Recipes

Healing Cannabis Tea with Canna-Honey

Laurie Wolf shares a cannabis tea recipe just in time for National Hot Tea Day (January 12), which celebrates the rich culture and history, diverse types, health benefits, and soothing qualities of tea.

In 79 CE, Pliny the Elder wrote that cannabis root can be boiled in water for a tea to relieve joint cramps and pain. Today, while the flower of the plant gets all the attention, the roots and stems are still useful as an herbal tea.

This tea has virtually zero psychoactive effects, as the stem has low levels of cannabinoids, but it does have some beneficial terpenes that may help reduce inflammation and pain.

If you’re growing your own cannabis (or somebody you know is), collect the stems and roots of the plants at harvest time

Pliny-Style Cannabis Tea

Serves 5 / Prep time: 10 minutes / Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 plant stems and roots from 1 cannabis plant dried and roughly chopped
  • 5 cups water
  • 2-3 bags herbal tea of choice optional

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to low and add the chopped stem and root. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
  3. Remove from heat and add your herbal tea. Cover and allow to steep on the counter overnight.
  4. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large heat-safe bowl.
  5. Carefully pour the tea through the cheesecloth. Gently press to extract any remaining tea through the cheesecloth.
  6. Enjoy warm or cold.

Recipe Notes

Dosing Process: Start with ¼ cup of tea and wait 4 hours to fully assess your reaction to its strength and effects. Drink more as needed.

Safety Tip: The cannabis root contains alkaloids that can cause hepatotoxicity if consumed in high amounts or for a long periods of time. This herbal tea should be limited to one cup a day with light to moderate long-term use.

Credits
Recipe by Laurie Wolf. A classically trained chef and food editor, Laurie Wolf founded Laurie + MaryJane to provide high quality, reliable edibles for adults and medical patients after finding success treating her own epilepsy with cannabis.
Photos: Bruce Wolf