How to Make Marijuana Stem Tea & Effects

Marijuana stem tea is one of the simplest but most enjoyable recipes you can do with your leftover cannabis material. Instead of throwing away your marijuana stems, you can grind and steep them in boiled water to infuse your drink with the plant’s therapeutic compounds.

How do you make marijuana tea the Jamaican way?

The leaves of the cannabis plant (and occasionally the buds) are used to make marijuana tea, also known as “ganja tea” in Jamaica.

Here is a basic recipe for making marijuana tea the Jamaican way, though there are many variations:

Ingredients:
Cannabis leaves (a handful or as desired; buds may also be used, but a stronger brew may result)
(About 2 cups) of water
Add honey, sugar, or more sweeteners as desired.
A small amount of fat, such as butter or coconut oil, is optional but may aid in the extraction of THC.

Instructions:
If you're using cannabis buds, prepare them by cutting them into smaller pieces. You can utilize leaves just as they are. The quantity you use is arbitrary and can be changed in accordance with tolerance and personal desire.

Water is being brought to a boil in a pot. Add whatever fat sources you're utilizing at this time, such as butter or coconut oil. Since THC is soluble in fats, the presence of fats can aid in the extraction of THC from cannabis more effectively.

Adding Cannabis: Add the cannabis leaves or buds after the water is boiling. Set the heat to low and simmer the mixture for 30 to 60 minutes. The cannabinoids in the cannabis are extracted into the water during the prolonged boiling procedure.

After boiling, strain; turn off the stove. Pour the tea into a cup or other container after straining the drink to remove the plant matter.

Sweeten (optional): You can add honey, sugar, or other favorite sweeteners to your tea to make it sweeter. For flavor, some individuals also like to add other herbs or spices.

Enjoy: Slowly sip the tea, then wait for the benefits to develop before sipping more. Remember that compared to smoking or vaping, the effects of edibles and drinkables may take longer to manifest.

Marijuana tea vs. smoking marijuana

Does Drinking Cannabis Tea Get You High? Yes, although it varies according to the tea's cannabinoid profiles and the brain's reaction. In general, cannabis tea is an inebriating beverage. It's probable that cannabis tea will provide a far stronger feeling than cannabis smoke.

Is it healthy to drink marijuana tea?

Yes, many digestion aiding properties of cannabis leaf tea have been demonstrated. Chemicals found in cannabis leaves have the potential to regulate digestion, reduce gastrointestinal inflammation, and lessen the symptoms of illnesses including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Does CBD tea help?

There is strong evidence that CBD helps lessen anxiety. In one study, those with social anxiety disorder who received CBD pretreatment reported much less anxiety and discomfort when speaking in front of an audience.

What is marijuana tea?

Cannabis leaves, stems, or buds are used to make marijuana tea, a drink. Cannabis can be steeped in hot water to make it, and the taste is sometimes improved by adding other herbs or regular tea leaves.

How do you make marijuana tea?

Cannabis is simmered with water and a fat source, like butter, coconut oil, or dairy milk, to help get the cannabinoids out. Most of the time, it takes 30 to 45 minutes. The source of fat is very important because THC, the compound in weed that makes you feel high, doesn't dissolve in water but does dissolve in fat.

What are the effects of marijuana tea?

The results can be different for each person and depend on the strain of cannabis they use. When compared to smoking or vaping, the effects can take longer to start (30 minutes to 2 hours on average) but can last longer (4 to 8 hours on average). Effects may include euphoria, relaxation, and changes in how you feel. In some cases, worry or discomfort may also happen.

Is marijuana tea safe?

There are risks and side effects that can come from using cannabis products. Some of these are dry mouth, red eyes, memory or focus problems, and in very rare cases, anxiety or paranoia. It's also important to be careful with how much you take, since eating marijuana can have affects that are stronger and last longer than smoking it.

Can marijuana tea help with medical conditions?

There are people who drink marijuana tea because they think it can help them with their health. It may help with pain, inflammation, nervousness, and sleep. However, more study needs to be done on how well it works for these conditions, and it shouldn't be used instead of professional medical care.

Is cannabis tea legal?

Whether or not marijuana tea is allowed where you live depends on the laws. Weed tea is usually legal in places where weed is legal for medical or recreational use. But it is still against the law at the federal level in some countries, like the US. However, many states have made it legal for medical or leisure use.

How do you dose cannabis tea?

It can be hard to figure out how much to take of homemade goods that contain cannabis because the cannabis used and how well it was extracted can vary. People who are new to weed should start with a small amount and wait to see how it makes them feel before taking more.

Can marijuana tea be found by a drug test?

Yes, a drug test can pick up on the THC in marijuana tea just like it can in other cannabis goods. Depending on how often you use it and your metabolism, THC can stay in your body for days to weeks after you smoke it.

What Is Marijuana Stem Tea?

Marijuana tea has been used for religious, spiritual, medicinal, and recreational purposes for centuries. Stem tea, in particular, only uses the stems of the marijuana plant, which have trace amounts of cannabinoids such as THC and CBD and terpenes.

Based on anecdotal reports, marijuana stem tea is able to provide relief for a variety of conditions including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, nausea, arthritis, headaches, and much more. Drinking marijuana stem tea can provide relatively fast-acting effects compared to eating a traditional edible.

Since cannabis stems have a low THC and CBD content, users need considerably more plant material compared to using whole flower buds for tea. Over time, users can gradually collect cannabis stems from their buds, store them in an airtight container, and make a delicious and intoxicating infused tea.

Benefits of Marijuana Stem Tea

Making marijuana stem tea is one of the simplest ways to enjoy your leftover weed. Some of its benefits include:

• Reduce waste: Instead of throwing away the stems, you can infuse the last bit of cannabinoids into your tea.
• Save money: By using your leftover stems, you are not throwing away the cannabinoids you paid for. It gives you an extra therapeutic experience.
• Smoke-free: For those with respiratory issues, marijuana stem tea is an easy-to-make and effective recipe that has fast-acting effects and will not cause lung irritation.
• Easy to make: All you need is some water, milk, and a strainer to make your tea at home.
• Healthy: Marijuana stem tea has numerous health benefits including relief for anxiety, stress, nausea, pain, inflammation, and more.

Ingredients for Marijuana Stem Tea

• Leftover marijuana stems (¼ to ½ cups)
• 3 cups water
• Tea bag of your favorite tea (optional)
• Strainer (coffee filter works)
• ½ cup coconut or non-dairy milk, 2 to 3 teaspoons alcohol/liquor, or half a tablespoon butter or coconut oil

How to Make Marijuana Stem Tea In 5 Easy Steps

Making cannabis stem tea is super easy if you have the right ingredients and materials. It's a great way to get the most out of your leftover cannabis.

How to Infuse Marijuana Stem Tea

Before we begin, it is important to note that cannabinoids are not water-soluble. They are fat-soluble. Because of this, users will need alcohol/liquor, milk, butter, or coconut oil, all of which can bind to the cannabinoids and infuse them into the tea.

Step 1: Grind Marijuana Stems

Once you have collected about ¼ to ½ cups of marijuana stems, break them up or grind them with a cannabis or coffee grinder. Keep in mind, some users do not grind their marijuana stems and, instead, infuse them whole into the boiled water.

Step 2: Boil Water

Fill up your kettle or pot with 3 cups of water or more depending on your serving size and portions. Add the milk, butter, or coconut oil ingredients before the water is heated. If using alcohol, you will add it after the water has boiled. Now, you can boil your water.

Step 3: Steep the Marijuana Stems

When your water has boiled, it is time to infuse your weed. Feel free to add the stems directly to your water mixture or use a steeping device. Steep your marijuana stems in the boiled water for 8 to 12 minutes. You can add a different bag of your favorite tea for added flavor.

Make sure to stir regularly and allow the stems to steep for enough time. This ensures that the cannabinoids bind to the fat compounds.

Step 4: Strain the Mixture

After your stems have had enough time to steep, you can remove them and any other tea bag from the boiled water by straining them into a separate container using your strainer or coffee filter. Be careful not to squeeze out any remaining liquid from the material since you might get extra chlorophyll, which can make the tea taste bitter.

Step 5: Sweeten the Tea (Optional)

When your tea is ready, you can sweeten it with a range of sweeteners including honey, lemon, agave syrup, and coconut cream. Depending on the quality of material and chlorophyll content in your stem tea, the taste can vary but, generally, tastes grassy.

If necessary, you can even blend in your tea with another favorite tea, including ones with caffeine to provide a stimulating effect alongside your weed. Ultimately, there are many ways to enjoy your infused tea.

Does Marijuana Stem Tea Get You High?

Yes. Marijuana stem tea can get you mildly intoxicated depending on the quantity of THC in the plant material. Keep in mind, stems and leaves have a significantly lower concentration of trichomes, the resin glands that contain the plant’s active and intoxicating compounds.

What Else Can You Do With Marijuana Stems?

Don't throw away your stems or leaves just yet. They have a few trichomes but if you collect enough, you can make a wide range of infused products including:

• Beverages: Coffee, tea, and cocktails
• Topicals: Transdermal patches, roll-ons, poultices, balms, creams and lotions, suppositories,
• Extracts: Bubble hash

Health Benefits of Cannabis Tea

Cannabis tea and other goods containing cannabis are thought to have health benefits. These benefits are mostly due to the plant's cannabinoids, which include THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (cannabidiol), and others. This group of chemicals interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the body. This system controls many things, such as pain, mood, hunger, and sleep. Here are some of the possible health perks of drinking cannabis tea:

1. Dealing With Pain
Many people know that cannabis can help with pain by reducing inflammation. Chronic pain, like that caused by gout, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain, may get better after drinking cannabis tea. Cannabis's cannabinoids can ease pain by changing the way the brain processes pain and lowering inflammation.

2. Effects on Reducing Inflammation
CBD, a common chemical in cannabis, is very good at reducing inflammation. Cannabis tea may help lower inflammation, which could be helpful for people with inflammatory diseases like Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and rheumatoid arthritis.

3. Help for Depression and Anxiety
According to some reports, cannabis, especially types high in CBD, can help people who are depressed or anxious by making them feel calm. Some people find it easier to handle the effects of cannabis tea than smoking or vaping because they happen more slowly.

4. Better Sleep
Some people may find that cannabis tea helps them sleep better, especially those who have trouble sleeping because of conditions like chronic pain or worry. It is known that THC can help you fall asleep faster, and CBD may help you sleep by getting to the root reasons of insomnia.

5. Nausea and Appetite Stimulation
People who are going through chemotherapy or who have HIV/AIDS have used cannabis to help them feel better and eat more. These benefits can be gotten from drinking cannabis tea, which is great for people who don't like to smoke or vape weed.

6. Neuroprotective Properties 
Cannabinoids may help people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis (MS) because research shows they may have neuroprotective properties. CBD in particular is being looked into to see how it can help keep the brain healthy and improve cognitive function.

7. Good Digestive Health
In addition to being good for your digestive health, cannabis tea can help ease the signs of digestive problems like cramping, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. It may help a lot with managing diseases like IBD because it reduces inflammation and eases pain.

Learn How to Make More Cannabis Infusions at CTU

We also teach how to make hemp tea as well for a delicious hemp drink.

Ready to learn how to make a variety of cannabis infusions and grow your own weed? Enroll in Cannabis Training University’s online cannabis college to learn how to use cannabis, how to grow cannabis, how to start a career in the industry, and how to make edibles. Start learning today!

Karen Getchell

Karen gained expertise in developing training programs and technical documentation as a Senior Editor at Cisco Systems. She began her journey in cannabis as a patient, searching for a way to heal herself. When she perfected a method for making cannabis oil, other patients began to seek her out. An early adopter of CBD medicine, she started her CBD-infused-products business in 2014. Over the last two decades, Karen has taught hundreds of patients and caregivers how to select strains, infuse oils, and extract cannabinoids.

When she isn’t teaching cannabis cooking classes, Karen works as a cannabis business consultant, writes for online cannabis publications like Cannabis Training University, Leafly, and Weedmaps, and runs a CBD-infused-product business.