tea to discover the unique benefits that it might provide.
3. Hemp flower tea unlocks the potential of cannabinoids
As anyone unfortunate enough to eat raw cannabis flower would begrudgingly let you know, cannabinoids don’t have the effects you’d expect unless you heat them. When exposed to heat, cannabinoids “decarboxylate,” which means that they lose their carboxyl atom groups and take on their more bioactive forms.
While research indicates that carboxylic acid forms of cannabinoids like CBDA, CBGA, and THCA might have unique, desirable benefits, you decided to make hemp tea because you want to experience the benefits of CBD, not CBDA. By immersing your CBD-rich flower in boiling water, you decarboxylate it and turn it into its final form.
In addition to activating the cannabinoids present in CBD flower, ingesting these cannabinoids in tea form also offers impressive bioavailability. As you swish your CBD tea around in your mouth, the cannabidiol molecules it contains will pass through the thin membranes on the surfaces of your cheeks, tongue, and other mouth tissues. These tissues contain web-like networks of tiny capillaries, and under your tongue, there’s a huge artery that will carry the CBD in your tea directly to your central nervous system.
4. CBD hemp tea might improve your health
No matter how good it might smell or how delicious it might taste, you’re ultimately drinking hemp tea to experience the effects of CBD. Here’s what research has to say about the potential benefits of drinking CBD tea:
Research into CBD tea and anxiety
Cannabis scientists have conducted quite a bit of research into the potential benefits of CBD for anxiety. So far, research into CBD for anxiety has mainly centered around this cannabinoid’s interaction with the nervous system’s 5-HT1A receptors.
Research into CBD tea and pain
Both 5-HT1A and another neuroreceptor, TRPV1, are involved in the sensation of pain. Researchers are currently investigating CBD’s interactions with both of these critical neuroreceptors.
Research into CBD tea and sleep
Quite a bit of research has been conducted into the potential anti-insomnia benefits of CBD. In 2019, for instance, a large clinical study investigated CBD’s ability to promote sleep.
Research into CBD tea and heart health
Most cardiovascular conditions are caused or worsened by oxidative stress, which has a close relationship with inflammation. A number of studies into the potential cardiovascular benefits of CBD have been published, and most of this body of research centers around the potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of this cannabinoid.
5. CBD-rich hemp tea doesn’t have any side effects
If you’re ready to try CBD tea for yourself, nothing should hold you back. High-quality, indoor-grown CBD flower is readily available on the internet with fast shipping, and enjoying CBD in tea form may be one of the best ways to take advantage of the unique benefits this cannabinoid has to offer.
Even better, there’s no reason to worry about harmful effects when you brew and drink CBD flower tea. Upon exhaustive study, CBD does not appear to have any significant side effects, and research indicates that it’s safe to consume CBD in remarkably high concentrations.
Whether you decide to brew your CBD cannabis tea with a single gram of CBD flower or you’d rather craft a more potent beverage, CBD won’t make you feel high, paranoid, or anxious. Instead, CBD has a relaxing, mild effect, making it the perfect cannabinoid to enjoy on a slow, rainy afternoon when all you want to do is curl up with a hot cup of relaxing tea.
