Proponents of cannabis believe it can treat and cure a multitude of diseases and disorders. However, while the research into the health benefits of cannabis is ongoing, and it’s generally considered a supplement to traditional medications, there’s also a growing trend to use cannabis as a preventative supplement.
Like drinking green tea or eating right, cannabis contains chemical compounds that can improve your overall health in general and help to prevent you from getting a disease in the first place.
Cannabis juicing is one of the newest trends in this area of preventative herbal medicine, and we’ve got all the highlights of this healthy trend right here.
What Is Juicing?
Cannabis may be called a drug, but when you get right down to it, it’s still a plant – just like kale or carrots.
Like those plants, in it’s fresh, undried state, cannabis has liquid inside its leaves and stems, and like those plants, that liquid can be pressed out, into a juice that contains health-promoting compounds and nutrients.
How Does Cannabis Juicing Work?
Cannabis juicing works like any other kind of juicing. You’re going to need fresh cannabis (the dried stuff for smoking doesn’t have any juice left!) You might find this hard to come by, since most cannabis is sold dried or processed already.
The good news is that very soon, homegrown cannabis will be legal for everyone in Canada, so it shouldn’t be too hard to harvest your own, and since the rule with any juice is “the fresher the better” this is an ideal scenario!
The leaves, buds, and stems of the fresh cannabis are placed in a juicer, and the liquid inside is pressed out. Cannabis juice is naturally bitter, so you’ll almost certainly want to mix this with other kinds of juice!
Why Is Cannabis Juicing Popular?
We all know about smoking marijuana, but the truth is, the high is not related to the medicinal benefits of cannabis, which comes from the naturally occurring chemical compounds in the plant. These compounds, THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic-acid) and CBDA (cannabidiolic-acid), collectively known as cannabinoids, are the chemicals that medical researchers are finding may have significant health benefits.
They’re also heat activated, which means that it’s only when they are smoked, dried with heat or baked or boiled to create edibles that they become psychoactive. In a nutshell, cannabis juice won’t get you high. That’s a benefit for people who are genuinely looking for medicinal benefits from this herb.
Another benefit is that even if cannabis does offer health benefits when smoked, smoking anything can still be potentially damaging to the lungs, so it can be counter-intuitive. Juices do not have that problem.
It’s the perfect way to get all the health benefits of cannabis, without the side effects!
Cannabis Juice Smoothies
Turning your cannabis juice into a smoothie is a simple and delicious way to get the benefits of this herb. Here’s how you can make one at home:
First, juice the cannabis on its own. You’ll want to mix this in a ratio of 1:10 with the rest of the smoothie ingredients.In a blender, place a cup of pitted, chopped soft fruit. Peaches are a great option or keep it green with a mix of kiwi and banana.Add a few spoons of natural yogurt.Finish with some honey to taste.Blend your smoothie, and then mix in the aforementioned ratio with your cannabis juice.
Cannabis juice is a great, healthy way to start your day and get all the preventative health benefits that this wonderful herb has to offer.
*Image courtesy of Leafly.com