п»їThe 4 best cannabis-infused teas for 2024.
As long as humans have been using cannabis for medicinal and spiritual practices, we have been steeping the leaves, stems, and flowers to extract the therapeutic benefits.
Weed teas are simple to prepare (a cannabis tea recipe requires just three ingredients). Yet, despite the simplicity, each warming cup of tea can provide gentle, soothing effects.
What is cannabis tea?
Cannabis tea is a traditional herbal drink made by soaking cannabis flower, leaves, and sometimes weed stems in hot water. Whether it’s brewed from a potent THC-rich strain or a mellow CBD variety, its medicinal qualities are unlocked by the brewing process.
A tea infused with cannabis often produces less intense effects than you’d expect from a joint or even an edible. Therefore, many patients prefer to use cannabis tea to gently relieve chronic symptoms, then a hard-hitting edible, which may leave them feeling hungry and tired.
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How does cannabis tea work?
Cannabis tea is technically classified as an edible, which means the beneficial compounds are absorbed through digestion rather than through inhalation. As the tea moves through the digestive tract, its medicinal properties are metabolized through the liver before they end up in the bloodstream for therapeutic effect – similar to the path cannabis edibles take through the body.
Weed tea often has a much higher concentration of THCa than THC, which means gentler intoxicating effects than you’d expect from smoking a joint or eating an edible. This is because boiling cannabis in water doesn’t as effectively convert the naturally occurring acidic cannabinoids (THCa, CBDa) into the desired neutral cannabinoids (THC, CBD). 1.
And this isn’t a bad thing. The mild-mannered nature of cannabis tea helpfully allows you to explore the medicinal benefits of THCa, in a way that doesn’t lead to the sometimes powerful high that comes with traditional edibles like baked goods and candies.
Need a more potent elixir? Decarboxylate the cannabis flower to activate the THC before you prepare your tea. Each cup prepared from decarbed flower will contain more THC than THCa.
But if you’d rather keep it simple and guarantee your hot drink tastes good, premade teas are a great option.