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For many pot smokers, a spliff — or a joint or blunt rolled with weed and tobacco — is the preferred method for getting high. The appeal is understandable!
Spliffs burn slower than pure-weed joints and they enable the roller to regulate potency. Spliffs also help preserve weed because you use less flower than you would rolling-up a traditional j. Still, the downside is obvious: Tobacco has a number of serious adverse health risks.
Combining the healing grace of THC and CBD with the ugly tolls of tobacco may pose a steep price to pay for the instant gratification of a spliff. While THC and CBD may have some anti-cancer and cancer-fighting properties, tobacco is known to cause cancer. It also has other adverse effects on the heart, brain, gums, skin, and cardiovascular system.
Fortunately, weed smokers are an elevated, imaginative lot and always come up with crafty solutions. The answer often arises by returning to the lush, fruitful garden that blessed us with the Green Goddess in the first place: Mother Earth.
As a way to avoid tobacco, joint rollers frequently combine non-toxic herbs with their weed to create finer, healthier, more satisfying smokes. But now a bunch of new questions need to be answered: What are in these herbal blends? What do they do and which ones work best? Is it true that catnip can get me high?
If you’re curious about rolling your own herbal blends, look no further. MERRY JANE’s got you covered. Duh!
Catnip
Nepeta cataria, aka: catnip, is famous for its fast-acting, unmistakably psychoactive effects on felines. In fact, it works so well that when you see a cat on catnip you have to wonder, Does this stuff actually get Fluffy high? While mixing catnip in with your cannabis won’t turn you into a cat or get you majorly blitzed, the herb does deliver smooth, sedating effects on humans. It aids in releasing tension and amplifying relaxation.
Chamomile
Mild, lemony chamomile is familiar to most of us in tea form, where it has proven to be a go-to elixir for calming nerves, soothing sore throats, and settling upset stomachs. Chamomile flowers grow ubiquitously in the wild, and contain various essential oils and flavonoids that are said to contribute to overall wellness and homeostasis. When rolled into a joint of clean cannabis, chamomile levels out the high while ensuring deep relaxation. It’s also safe enough to use in unlimited amounts. So, roll away!
Damiana
Loving weed can help you see the beauty in all weeds, like damiana, which adds sensual spice to your high. Loaded with terpenes, tannin, resins, and caffeine, damiana delivers a low-key, euphoric buzz on its own and has been employed for centuries as an aphrodisiac in its native land Mexico. Combined with marijuana’s ability to intensify the senses, many damiana devotees spark it up as a way to help things get hot in the bedroom.
Hops
Have you ever wondered why weed pairs so well with beer? Perhaps it’s because they both make you feel great. Or maybe it’s because they come from the Cannabaceae family.
Regardless, hops and cannabis plants contain myrcene, a terpene renowned for alleviating anxiety, elevating moods, and soothing the body. No wonder numerous brewers have created cannabis-infused beers. It also makes sense that adventurous joint rollers add hops into their herbal mixes for a fluid high that makes going with the flow easier than ever.
Lavender
This lush, aromatic herb is abundant in gardens all over the planet. Lavender is a universally recognized therapeutic herb that has dozens of applications, from healing burns to minimizing stress to improving sleep to upgrading the experience of smoking pot.
Like multiple strains of cannabis, lavender possesses linalool, a terpene hailed for its anti-inflammatory qualities and ability to reduce tension. Beyond its nourishing flavor, many stoners also credit lavender with reducing harshness and easing throat strain when smoking.
Mullein
Mullein is a versatile herb and blends well with sativa to enhance focus, and indica to help wind down. Either way, mullein burns smooth, delivers a woodsy flavor, and elicits a campfire aroma — instantly evoking memories of standing in a circle and passing joints for the first time.
Rosemary
As a cooking ingredient, rosemary is a taste sensation. As a plant that contains the terpene beta-caryophyllene (BCP), rosemary is a dream spice to pair with pot. It improves cognition, awareness, and immune system functions, while also reducing an array of irritations. If you’re looking for a good way to wake up and take care of your brain, rosemary is an excellent herb to do just that.
Sage
Burning sage as a cleansing ritual is an ancient Native American tradition. Burning sage as an extra ingredient in your weed is also a transcendent practice that helps open minds, ease anxiety, and reduce inflammation. Because sage is so powerful, a small amount is all many smokers need to maximize its miraculous, cleansing effects.
Yerba Mate
Yerba mate offers two big-time benefits when rolled with cannabis: first, it’s a source of ultra-clean energy, which is why it’s a key ingredient in a number of high quality teas; second, it tops tobacco when it comes to slowing the burn of your joint. Uplifting and eye-opening on its own, yerba mate goes especially well with sativa and stands as a favorite among those who wake-and-bake.